Passion Libretto PDF

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A MUSICAL
Music & Lyrics
Stephen Sondheim
fr
Book & Direction
James Lapine
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
CoDlev Square
Boston. MA 02116
PASSION
PASSION A MUSICAL
Music and Lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim
Book and Direction by
James Lapine
THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

1994
Lyrics copyright © 1994 by Rilting Music, Inc.
Book copyright © 1994 by James Lapine.
All rights reserved.
Passion is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 355 Lexington Ave., New
York, NY 10017.
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or
television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected
under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the
Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty. All rights includ¬
ing, but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lec¬
turing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation
into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the ques¬
tion of readings and all uses of these plays by educational institutions, permission for
which must be secured from the authors’ representatives: for Stephen Sondheim, c/o
Flora Roberts, Inc., 157 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019; for James Lapine, c/o
Victoria Traube, ICM, 40 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Photographs by Joan Marcus.
Sondheim, Stephen.
[Passion. Libretto]
Passion : a musical / music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim ; book and direction by
James Lapine. — 1st ed.
Libretto.
Adapted, in part, from the 1869 novel, Fosca, by Igino Tarchetti, and the 1981 film
adaptation, Passione d’amore, by Ettore Scola.
ISBN 1-55936-087-9 (cloth) — ISBN 1-55936-088-7 (pbk.)
1. Musicals—Librettos. I. Lapine, James. II. Tarchetti, Igini Ugo, 1841-1869. Fosca.
III. Passione d’amore (Motion picture) IV Title.
ML50.S705P37 1994 <Case>
782. i’40268 — dc20 94-26688
CIP
MN
Design and composition by The Type works.
First Edition, December 1994

Passion was originally produced on Broadway by The Shubert
Organization, Capital Cities/ABC, Roger Berlind and Scott
Rudin, November 9, 1994, by arrangement with Lincoln Center
Theater. Sets by Adrianne Lobel, costumes by Jane Greenwood,
lighting by Beverly Emmons, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick,
musical direction by Paul Gemignani and direction by James
Lapine with Jane Comfort, associate director. The cast, in order
of speaking, was as follows:
CLARA Marin Mazzie

GIORGIO Jen Shea
COLONEL RICCI Grejffl Ldelman
DOCTOR TAMBOURRI Tom Aldredge
LIEUTENANT TORASSO Francis Ruivivar
SERGEANT LOMBARDI Marcus Olson
LIEUTENANT BARRI William Parry
MAJOR RIZZOLLI Cris Gwenendaal
PRIVATE AUGENTI George Dvorsky
FOSCA Donna Murphy
FOSCA’S MOTHER Linda Balgord
FOSCA’S FATHER John Leslie Wolfe
LUDOVIC Matthew Porretta
MISTRESS Juliet Lambert
Based on the film Passione d’Amore, directed by Ettore Scola,

and on the novel Fosca by I.U. Tarchetti
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/passionOOstep
PASSION
TIME
1863
PLACE
Milan and a remote Italian military outpost
SCENE ONE
Giorgio and Clam’s room.

Drums. Lights slowly illuminate a bed with two figures
who are making love on it. The woman (Clara) is astride
the man (Giorgio).
Drums ereseendo to a elimax as Clara emits a soundless
ery of orgasm, the orchestra substituting for her voice as the
drums cease.
Music continues, murmuring underneath as Clara
shudders a couple of times and falls into Giorgio’s arms. A
moment, as she lies back.
clara (Quietly):
I’m so happy,
I’m afraid I’ll die
Here in your arms.
What would you do

If I died
Like this—
(She languishes across him)
i
PASSION
Right now,
Here in your arms?
That we ever should have met

Is a miracle—
GIORGIO:
No, inevitable—
CLARA:
Then inevitable, yes,

But I confess
It was the look—
GIORGIO:
The look?
CLARA:
The sadness in your eyes

That day
When we glanced
At each other in the park.
giorgio (Overlapping):
We were both unhappy.
clara (Overlapping):
Unhappiness can be seductive.
GIORGIO:
You pitied me...
both :
How quickly pity leads to love.
2
STEPHEN SONDHEIM AND JAMES LAPINE
CLARA:
All this happiness

Merely from a glance
In the park.
So much happiness,
So much love...
GIORGIO:
I thought I knew what love was.
CLARA:
I wish we might have met so much sooner.

