-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aspects of Love Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black + Charles Hart Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Premiere: Monday, April 17, 1989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACT ONE Scene One (Music. A man discovered on stage, singing to a woman. Only later are we to identify him as the 34-year-old ALEX) ALEX Love, Love changes everything: Hands and faces, Earth and sky. Love, Love changes everything: How you live and How you die. Love Can make the summer fly, Or a night Seem like a lifetime. Yes, love, Love changes everything: Now I tremble At your name. Nothing in the World will ever Be the same. Love, Love changes everything: Days are longer, Words mean more. Love, Love changes everything: Pain is deeper Than before. Love Will turn your world around, And that world Will last forever. Yes, love, Love changes everything, Brings you glory, Brings you shame. Nothing in the World will ever Be the same. Why did I go back to see her...? WOMAN (GIULIETTA) Alex, it's all in the past... ALEX Off Into the world we go, Planning futures, Shaping years. Love Bursts in, and suddenly All our wisdom Disappears. Love Makes fools of everyone: All the rules We make are broken. Yes, love, Love changes everyone. Live or perish In its flame. Love will never, Never let you Be the same. (The number does not finish formally, but cuts into Scene Two...) ACT ONE Scene Two (A small provincial theatre in Montpellier, France, 1947. View from backstage. The closing lines of a poorly attended performance of Ibsen's The Master Builder, the last of the season. Among the cast are MARCEL, the troupe's actor-manager, and ROSE, its 25-year-old leading lady, who plays HILDE WANGEL) A VOICE (down in the garden) The master builder is dead! OTHER VOICES (nearer) His head is all smashed in.... He fell right into the quarry. HILDE (ROSE) (turns to RAGNAR and says quietly) I can't see him up there now. RAGNAR This is terrible. So in fact he couldn't do it. HILDE (ROSE) (with a kind of quiet, bewildered triumph) But he got right to the top. (waves the shawl upwards and shouts with wild intensity) My...my...master builder! (Curtain. Limp applause. Curtain call. Curtain falls again. ACTORS and STAGE-HANDS mill about. ROSE rounds furiously on MARCEL) ROSE The toast of the town? The hit of the year? The birth of a star? The end of a career! MARCEL Darling, these things happen... ROSE You turn round and tell us We're closed for two weeks! MARCEL Rose, I thought of everything... ROSE You thought of nothing! MARCEL ...There are posters in the streets And banners in the squares. Scream away, feel free, But at Ibsen, not at me... ROSE (interrupting) Why did I agree To accept this bloody tour? The only thing in store Is two weeks of nothing! ACTORS (in the background, to one another) Win some, lose some... What the hell... ROSE Working till I drop For an audience of four: Three nuns and your mother... MARCEL It's no good complaining... ROSE And she only bothered Because it was raining! MARCEL Love... ROSE Don't call me 'Love'! MARCEL This isn't personal. ACTORS (departing, to one another) I don't care... The theatre's my life... MARCEL We will start the tour again In Lyon in two weeks! Rose, the people there Are all Ibsen mad, I swear! Come on, show me a smile! ROSE (turning away) God, I'm not in the mood... MARCEL What's a fortnight or so? ROSE With no money or food... MARCEL Don't be glum... ACTORS Don't let's be downhearted! ROSE Don't waste your breath. ACTORS We'll get by... (Dodging the issue, MARCEL beckons forward the 17-year-old ALEX, who has been lurking in the background) MARCEL Now Rose, you must meet this young man! He's a dedicated fan -- Been in every evening! ROSE Marcel, don't run away -- I can see your little plan. ALEX (approaching nervously) It's an honor, mam'selle, I could watch you for hours... You can't have forgotten, I threw you the flowers... Mam'selle, seeing you on stage Has changed my life! ACTORS (exiting, to one another and to ROSE) Join us in the cafe In the square! ROSE See you... The cafe... The square... ALEX (to ROSE, tentatively) Would you let Me walk you there...? (Disslove to Scene Three...) ACT ONE Scene Three (A cafe in Montpellier. Later the same evening. MARCEL, MEMBERS OF THE TROUPE, WAITERS. ROSE and ALEX in the forefront, alone at a table. A CROONER sings on a wireless playing in the background, which is tuned into the American Forces Network. ACTORS are occasionally heard chatting) CROONER 'Parlez-vous francais? Je suis sad. Parlez-vous francais? I feel bad. How do you say 'Ce soir vous etes si belle?' I only know A word or so, Like 'Cat' and 'School' -- Je suis fool. ACTOR 1 (to COMPANIONS) Death to him Who dares mention Ibsen! Parlez-vous francais? ALEX (to ROSE) One day Montpellier's Going to scream... Please say 'oui'. ACTOR 2 Death to all directors! ALEX (continuing) ...To get you back! Shall I order? Parlez-vous An espresso? francais? Or cappuccino? Speak to me. ROSE (flatly) Armagnac. How do you say: ACTOR 3 Why we bothered heaven knows. 