1)
Lantern Yard & Lord Bless and Keep Us All.
The folk in the Lantern Yard City Chapel hold very strong
religious convictions. This song places us firmly in the
time period of 1800 and we find ourselves in a grim and
austere place. The hymn that follows merely emphasises
the bleak nature of the Christian fellowship they all
belong to.
Silas now sings a love song to his fiancée Sarah which
tells us of his utter happiness. Someone loves him and
that he looks forward to their future together.
2) Moments.
Having learnt that poor Silas Marner suffers from
epilepsy and is considered by the Chapel folk to be a
good healer, he and his best friend William Dane are sent
to look after an elderly congregation member. Silas sings
of his faith in God and concern for another human being's
pain.
3) Sweet Angels Look
Down.
Silas collapses in a fit as the song ends. Then we see
his friend William re-appear and, seeing Silas
unconscious to the world, he searches the room and
finally looking in a drawer removing something. Silas
comes out of his fit to find to his horror that the
elderly congregation member has died in the night. But
far worse is the fact that he is then accused of stealing
the dead man's money by William (who actually stole it).
Despite his protestations of innocence he is judged
guilty by the fellowship members and elders. He then has
to suffer even more torment as Sarah his fiancée and
William his traitorous best friend turn their backs on
him. Now banished by the Chapel folk and hurt and angry
Silas renounces God and all contact with people.
4) Journey's End.
Spurned by his religious 'friends' in Lantern Yard Silas
leaves the city behind him and travels out into the
world. We then see him arrive and settle in a cottage, in
a distant country village called Raveloe. He sets himself
up as the local weaver and now decides to totally devote
himself to work and the acquisition of money. Years pass
and we encounter his village neighbours who tell us that
they are reluctant to accept him as part of their
community, worried as they are by his strange cataleptic
fits and his miserly ways. The village landlord and local
Rainbow Tavern habitués now describe how wonderfully
important the countryside and its village people are.
.5) In the Low Country
We are transported from this happy place to an inn and
music hall in a rundown part of a dark and distant town.
We find Godfrey and Dunsey Cass, the two sons of the
Squire of the village of Raveloe's, arguing outside. This
is evident from their conversation and we can clearly see
that they are at odds with each other. They enter the inn
but stay at the back. Dunsey starts to sing
6) These Days of
Mine.
Bitter at his lack of money he considers blackmailing his
older brother Godfrey by threatening to reveal to their
father the Squire that Godfrey has a secret and
opium-addicted wife called Molly Farren who has borne him
a child.
We now see Molly Farren, a women obviously now down on
her luck singing for money on a tatty stage. She was
obviously once a great beauty but now is a bit of a
drunk. She sings a risqué bump and grind number and the
people in the hostelry join in.
7) Jolly Roger.
As she finishes we see Godfrey reluctantly give in to
Dunsey's demands. He tells Dunsey that the only thing he
has of value is his horse, Wildfire. Dunsey then agrees
to take the horse to sell in exchange for his silence. He
stops as Molly comes off stage and laughs as Godfrey
rushes off vowing never to return to her.
On her way across the room Molly flirts with the men in
the crowd, but is interrupted by a servant girl saying
her baby is crying and needs her. All the men immediately
lose interest. As she leaves she talks about how her life
at present is a terrible punishment, but soon her man
will appear and take her and her baby away to a better
life. She now meets Dunsey. He tells her she is foolish
to wait for his brother Godfrey who is not interested in
her any more and how very empty life is. He goes on to
tell her that he is going to sell Godfrey's horse.
8) Dunsey's Plan (part two of song - These Days of Mine)
Dunsey tells Molly about a Grand Ball to be held in
Raveloe the following night. She says she will come and
confront Godfrey and Dunsey laughs. After more
conversation they both agree that life is terrible.
9) There is No Such
Thing as Love.
During this song Silas joins in from the far side of the
stage in his cottage in Raveloe. We then see both Molly
and Dunsey leave the stage and watch as Silas confirms
his miserliness by counting his hoard of carefully saved
golden sovereigns. We then see Dolly Winthrop arrive. She
is a local woman who cleans and cooks for Silas. They
begin to discuss God and religion. Silas says that her
beliefs hold no interest to him and that he has no faith
anymore.
10) The Faith in Me.
They then sing about how they both need or don't need
God. It is a small and simple song. They finish and
darkness falls. It is dark and getting stormy and we hear
and see Dunsey killing the horse Wildfire in a jumping
accident. Panicking at its death and in fear from those
whom he owes gambling debts to, he runs away until he
finds himself at Silas's cottage by the gravel pits on
the distant outskirts of the village.
11) Dunsey's New
Plan (part three of song -
These days of mine)
Seeing Silas is out, he searches the cottage until he
accidentally stumbles onto Silas's hidden hoard of gold.
Triumphantly he rushes off into the night with the gold.
Thick snow begins to fall and down the lane we see Molly
Farren and her child travelling from their distant home,
on their way to confront Godfrey. Molly clearly intends
to reveal the secret that she is Godfrey's wife and the
mother of his child to his father, the Squire of Raveloe.
Molly sings of her betrayal by Godfrey as a warning to
other women not to be taken in by men.
12) Love is Cold.