I could have given you—
CLARA:
—My youth.
GIORGIO:
I thought I knew how much I could feel.
CLARA:
All the time we lost...
GIORGIO:
I didn’t know what love was.
CLARA (Overlapping):
I’ve never known what love was.
GIORGIO:
But now—
3
PASSION
And now—
both:
-Ido.
It’s what I feel with you,
The happiness I feel with you.
CLARA:
So much happiness—
GIORGIO:
You are so beautiful...
CLARA:
—Happening by chance in a park.
GIORGIO:
Not by chance,
By necessity—
Surely, this is happiness—
GIORGIO:
—By the sadness that we saw in each other.
—No one else

Has ever felt before!
both:
Just another love story,

That’s what they would claim.
Another simple love story—
Aren’t all of them the same?
4
CLARA:
No, but this is more,

We feel more!
both :
This is so much more —!
(Smiling at each other)
Like every other love story.
Some say happiness

Comes and goes.
Then this happiness
Is a kind of happiness
No one really knows.
GIORGIO:
Td only heard what love was.
GIORGIO:
I thought it was no more than a name

For yearning.
CLARA:
I thought it was what kindness became.
GIORGIO:
I’m learning—
CLARA:
I thought where there was love

There was shame.
5
PASSION
GIORGIO:
—That with you—
CLARA:
But with you—
both:
—There’s just happiness.
CLARA:
Endless happiness...
(Music continues underneath as they lie silently next to

each other for a long moment)
What?
GIORGIO: Not now...
CLARA: Tell me... please.
giorgio: I received my orders from headquarters. I’ve been
transferred to the Fourth Brigade.
clara (Sad): When?
giorgio: I leave in five days.
(Clara takes this news in, then slowly reaches for her
chemise)
giorgio: Though I’ll be far away, we’ll always have each other.
Oh, Clara, please don’t look so sad.
clara: You’re the one who makes me happy.
(She goes to the curtain and opens it; a brilliant shaft of

afternoon sunlight fills the room)
giorgio: We’ll make the most of the next four days. We’ll steal
as much time as we can. And after I leave, we’ll write each
6
other daily. We’ll make love with our words. You’ll be with
me every day, Clara.
(She returns to Giorgio and begins to put on a stocking;

Giorgio stops her)
CLARA: I must go. I’m expected.
GIORGIO:
God,
You are so beautiful.
I love to see you in the light,
Clear and beautiful,
(Touching her lightly)
Memorize—
CLARA: No...
GIORGIO:
—Every inch,
Every part of you,
Tp take with me.
CLARA (Succumbing)'. Giorgio...
giorgio (Caressing her foot):

Your feet so soft,
As if they’d never touched the ground—
CLARA: I can’t...
GIORGIO:
—Your skin so white,
7
PASSION
So pure,
So delicate.
CLARA: Not now...
GIORGIO:
Your smell so sweet,

Your breath so warm.
I will summon you in my mind,
Fm painting you indelibly on my mind.
CLARA:
Let me go...
giorgio (Moving up her body):

We must fill every moment.
CLARA:
All this happiness

Ended by a word in the dark...
GIORGIO:
Oh my love, oh my darling...
So much happiness
Wasn’t meant to last.
giorgio (Caressing her):

I am here,
I am with you,
I am yours.
I never knew what love was.
8
GIORGIO :
Your skin,
Your silken hair...
I always thought I didn’t deserve it.
Your breasts,
Your lips...
CLARA:
I didn’t know what love was.
I want you every minute of my life...
CLARA:
I don’t know how I’ll live when you’re gone!
giorgio {Enveloping her):

I will always be here.
CLARA:
I don’t know how I’ll live...
{Giorgio pulls her down next to him)
Giorgio...
Don’t leave me...
(As they begin to make love again, military drums join the
orchestra, quietly at first, then building in intensity to a
climax. This time the drums drown the orchestra, and we
segue into a military formation, which takes us into the
Officers’ mess hall)
9
SCENE TWO
The dining quarters of the post’s commanding officer,

