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The Point of No Return
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DON JUAN (PHANTOM - behind the curtain)
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Passarino - go away!
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For the trap is set and waits for its prey . . .
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(PASSARINO leaves. CHRISTINE (AMINTA) enters. She
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takes off her cloak and sits down. Looks about her. No-
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one. She starts on an apple. The PHANTOM, disguised as
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DON JUAN pretending to
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be PASSARINO, emerges. He now wears PASSARINO's
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robe, the cowl of which hides his face. His first words
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startle her)
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DON JUAN (PHANTOM)
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You have come here
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in pursuit of
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your deepest urge,
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in pursuit of
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that wish,
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which till now
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has been silent,
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silent . . .
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I have brought you,
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that our passions
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may fuse and merge -
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in your mind
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you've already
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succumbed to me
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dropped all defences
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completely succumbed to me -
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now you are here with me:
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no second thoughts,
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you've decided,
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decided . . .
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Past the point
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of no return -
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no backward glances:
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the games we've played
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till now are at
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an end . . .
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Past all thought
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of "if" or "when" -
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no use resisting:
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abandon thought,
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and let the dream
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descend . . .
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What raging fire
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shall flood the soul?
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What rich desire
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unlocks its door?
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What sweet seduction
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lies before
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us . . .?
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Past the point
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of no return,
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the final threshold -
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what warm,
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unspoken secrets
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will we learn?
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Beyond the point
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of no return . . .
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AMINTA (CHRISTINE)
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You have brought me
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to that moment
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where words run dry,
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to that moment
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where speech
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disappears
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into silence,
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silence . . .
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I have come here,
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hardly knowing
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the reason why . . .
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In my mind,
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I've already
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imagined our
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bodies entwining
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defenceless and silent -
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and now I am
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here with you:
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no second thoughts,
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I've decided,
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decided . . .
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Past the point
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of no return -
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no going back now:
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our passion-play
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has now, at last,
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begun . . .
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Past all thought
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of right or wrong -
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one final question:
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how long should we
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two wait, before
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we're one . . .?
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When will the blood
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begin to race
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the sleeping bud
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burst into bloom?
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When will the flames,
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at last, consume
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us . . .?
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BOTH
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Past the point
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of no return
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the final threshold -
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the bridge
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is crossed, so stand
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and watch it burn . . .
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We've passed the point
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of no return . . .
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(By now the audience and the POLICE have realised
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that SIGNOR PIANGI is dead behind the curtain, and it is
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the PHANTOM who sings in his place. CHRISTINE
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knows it too. As final confirmation, the PHANTOM
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sings):
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PHANTOM
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Say you'll share with
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me one
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love, one lifetime . . .
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Lead me, save me
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from my solitude . . .
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(He takes from his finger a ring and holds it out to her.
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Slowly she takes it and puts it on her finger.)
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Say you want me
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with you,
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here beside you . . .
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Anywhere you go
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let me go too -
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Christine
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that's all I ask of . . .
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(We never reach the word 'you', for CHRISTINE quite
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calmly reveals the PHANTOM'S face to the audience. As
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the FORCES OF LAW close in on the horrifying skull,
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the PHANTOM sweeps his cloak around her and
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vanishes.
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MEG pulls the curtain upstage, revealing PIANGI'S
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body garotted, propped against the bed, his head
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gruesomely tilted to one side. She screams.)
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TRANSFORMATION TO:
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REVERSE VIEW OF THE STAGE
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(POLICE, STAGEHANDS, etc. rush onto the stage in
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confusion. Also: ANDRE, FIRMIN, RAOUL, GIRY,
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CARLOTTA and MEG)
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CARLOTTA
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What is it? What has happened? Ubaldo!
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ANDRE
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Oh, my God . . . my God . . .
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FIRMIN
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We're ruined, Andre - ruined!
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GIRY (to RAOUL)
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Monsieur le Vicomte! Come with me!
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CARLOTTA (rushing over to PIANGI's body)
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Oh, my darling, my darling . . . who has done
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this ...?
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(hysterical, attacking ANDRE)
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You! Why did you let this happen?
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(She breaks down, as PIANGI's body is carried off on a
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stretcher)
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GIRY
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Monsieur le Vicomte, I know where they are.
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RAOUL
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But can I trust you?
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GIRY
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You must. But remember: your hand at the level of
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your eyes!
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RAOUL
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But why . . .?
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GIRY
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Why? The Punjab lasso, monsieur. First Buquet.
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Now Piangi.
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MEG (holding up her hand)
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Like this, monsieur. I'll come with you.
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GIRY
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No, Meg! No, you stay here!
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(to RAOUL)
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Come with me, monsieur. Hurry, or we shall be too
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late . . .
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-----------------
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The Point of No Return
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| Phantom Of The Opera |
