literature

The Eternal Opera, Act 1 Scene 1

Deviation Actions

Published: Feb 1, 2014

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Literature Text

Act 1 Scene 1 Prologue- The streets of Cai Terra
The stage is set in the night time streets of Cai Terra, a futuristic steampunk city run by clockworks and steam, with a distant air of Victorian London about it. Buildings loom menacingly in the background, the odd window lit up by flickering candlelight. Gaslight makes the eerie setting dimly visible, and there is a distant sound of clicking gears. Enter our heroine, LADY CELESTINE EVERMORE, looking increasingly worried, her eyes darting about the stage warily as she hurries. She is a tallish woman of nineteen, with red curls that reach halfway down her back, left half loose and a little scruffy. She wears a green bustle dress, with a brown brocade pattern corset, lace up boots and a pair of goggles perched on her head. She also has a gold heart shaped pendant on a clockwork choker and is carrying a package.
Song 1, Prologue “The Thief and the Engineer”
*MUSIC NOTE-The music is played on a harpsichord(?), the vocals and music fit around the growing sound of the clockworks in the background. Both girls have quite low voices, MAXINE’s being a little higher than CELESTE’s.

CELESTE:
Celestine, show me your colours,
Celestine, how are you this evening?
Celestine, you cannot be out alone,
GOD, Celestine! What a very poor girl!
Celestine…

Enter MAXINE MC KENZIE in the shadows of the building. She is shorter than CELESTE by about an inch or so, and she has straight brown hair. She wears a brown travelling cloak with the hood up, casting shadows on her face, almost obscuring it, over a blue taffeta gown with cogs and gears embroidered around the hem. She has a golden pocket watch about her neck and often checks it. A light from one of the windows illuminates her a little.
MAXINE:
Maxine, what have you done now?
Maxine, it’s too late to turn back.
Maxine, how could you leave him?
Just for another adventure.
Maxine…

CELESTE:
Celestine…

MAXINE:
Maxine…

CELESTE:
Celestine…

The two women brush past each other, but when they look over their shoulders simultaneously they do not appear to notice one another and continue to pace, absorbed in their own thoughts.

CELESTE:
Celestine, I knew your father.
Celestine, how honourable a man.
Celestine, how do you sleep at night?
Celestine…
Celestine…
CELESTINE!

MAXINE:
Maxine, Where is your future?
A shape, fading on the mist.
Maxine, what is your limit?
What is your heart?
What is your burden?
Maxine…

*Here the two voices sing their parts together
MAXINE:
Maxine, what have you done now?
Maxine, it’s too late to turn back.
Maxine, how could you leave him?
Just for another adventure.
Maxine…
CELESTE:
Celestine, show me your colours,
Celestine, how are you this evening?
Celestine, you cannot be out alone,
GOD, Celestine! What a very poor girl!
Celestine…

At this point the two women cross paths again and run straight into each other. MAXINE stumbles but appears unfazed, her cloak still obscuring her face in the darkness, she tugs at it. Celeste immediately comes back down to earth with a crash and drops her package on the floor.

CELESTE:
Oh gosh! I’m so sorry-

MAXINE:
That’s quite alright child, do not be worried about me. You shouldn’t be out so late, it’s dangerous.

CELESTE: (she turns away for a moment) I know, I-

MAXINE: Time is of the essence, dear, do hurry. (She disappears into the shadows. When Celeste turns back she is gone completely, even from the alley she appeared to walk down)

Celeste looks around panicked, retrieves her package and hurries away as the gaslights flicker and disappear, plunging the stage into darkness.

Alright here's where it gets complicated. So, thanks to a dear friend (and a slightly odd pen friend) of mine, I'm now experimenting. I've got no idea how to write a play, let alone a musical so bear with my cluelessness. The idea wouldn't leave me alone so it had to go on paper, unfortunately, only I know how it goes because I can't write music.....yet..... So far so good! Anyway, especially for those who know about the Eternal trilogy, I thought I would upload this seeking opinions. This is so far very close to the book but it may do a Wicked later on and deviate as we get problems. There will be problems...

Basically, all of the music is in time with the sound of machinery, there's always a clock (because its a race against time!)

To answer some questions

A good friend of mine asked why my two leading ladies kept repeating their own names, at the time I did a very bad job of explaining it. In short, they're pissed off. Celeste is mimicking people's reactions to her, always asking what her father was like when he was alive and telling her that she couldn't defend herself etc. In the opera, she's supposed to be played as very angry here (you'll notice she starts shouting). Maxine, on the other hand, is talking to herself. Just so I don't give too much away, I shall put it simply, she left someone behind who is very dear to her and she knows there's no going back.

The other thing of why there will be problems? Clocktower jumping, shadow plays, two motorbikes, two sets of clockwork wings, a war, and my cast.

Also, Celeste is written for an alto, because I'm bitter.

Anyway, enjoy and any ideas are welcome.

Love and tea

Madam T x

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