Colonel Ricci.
At center is a large dining table. At the back of the stage
is a long staircase which leads to the living quarters.
Around the table sit: Colonel Ricci, a rather taut gen¬
tleman, who carries the weight of his position with author¬
ity and ease; Lieutenant Torasso, a man often given to
laughter and opera singing; Major Rizzolli, a sober,
straight-arrow type; Lieutenant Barri, a veterinarian
with a love of gambling and not much else; and Doctor
Tambourri, a somewhat aloof and distinguished older
officer.
As the lights bump up, a Cook (Sergeant Lombardi) is
overseeing the serving of the meal. Torasso breaks into an
aria from ccThe Elixir of Love” while the others talk
amongst themselves, ignoring him. After a beat:
colonel (Having had enough): Thank you, Lieutenant.
(Torasso stops singing)
doctor: How was the opera?

torasso : Terrible. These touring companies get no better.
io
cook: And neither do you.

to ras s o: I sing to lighten the impact of your heavy cooking.
(They all laugh)
barr i (Examining his plate): Sergeant, what is this?

COOK: It’s veal.
barri: Again? We had veal four days ago. And from the looks
of it, it was this veal.
cook: Lieutenant Barri, if I hear—
(They are suddenly interrupted by a woman’s distant

scream upstairs. They pause momentarily before resuming
their conversation, as if nothing unusual had occurred)
rizzolli: Colonel, I’ve heard a rumor that the King is about

to sign a treaty with the French.
doctor: Really?
colonel: IVe heard no such rumor, Major.
doctor: Where did you receive this information?
rizzolli (Uncomfortable): In town.
colonel: You mustn’t believe everything you hear in a whore¬
house, Major.
rizzolli (Serious): That is where Garibaldi received much of
his information, sir.
doctor: Ah, so that’s why you go there!
(Giorgio enters)
colonel: Ah, Captain Bachetti.
(Everyone rises)
Welcome. We wondered when you were going to arrive.

May I introduce Doctor Tambourri, Major Rizzolli...
II
PASSION
T o RA s s o: Lieutenant Torasso.
b A r r i: Lieutenant Barri.
cook: Sergeant Lombardi.
colonel: Please join us.
('Giorgio sits; to his right remains an unoccupied chair and

place setting)
cook: You’ll have to excuse our limited menu, Captain. It’s dif¬
ficult to cultivate fresh vegetables in this mountain soil.
doctor: We are not only isolated from life and ideas here,
Captain, but anything green and edible as well.
rizzolli: I just add vinegar to everything.
to ras s o: Captain Bachetti, the Colonel has told us of your tri¬
umphs pinning down the Russian infantry.
giorgio: I’m not sure my actions deserve your attention.
torasso: Didn’t you rescue a wounded man in the midst of
fire and then carry him on your horse to camp?
giorgio: Only to our battalion.
barri: Say you brought him back to camp! Why setde for
being half a hero when full-fledged is just a white lie away?
(The lights suddenly bump up; music under, agitated.

Clara enters to the side of the stage, singing from a letter
she holds)
CLARA:
Clara...
GIORGIO:
Clara...
I cried.
CLARA:
I cried.
12
BOTH :
Imagine that,
A soldier who cries.
CLARA:
I had to hide my eyes
So the others on the train
That carried me away from you
Would think I was asleep.
(We hear elegant Chopinesque piano musiefrom upstairs

as Clara exits; Giorgio looks up as lights restore)
GIORGIO: Music?
doctor: That’s Signora Fosca playing.
colonel: My cousin. I have no family and neither does she.
She is in such poor health, it’s a continual worry.
doctor: That’s her place setting, but she stays in her room
most days. Perhaps soon she’ll be well enough to join us for
a meal.
rizzolli: She eats like a sparrow.
('Torasso lets out an involuntary laugh, which is immedi¬

ately stopped by a cold stare from the Colonel)
torasso (Sober): My apologies, sir. The comparison struck me

as funny. A sparrow seems to eat more than Signora Fosca.
A pity it is...
colonel (To Giorgio): My cousin loves to read—it’s her only
passion, really. I can’t find enough books for her.
giorgio: I also love to read. I’ve brought a few of my favorite
books. I’d be most happy to lend them to Signora Fosca,
though I can’t promise they will appeal to her.
colonel: She’s been given to reading military handbooks. I’ve
no doubt she will welcome anything in print!
13
PASSION
(Private Augenti enters and delivers a few letters, one of

which goes to Giorgio)
augenti: Mail!
rizzolli: Nothing for me again? It’s been two weeks.
augenti: It smells to me as if Captain Bachetti has a letter
from an admirer.
(Music under; the lights bump up. Clara reappears)
CLARA:
Giorgio...
I, too, have cried
Inside.
BOTH:
You must not be ashamed of your tears.
CLARA:
I love you for your tears.
both :
Your absence only makes my love grow stronger.

