---* Part 2 *---
---* Part 3 *---
| *page 17* | |
| Christine: | Only if you say that you don't love me, will I stop. (His eyes look frightened.) You shouldn't have to live like this, hiding in the dark like an animal. |
| Phantom: | I thought you liked this place. |
| Christine: | I like this place because you're here, that's all. |
| Phantom: | I think perhaps we should go back. I feel a chill descending. Autumn is approaching. I think it's going to rain today. (The music stops. He gathers up his things.) |
| Christine: | Maestro, please. You have given me so much. Let me at least give you this. (Touches him. He gasps and pulls away.) |
| Phantom: | You don't know what you're asking. |
| Christine: | I want to show you that you're not as horrid as you think. |
| Phantom: | But I am! |
| Christine: | To you, not to me. (Tenderly, not romantically.) If you love me, let me love you too. (He covers his ears.) Don't do that. (Smiles at him. He uncovers his ears.) No matter how terrible you may think you look, I know your face can be looked at by someone who knows what love is. Let me show you that it's true. Then you'll know it's not that bad. And you'll be healed. |
| Phantom: | Christine, this gentle stroll with you is the closest I have ever been to bliss. I am satisfied with that. |
| Christine: | But there is more. |
| Phantom: | I am sure. But not for me. |
| Christine: | Your mother saw your face and smiled. If love could let her gaze at you and smile, could it not do the same for me? (Long pause. He removes his mask. Christine stares in horror and faints.) |
| LATER. Christine's eyes open. She sees the Phantom ripping down curtains, props, and flats - the facade that was his world. Terrified, she runs for the staircase. He sees her, catches her, and carries her to a guardhouse outside the palace. | |
| Phantom: | This did not need to happen. You made it happen. I was happy with the way things were. |
| Christine: | I'm sorry. |
| Phantom: | If you'll excuse me, I'll finish redecorating. (Starts to exit.) |
| Christine: | I want to leave! |
| Phantom (incredulous): | Leave? |
| Christine: | Go back up. |
| Phantom: | I am afraid that will not be possible anymore. |
| Christine: | Why? |
| Phantom: | No one who sees my face can leave. I thought everyone knew that. (Exits, pushes a huge boulder against the door, and walks off. She notices that the "stone walls" are opera |
| *page 18* | |
| flats. She pushes one wall aside and runs for the stairs. The Phantom sees her and races after her.) | |
| OPERA GRAND STAIRCASE. The Count arrives. Carriere is waiting for him. | |
| Carriere: | Philippe, I have seen Christine. |
| Count: | Where? |
| Carriere: | I can't tell you. But she's all right. At least for the moment. |
| Count: | What are you talking about? |
| Carriere: | I made a terrible mistake. I left her in a place I shouldn't have. And I am going back to get her. |
| Count: | I'm going with you! |
| Carriere: | No, I need your help up here. |
| Count (horrified as he suddenly understands): | She's down below! I'll kill him! |
| Carriere: | Philippe - |
| Count: | I am going down there after him. I don't care what you say! |
| Carriere: | Then you jeopardize her life, yours, everyone's! If he wants, he can blow up this entire opera house, and he will if he's pushed! |
| Count: | How is it you know where he lives? |
| Carriere: | I just do. |
| Count: | Gerard - |
| Carriere: | I was the manager of this place. With that came certain privileges. (Pause.) Now, if you tell anyone where Christine is, she is finished. We all are finished. I will go down alone. (The Count begins to protest.) No! I'm sorry. It's our only chance. |
| Count: | Gerard - |
| Carriere: | Take my word for it. |
| Count (pause): | What must I do? |
| Carriere: | Wait here till she's back, then get her away instantly! There's a good chance he'll be in pursuit. (Pause.) Do you love her? |
| Count (incredulous): | Do I love her? |
| Carriere: | I need to know for sure. Because to save her life, you will have to do more than simply risk your life, which I know you can do. You will have to change your life. I know your ways, Philippe. |
| Count: | My feelings for this woman are like nothing I have ever felt for anyone . . . except her. She is my life! She has always been. The Count de Chagny that you knew does not exist anymore. He really never did. (Pause.) What must I do? |
| Carriere: | You must take her away, not just from the opera house, but from Paris itself. If he is after her, he will go to any lengths to get her back. |
| Count: | Is he in love with her? |
| Carriere (sadly): | In his way. And he'll destroy anyone keeping her from him. |
| Count: | What'll happen to you? |
| Carriere: | My task is to get her out. |
| Count: | But, Gerard - |
| Carriere: | You will be all she has. She will count on you. She will trust you. Do not disappoint her. Do not violate her love. Do not kill her spirit. |
| Count (moved by the depth of his caring): | I won't. |
| Carriere (staring at something behind the Count): | Don't move. |
| Count: | What? |
| Carriere: | Slowly, make your way to the door. (The Count turns and sees a statue open.) |
| Count: | But - |
| Carriere: | Hurry! (Christine emerges from the opening and runs to the Count. Carriere goes to the opening, looks down a hidden staircase, and sees the Phantom staring at him from below. He turns to the Count.) Get her out of here. (Carriere looks back toward the Phantom, but he is gone.) |
| COUNT'S FAMILY HOUSE, guest room. Christine is in bed, eyes shut. Carriere and the Count are watching her. | |
| Carriere: | She needs to rest. |
