| *page 20* | |
| Carriere (pause): | It could have been better. (His son laughs.) |
| Phantom: | Remember the day I looked down in the water? |
| Carriere: | Yes. |
| Phantom: | I thought I'd seen a sea monster! |
| Carriere: | I remember. |
| Phantom: | I had. That's the irony. Then, for a while, I thought I was dreaming. |
| Carriere: | I went through that phase, too. |
| Phantom: | Not a good face for a tenor, I remember thinking. |
| Carriere: | You'd have had a fine career. |
| Phantom: | It is a good voice, isn't it? |
| Carriere: | Magnificent. |
| Phantom: | Oh, what a Faust I would have made! |
| Carriere: | I've thought of that. |
| Phantom (with effort): | Father? |
| Carriere (with effort): | Yes? |
| Phantom: | I'm sorry for what I've put you through. |
| Carriere: | Actually, there was never a moment I'd have given any of it up. |
| Phantom: | Ooh, I like that story! Tell me another fairy tale. |
| Carriere: | It's true. |
| Phantom: | Why? |
| Carriere: | Because you have your mother's soul. |
| Phantom: | Ahhh. (Silence.) Has Christine left? |
| Carriere: | I think so. |
| Phantom: | I'd have loved to hear her voice again. I can hear it in my mind of course. Been hearing it since I was a child. (Pause.) Remarkable! Twice in my life I have been touched by an angel. Surely not many men are as fortunate as that. (Pause.) What are they singing tonight? |
| Carriere: | Don Giovanni, I think. |
| Phantom: | Ah, there's a piece of work. Perhaps I'll listen for a bit. You can go now. |
| Carriere: | I don't mind staying. |
| Phantom: | No. Privacy is best for this. |
| Carriere: | You're sure? |
| Phantom (nods): | Come back in about a day. I've thought about being buried in my lagoon. But I might float up and scare some poor child downstream. |
| Carriere: | I'll bury you. |
| Phantom: | Make it deep. |
| Carriere: | I understand. |
| Phantom: | And no markings. There'll be inevitable curiosity when I'm not heard from anymore. And people are bound to come snooping. |
| Carriere: | No one will find you. |
| Phantom: | It's my face I'm concerned about. |
| Carriere: | You will not end up on display. |
| Phantom: | Thank you. (Pause.) Tell her I'm sorry if I frightened her. And that I will watch after her, if I can. |
| *page 21* | |
| (Carriere kisses his son on the forehead and exits. The Phantom hurls his sword-cane at a wall, which collapses.) | |
| OPERA HOUSE. While Christine sings the part of Marguerite in Faust onstage, Cholet and Ledoux whisper at the back of the auditorium. | |
| Ledoux: | Patience. |
| Cholet: | We're nearly half-way. |
| Ledoux: | And she's doing very well. |
| Cholet: | That's not the point! Her plan is one thing, ours is another! |
| Ledoux: | If he doesn't come, he doesn't come. (Nodding toward the stage.) She's a very good singer. |
| STAGE DOOR. Carriere arrives and hears Christine singing. | |
| Jean-Claude (to Carriere): | She convinced Cholet to let her have another chance at Faust. She's fantastic! |
| PHANTOM'S MUSIC ROOM. The Phantom hears Christine singing, opens his eyes, and slowly gets up. | |
| STAGE. As Christine sings Marguerite's love song to Faust, she turns to Box Five. The Phantom appears in the box and begins singing Faust's role. As police take aim at the Phantom, Ledoux, moved by the music, holds them back. At the end of the song, the audience roars with applause. There are gunshots, and the Phantom is hit in the shoulder. | |
| Phantom (leaping onto the stage): | Marguerite! |
| BACKSTAGE. Pandemonium. | |
| Carriere: | Get Christine out of here! |
| Count: | Where is she? |
| Cholet: | Lock all the doors! (The Phantom is climbing into the flies above the stage.) |
| STAIRCASE. Cholet and Ledoux are running upstairs. | |
| Cholet: | I'm going to have your job for this! |
| Ledoux: | We'll get him! (Runs off. Cholet turns and spots the Phantom.) |
| Cholet: | He's over here! |
| NEARBY. Christine has been watching the Phantom. | |
| Christine: | Don't shoot! (The Count arrives and holds her back.) |
| Cholet: | Shoot him! Shoot him! (Gunshots. Cholet is hit, falls over the rail to the stage below.) |
| ANOTHER STAIRCASE. Christine runs upward. The count follows her. | |
| Count: | Come! We're getting out of here! |
| Christine: | They're going to kill him! |
| Count: | If so, there's nothing we can do. |
| Christine: | He's going to the roof! |
| MANAGER'S OFFICE. Carriere touches a lever in the desk, and a secret drawer opens. He takes out a gun and leaves. | |
| ROOF. Christine and the Count emerge. The Phantom is waiting. | |
| Phantom (to the Count): | She sang for me tonight. She's mine. |
| Count (to Christine): | Run. |
| Christine: | No. |
| Count: | I said run! |
| Phantom: | Get away from her. |
| Christine: | Please! He means you no harm! (The Phantome strikes the Count with his sword-cane, scoops up Christine, and flees. Seeing the police ahead, he veers off. Then, going around a cupola, he meets Carriere.) |
| Carriere: | Erik! Let her go! (The Phantom knocks him down. Then, carrying Christine, he climbs onto a higher part of the roof.) |
| Count (from below): | There he is! (Begins to climb up after the Phantom. The police are circling below. |
| Ledoux: | We've got him now! (Police aim their guns.) Hold your fire! |
| HIGHEST PART OF ROOF. The Count and the Phantom are fighting at the edge of the roof. Christine is right below them. The Count slips - then dangles by his hands from the roof. The Phantom goes after him. | |
| Christine: | Erik! (The Phantom pauses.) No! (The Count is losing his grip.) Philippe! (The Phantom reaches down and helps the Count up.) |
| Ledoux (to his men): | He's got now way out We can get him alive! (Carriere watches as the police climb up after his son.) |
| Carriere: | Erik! (The Phantom looks down at him. Carriere aims his gun, but cannot shoot.) |
| Ledoux (to Carriere): | What are you doing? |
| Phantom (to Carriere): | Hurry! Please! (Carriere shoots. The Phantom is hit and falls to the level below. Christine rushes to him.) |
| Christine (to others): | Get back! Get back! |
| Phantom (barely audible): | Christine . . . |
| Count (to the police): | Out! It's over! (The Police back off, stunned.) |
| Phantom: | Christine? |
| Christine (softly): | Erik . . . (He touches her face. She touches his masks.) |
| Phantom: | No! Please! (She removes the mask and smiles warmly at him.) Ahhh. (She kisses him on the forehead. He relaxes and dies. Gently, she puts his mask back over his face. The Count comes over and leads her away. Carriere walks over, takes off his coat, wraps it around his son, and cradles him in arms.) |
2. Why is the Phantom attracted to Christine? Why is she attracted to him?
3. What was the Phantom's mother like? What was Christine's father like?
4. Does persecution justify revenge? Does artictic genius justify selfishness?
---* Part 2 *---
---* Part 3 *---
---* Part 4 *---