And when I cannot bear it any longer—
(Lights restore)
barri : Imagine surviving the battle of Alessandra only to lose

your life to an aide-de-camp in a duel.
T o RAs s o: An aide-de-camp will do—
(We hear another scream come from upstairs. Music stops as

Giorgio rises, concerned; the others continue to eat, unfazed)
colonel: Don’t be alarmed, Captain. It’s my cousin. I am so

accustomed to her outbursts that I forget how unsetding
14
they are to a newcomer. My apologies for not warning you.

doctor (Wiping his mouth): A doctor is always expected to give
some aid even when there is nothing one can possibly do.
T o RAs s o: Some more lamb, please.
doctor (To the Cook): You’ve finally found some tarragon,
haven’t you?
COOK: Yes.
(Another scream; the Colonel looks to the Doctor)
COLONEL: Doctor.
doctor: Excuse me.
(He wearily rises and crosses to the stairs; which he climbs)
barri : Sergeant, are there any more carrots?

cook: Seconds for you, Lieutenant? Can I take that as a com¬
pliment?
barri : No, Sergeant, my horses are hungry.
(Laughing, he gives Giorgio a slap on the back; Giorgio is

not amused)
colonel: In time, Captain Bachetti, you too will get used to

life among us.
(Snare drums; we segue outdoors. Clara enters while

Giorgio oversees a formation of marching Soldiers; Clara
sings from another letter, accompanied chiefly by drums
and sporadic bugle calls)
CLARA:
Clara, I’m in hell.
GIORGIO:
This is hell.
15
PASSION
SOLDIERS:
Living hell.
CLARA:
Living hell.
This godforsaken place—
soldiers (Overlapping):
This godforsaken place—
CLARA:
This sterile little town,

These pompous litde men,
GIORGIO:
This military madness...
soldiers (Overlapping):
This military...
all (Overlapping):
Uniforms, uniforms...
GIORGIO:
Military madness...
SOLDIERS :
Military madness...
CLARA & GIORGIO:
My days are spent in maneuvers—
SOLDIERS :
16
CLARA & GIORGIO:

My evenings in discussing the day—
SOLDIERS :
This is hell—
CLARA:
My nights are spent in thinking of you.
GIORGIO:
Don’t forget me, Clara...
(Clara exits as the Soldiers march off and the Doctor

enters)
doctor: Good afternoon, Captain.

GIORGIO: Doctor.
doctor: Your troops seem to be responding well under your
command.
giorgio: Thank you.
doctor: And how have you been enjoying our post, Captain?
giorgio (Polite): I find everyone most hospitable.
doctor: Good. Your company at meals has been a welcome
change for me.
GIORGIO: Thank you.
doctor: I trust the occasional outbursts from Colonel Ricci’s
cousin have not unsettled you too greatly.
giorgio: What exacdy is wrong with this woman?
doctor: She is a kind of medical phenomenon, a collection of
many ills.
GIORGIO: And those cries ?
doctor: Those are hysterical convulsions. One might say that
her nerves are exposed, where ours are protected by a firm
layer of skin.
giorgio: Is she in danger of succumbing to this illness?
17
PASSION
doctor (Wry): I don’t believe so. Her body is so weak that it

doesn’t have the strength to produce a mortal disease.
giorgio: I don’t understand.
doctor: The weak protect themselves. The defensive soldier
often lives longer than the brave one.
giorgio: Is she young?
doctor: Late twenties, I would venture.
giorgio: Pretty?
(The Doctor doesn’t respond, but rather offers an enigmat¬

ic smile)
You don’t suppose that she is the lover of the Colonel, do

you?
doctor: Captain Bachetti, it’s good to see that you enjoy an

occasional bit of gossip.
(Giorgio is immediately embarrassed)
No need for discomfort, Captain. We’re all human. Your

curiosity is understandable. No, I’m afraid Signora Fosca’s
physical state prevents her from being anyone’s lover. Good
day.
(He moves off; bugle calls)
GIORGIO:
Clara, don’t forget me.
Keep me close to you, Clara...
(We segue back to the Colonel’s dining room; it is morn¬

ing. Rizzolli and Barri are finishing their breakfast as
Giorgio joins them and sits)
18
rizzolli: Late for breakfast, Captain Bachetti.