'Vous etes jolie, ACTOR 4 Marcel's a dreamer. ACTOR 1 Marcel deserves The firing squad. Mam'sell'? ALEX (to WAITER) Armagnac. And a glass of house white for me. ACTOR 2 (looking across at ROSE) Who's she with? (The OTHERS shrug. One of the other ACTORS, exiting, takes his leave of ROSE) Cherie, ACTOR 5 Two weeks Before we meet again. ROSE (unsmiling) Two weeks Before we eat again. Where do I commencer, If you won't parler WAITER (returning with the ACTORS' bill) Is that all? francais with me? ACTORS 1, 2, & 3 (to one another) The same again? ACTOR 4 (to WAITER) The same again. (The WAITER goes off, crossing with MARCEL who has just arrived. The ACTORS hail him) ACTORS 1, 2, 3, & 4 Here's the man Of the hour! Parlez-vous francais? ROSE (to ALEX) Please promise me You'll answer... Say you do. MARCEL (to the ACTORS) Am I allowed To join you? (MARCEL sits down with the ACTORS, who are looking across at ROSE) ACTORS (To MARCEL) Who's with Rose? ROSE (continuing) ...Truthfully. ALEX What's the question? ROSE You must promise first. Parlez-vous francais? ALEX I promise, I promise. MARCEL (replying to the ACTORS) Rose's young fan! Tell me true. ROSE How old are you? How do you say: ALEX In three years I'll be twenty. 'Je suis unhappy (ACTOR 1, who has sidled up to ROSE, overhears this) ACTOR 1 (to ROSE) Is this your Younger brother, Rose? Fella'? ROSE (ignoring the ACTOR, to ALEX) Is that all? ACTOR 1 (hisses loudly back to the OTHERS) Seventeen! WAITER (returning to ROSE and ALEX with their drinks) Is that all? (ROSE downs the brandy in one and hands the empty glass back to the WAITER) ROSE Another armagnac. (The WAITER goes off and ACTOR 1 returns to the OTHERS, highly amused) Cherie, ACTORS (shouting across to ROSE) You're in with Adieu to drinks A chance there! and danser, (ROSE ignores them. Other ACTORS are by now beginning to drift out) If you won't parler francais ALEX I have this theory: With me. Unless you say 'oui'... If you think What those images mean, Adieu to drinks and danser, Then clearly If you won't parler Most of Ibsen's subtext Is obscene... francais With me.' ROSE (dryly) Seventeen... ALEX It makes one very aware...such frightfully modern ideas... (He is interrupted, by MARCEL) MARCEL (to ROSE) Darling, it's only two weeks... (He blows her a kiss and departs. The CROONER's song has come to an end. We hear the voice of the RADIO ANNOUNCER:) ANNOUNCER Johnny Lejeune with 'Parlez-vous francais?' Encore, Johnny! (The radio orchestra starts up again and we hear the opening bars of the song) CROONER 'Parlez-vous francais? Je suis sad...' ROSE (calling across to the BARTENDER) Oh, turn that thing off! (The BARTENDER shrugs and turns off the wireless. By this time the cafe is more or less deserted) I don't need some crooner crooning. Or a stage-door Johnny swooning. Look, if I'm not very nice to you, It's because I have things to worry me. But thanks for the flowers every night... (A pause. She explains) I'm resting again. That's what actresses say When they're not in a play. (Another pause) You're a long way from England. ALEX Yes. ROSE And what brings you to Montpellier? ALEX I'm traveling through France Until my call-up. ROSE You mean the army? ALEX May I ask a stupid question? How will you survive for two weeks? ROSE I'll get along somehow. ALEX What, with no money? May I make a bold suggestion? ROSE And what kind of 'bold suggestion'? ALEX Come away with me, Rose... ROSE With you? Where? ALEX I have a villa -- Don't be suspicious -- You won't believe it, The view of the Pyrenees! I leave this evening -- Come with me... ROSE (after a pause) Are you sure you want me to accept? (No reply) Very well, then, I accept. (Still no reply. ALEX is in a daze) Here. Have some armagnac. (He drinks and returns the glass. She too takes a sip, as if to seal th...
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