Overcome and exhausted Molly collapses onto the snow in a
drugged stupor and dies. Shortly after this we see Silas
return. Upon entering his cottage he sees his gold has
been stolen and he collapses in a cataleptic fit. Out in
the snow storm Molly's child crawls away from her frozen
body toward the nearby light of Silas's cottage and
enters through the open door. Silas begins to come out of
his fit and, seeing the child's golden curls lit by the
flickering flame of his feeble fire, he groggily thinks
them to be his gold coins that have mysteriously
returned, and to his surprise finds the baby girl.
Alerted to the riding accident by a
young stable groom, Godfrey and some friends come looking
for Dunsey and find Molly's dead body in the snow. They
come to Silas's cottage and find him with the baby girl.
Ashamed to reveal that Molly is his wife and that the
baby girl his daughter Godfrey pretends not to know their
true identities. He tells Silas that he will take the
child back to the village with him and is horrified to
find out that Silas intends to keep her.
Silas shocks them all by calmly
explaining that as God took his gold away he will keep
the baby in exchange. Amazed by this they all discuss the
identity of the thief who stole Silas's gold and all
agree that it must have been a local gypsy who had
recently been seen in the area. They also conclude that
Dunsey must have left the district for another town.
Godfrey is clearly in shock at the death of his wife and
apparent loss of his daughter. Having now found the baby
girl whom he calls Eppie after his long dead sister,
Silas sings of their future together and how he will
protect and care for her.
13) Where Life Shall
Lead.
As he sings we hear that he has re-discovered his faith
in God. He tells how the love of a little child has led
him back to faith and that it must be God's will for him
to take care of her. Godfrey joins in the song with him
and delares that somehow he will get his daughter back
and get even with both Silas and Dunsey.
We open act two at the Raveloe village
church as the Sunday service ends. We see the entire cast
assembled. Sixteen years have now passed and we see the
abandoned baby Eppie has grown into a young woman. She
has been raised as his own child by Silas who is now
clearly much older but much brighter and happier in
himself.
Upon leaving the church, various members of the local
congregation comment to each other about how Silas has
changed for the better since adopting Eppie and raising
her as his own, and how Godfrey has apparently changed
for the worse since marrying local heiress Nancy
Lammeter.
14) Raveloe.
Silas assures Eppie that he is happy and Nancy assures
Godfrey that she is happy. Godfrey then takes time out
alone to reflect and bemoan the feelings of loss he
continually suffers from through being denied the love of
his true daughter. The stage empties and we return with
Silas and Eppie to their cottage. Eppie tells of how
happy she is and how she sees her future.
15) That's What
Little Girls are Made Of.
Silas tells Eppie that he needs to face his past and they
journey to the distant city he left so long ago, to seek
out The Lantern Yard Fellowship congregation and Chapel.
Once they arrive they find that both are long gone. A
crowd has gathered and we hear of the new industries
sweeping the country.
16) Without Her Love.
Back at Silas's cottage, Dolly Winthrop's young son Aaron
is digging the cottage garden. He talks with his mother
who helped Silas bring up Eppie and he then sings of his
love for Eppie. Eppie and Silas return and Aaron proposes
to her.
17) Honest I Am.
The scene ends with talk of village life and the how the
local gravel pits are being drained by Squire Godfrey for
his new dairy farm. It is now Christmas and time for the
traditional Grand Xmas Ball held by the Squire. The whole
village attends and we see Mrs Lammeter the local grand
dame and Nancy talk of the art of getting a husband for
the benefit of the local ladies. We hear a witty
interplay between the ladies and the common village women
as they all dance at the grand ball.
18) Lessons in
Life.
At the edge of the ballroom Aaron and Eppie sing of their
love for each other.
19) In a World With You.
Godfrey is suddenly urgently called
away from the ball and upon his return we learn the
shocking news that Dunsey's body has been found in the
newly drained gravel pits. Even more shocking is the
discovery of Silas's gold by the body. The village
constable returns Silas's lost gold to him. Eppie asks
her father what the return of his gold means to him.
Silas tells Eppie that he doesn't care about the money
and that she is his life's treasure.
20) I Don't
Know Him At All.
Nancy tells us that she will stand by her husband and
Godfrey begs her for her forgiveness. She then tells him
he must claim back his daughter by using the law.
They both go to Silas and Eppie and reveal the truth
about her abandonment. Eppie learns of her mother's real
identity and that Godfrey is her real father. Godfrey and
Nancy tell her that she can live with them in the big
mansion house and eventually inherit all the lands and
farms. Godfrey says that the law states that Eppie
belongs to him. The Village constable confirms this to
Silas who falls to his knees at the prospect of losing
Eppie. Silas tearfully tells Eppie that it would mean a
life with money and no work but that he would not stand
in her way if she wants to leave him. Godfrey and Nancy
sing of their desire to adopt Eppie. Silas and Eppie join
in and discuss their feelings. We learn of both their
conflicting emotions.
21) To the Manner Born.
Eppie thanks them but in a song and a speech she says she
will never leave Silas and that she is to marry Aaron and
that they will all live together in the cottage.
The power and conviction in her words make Godfrey and
Nancy finally see that she is right and they sadly agree.
Eppie hugs Silas and cries that she will never leave him.
Silas, now reunited with his lost gold, tells how he is
no longer inclined towards the acquisition of wealth. He
says that 'Gold can do no more than shine' and that the
best thing that life can reward a person with is the joy
found in love and tenderness.
22) Finale.
Eppie and Aaron re-iterate their plans to raise a family
and live with Silas as one big family concluding that
together their life is wonderful. Silas finally tells us
that as long as we face life together with faith and love
in our hearts we can all be happy.
The End - Copyright - Storm Productions 2003
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