giorgio: We had early morning exercises before the company
departed for their weekly maneuvers.
(The Cook enters and serves coffee to Giorgio)
barri : You’re a better officer than I am. I let my sergeant over¬

see the morning drill.
cook (Clearing Foscahplace setting): Well, it looks as if Signora
Fosca has disappointed us once again.
rizzolli: Why keep setting her place?
(Bugle call)
barri (Rises): Captain Bachetti, I’m sorry we’ll have to leave

you to dine alone this morning.
giorgio: We still have dinner to share, gendemen.
rizzolli: Indeed we do.
barri: Any chance we might engage you in a game of cards
tonight, Captain?
giorgio: I’m afraid I’m not a gambling man, sir.
rizzolli: The boredom here will make a gambler of you yet.
barri : Good day, Captain.
giorgio: Gendemen...
(Rizzolli and Barri exit. Giorgio takes out a letter, which

he begins to read. Clara enters)
CLARA & GIORGIO:

How could I forget you?
(A shadowy figure [Fosca] appears at the top of the stairs

and begins slowly descending)
19
PASSION
CLARA:
Yesterday I walked through the park

To the knoll where we met.
Afterwards I sat on the bench
Where we sat
Ail that sultry afternoon.
I thought about our room,

Our little room,
Where we were happy,
And where we shall be happy again,
Some day.
I see us in our room,

Our little room,
And I don’t feel so alone any more...
(Against her song, the Chopinesque piano musie which we

heard before begins to play)
I close my eyes,
Imagining that you are there,
Imagining your fingers touching mine,
Imagining our room,
The bed,
The secrecy,
The world outside,
Your mouth on mine—
(Fosca descends the last step. She carries some books and
approaches her empty place setting with an uncertain gait.
As she turns from the shadows, revealing herself, we discov¬
er that she is an ugly, sickly woman: incredibly thin and
sallow, her face all bones and nose, her hair pulled tightly
back. Music holds)
20
FOSCA:
Captain...
(<Giorgio sees her and is momentarily stunned. Clara exits.

Fosca gives a nervous, grotesque smile as the orchestra
resumes, playing the piano music. Giorgio quickly rises.
Fosca speaks, in rhythm to the music; her voice is lovely and
elegant, but melancholy)
I hope I didn’t startle you.

giorgio: Signora Ricci, I’m Captain Bachetti—
fosca (.Simultaneously): —Bachetti. (A beat) I know. My cousin
has told me all about you.
(She hands Giorgio the books; he seats her)
I came to thank you for the books.

I would have sooner, but I’ve been so ill.
giorgio: Well, now you seem to be feeling more normal.

fosca (Laughing tensely): Normal? I hardly think so. Sickness is
normal to me, as health is to you. Excuse me. I shouldn’t
speak of my troubles. I have been going through a period of
deep melancholy.
(There is an awkward moment of silence as the Cook enters

and pours her a cup of coffee. As he leaves, the music
becomes low and intense)
I so enjoyed the novel by Rousseau.

giorgio: It’s wonderful. My favorite, really.
fosca: The character of Julie is a great mystery.
giorgio: You should have kept the book longer to meditate
over.
21
PASSION
FOSCA:
I do not read to think.

I do not read to learn.
I do not read to search for truth,
I know the truth,
The truth is hardly what I need.
I read to dream.
I read to live
In other people’s lives.
I read about the joys
The world
Dispenses to the fortunate,
And listen for the echoes.
(Fiercely)
I read to live,
To get away from life!
(Calmer)
No, Captain, I have no illusions.

I recognize the limits of my dreams.
I know how painful dreams can be
Unless you know
They’re merely dreams.
(Smiling aridly)
There is a flower
Which offers nectar at the top,
Delicious nectar at the top,
And bitter poison underneath.
The butterfly that stays too long
22
And drinks too deep

Is doomed to die.
I read to fly,
To skim—
I do not read to swim.
(Bitterly)
I do not dwell on dreams.