| Christine (numbly): | It's all my fault. |
| Carriere: | It's not. I shouldn't have let you stay down there. |
| Christine: | No. He was happy! (Carriere looks surprised.) It wasn't as if he didn't warn me. He did! I said, "No, I can look at your face. Love will let me look at it." But I couldn't. I am not worthy of him! (The Count exits angrily. Carriere follows him.) |
| GUEST ROOM, later. | |
| Christine (to Carriere): | Have I upset Philippe? |
| Carriere (finally): | He's just concerned about your health. |
| Christine: | I betrayed Erik's trust. |
| Carriere: | It'll be all right. |
| Christine: | No. Never. He will die from it. |
| Carriere (startled): | Try to get some sleep. (Starts to leave.) |
| Christine: | I have to go back. |
| Carriere: | What? |
| Christine: | It's the only way to save him. |
| Carriere: | That's not true. |
| Christine: | You know it's true. And if you're worried for me, there's no need. He would never hurt me. I know that. |
| COUNT'S LIBRARY. The Count is staring at nothing. Carriere enters. | |
| Carriere: | Philippe. (The Count turns away.) My friend, believe me, her love for him is a far different thing than her love for you. If you turn away from her now, she will die. (The Count turns back.) She wants to go back to him . . . to make amends. |
| Count (with fury): | I will kill him! |
| Carriere: | This is not his fault. |
| Count: | Not his fault? |
| Carriere: | Please, Philippe! I know him. He has never wanted to do anyone any harm. |
| Count (facetiously): | Ah! |
| Carriere: | Please. Just watch her. Make sure she doesn't leave. She will be all right. |
| OPERA HOUSE. Carriere enters and is surprised to see police everywhere. | |
| PHANTOM'S PALACE, in ruins. The Phantom is sitting by the lagoon. He doesn't acknowledge Carriere, who approaches and sits beside him. | |
| COUNT'S HOUSE, guest room. Christine wakes up and cries out. Philippe enters. She runs to him. | |
| Christine: | Philippe! He's dying! (Begins to cry.) |
| Philippe: | How do you know? |
| Christine: | I saw him. In a dream. Only it was not a dream. Philippe, he was dying because of me. |
| Count: | Christine! |
| Christine: | First I let him down by not singing well. Then I betrayed his trust. Finally, I abandoned him. But I know what to do. |
| Count: | I won't let you go to him! |
| Christine: | No. Not that. It's too late for that. Anyway, I'm not sure I'd know how to get back down. (He looks puzzled.) I'll need your help. |
| Count: | Christine - |
| *page 19* | |
| Christine: | Philippe, if you love me at all, please! |
| Count (unable to say no to her): | What? |
| OPERA HOUSE, Cholet's suite. Christine and the Count enter. Cholet leaves Carlotta's side and joins them. | |
| Count: | Christine has a plan. We think it may help counter the Phantom's threat of blowing up the opera house. |
| Cholet: | How can you do that? |
| Christine: | I know it will work. But we'll need your help. |
| OPERA STAIRCASE. Christine stands with the Count. | |
| Count: | But how can you be sure he'll hear you from down there? |
| Christine: | There are areas down there where you can hear the stage perfectly. He'll know I am singing for him. And he'll know what that means. |
| Count (with difficulty): | That you love him. |
| Christine: | Yes. But it's not the same kind of love that I have for you. It's not the same at all. |
| PHANTOM'S MUSIC ROOM, still intact. Carriere is by his son, who is in bed and dying. | |
| Carriere: | Would you like some water? (The Phantom shakes his head. Carriere takes his son's hand. No response. He feels the pulse.) |
| Phantom: | Not yet. (Carriere laughs. The Phantom smiles.) Thank you for everything. (Carriere smiles.) All in all, it wasn't all that bad. Being born, I mean. Because I could hear music. And I heard Christine. |
| Carriere: | She didn't mean to hurt you. |
| Phantom: | I know that. I'm sorry that I frightened her. She asked a bit to much of me, that's all. She thought she loved me. |
| Carriere: | She does. |
| Phantom: | She did. But only for a moment. Well! That's not bad - a moment such as that. Worth living for, I think. (Pause.) I do regret one thing, though. |
| Carriere: | What? |
| Phantom: | Not killing the Count de Chagny. |
| Carriere: | Why? |
| Phantom: | He does not love music. So how can he love her? |
| Carriere: | He's learned to love music through her. |
| Phantom: | Well . . . if you say. |
| Carriere: | She was unprepared for you. |
| Phantom: | No. She was unprepared for ugliness. (Pause.) And for a brief moment, so was I. (Pause.) Well, I'm glad she saw. Fitting end to my illusions. Illusions were my sole sustenance! (Pause.) But man cannot live by dreams alone. Or can he? (Pause.) Perhaps you'd like to see my face. |
| Carriere: | I've seen your face. |
| Phantom: | When? |
| Carriere: | When you were a child. |
| Phantom: | Ah. (Silence.) Did you know my mother well? |
| Carriere: | Yes. |
| Phantom: | And she let you see my face? |
| Carriere: | She thought your face was absolutely and flawlessly beautiful. |
| Phantom: | Ahh! |
| Carriere: | I'm sorry. |
| Phantom: | That's all right. I know she did. I can remember her expression. (Pause.) I think. |
| Carriere: | I am your father. |
| Phantom: | I wondered when you'd say it. (Carriere looks astounded.) You had to be! The resemblance is too strong. The eyes, I mean. My eyes are the only part of my face I can look at in a mirror without wishing to break the glass. (Looks up at the portrait of his mother.) But they are not her eyes. (Back to Carriere.) They're yours. (Pause.) And what did you think of your infant's face? |