I know how soon a dream becomes an expectation.
How can I have expectations?
Look at me.
(As Giorgio starts to protest)
No, Captain, look at me—

Look at me!
(Exalted)
I do not hope for what I cannot have!

I do not cling to things I cannot keep!
(Tightly)
The more you cling to things,

The more you love them,
The more the pain you suffer
When they’re taken from you...
(Calming down again)
Ah, but if you have no expectations,
23
PASSION
Captain,
You can never have a disappointment.
(Gives a short laugh; music continues under)
I must be mad to chatter on about myself like this to you.

Forgive me...
giorgio (At a loss): I assure you—
F o s c A: No, forgive me, please...
giorgio: But truly, there is nothing to forg—
fosca (Overlapping; brightly):

Fiave you explored the town?
(.Before he ean reply)
It is remote, isn’t it?

And provincial, don’t you think?
giorgio: Yes.
FOSCA:
And everything so brown:
The streets, the fields,
The river even,
Though there are some lovely gardens.
(Anxiously) You do like gardens, I hope?

giorgio: Yes.
FOSCA:
Good, I can show you gardens.
(<Giorgio smiles uncomfortably)
And then of course there is the casde.

24
(Giorgio looks blank)
The ruined castle.

GIORGIO: Ah.
fosca: I find it lovely. Probably because it’s ruined, I suppose.
giorgio (.Avoiding her intensity): I didn’t know there was a
casde.
FOSCA:
I like to take excursions there—
When I’m in better health.
('Giorgio smiles politely)
Perhaps you’ll join me
(As Giorgio tries to hide his discomfort)
And my cousin
One day...
giorgio (Trapped, as she stares): That would be delightful.

(Lightly) I don’t believe I’ve seen a flower or a garden since
the day I arrived.
(Fosca suddenly gets up and slowly leaves the room.

Confused, Giorgio rises and, after she has gone, takes his
hat and books and begins to leave. We hear the distant
sound of field drums, muffed, funereal. Fosca, just as
unexpectedly, returns, carrying a small bunch of flowers,
which she offers to Giorgio without a word)
How very kind.

fosca (Crossing to the window): I’m surprised you haven’t
noticed our wonderful greenhouse.
giorgio: Greenhouse?
25
PASSION
fosca: They’ve had no luck with vegetables, but the gardenias

and petunias are magnificent.
(Giorgio joins her at the window, as the drums become

louder)
giorgio: And to think how many times Fve passed that build¬
ing and not taken notice. (Matter-of-fact) Oh look. There’s a
hearse drawing up—it must be for flowers to adorn the
casket.
(Fosca stiffens and steps back, drawing her hand to her

mouth, her eyes staring)
It’s good to know that the dead here—
(Fosca begins to tremble)
— can go to their graves...
(Fosca lets out a terrible cry and collapses to the floor as

Giorgio turns to her, stunned)
Help! Doctor!!
(Giorgio goes to her, but two female Attendants and the

Doctor rush in and reach her first. Giorgio steps back, star¬
ing helplessly as they carry her off)
How can I describe her?

The wretchedness,
God, the wretchedness
And the suffering,
The desperation
Of that poor unhappy creature—
26
The embarrassment, Clara,

Looking at that loneliness,
Listening to all that self-pity...
{Another formation of Soldiers takes us to the Garden)
SOLDIERS:
The town—
It is remote, isn’t it?
And provincial,
Don’t you think?
And everything so brown:
The streets, the fields,
The river even...
Of course there is the castle...

The ruined castie...
27
SCENE THREE
The castle garden.

The Colonel, the Doctor and Tosca enter and stroll
through the garden down to Giorgio; music continues
underneath.
doctor: Look at how they’ve let this garden go.

colonel: This is not Milan, Doctor.
doctor: I’m all too well aware of that.
F o s cA: I think it’s rather beautiful.
doctor: For these parts, maybe...
colonel: Doctor Tambourri, may I have a word with you?
doctor: Certainly.
colonel: Captain Bachetti, would you lend my cousin your
arm?
giorgio: Of course.
colonel: We’ll catch up with you in a moment.
(Giorgio crosses to Tosca and lends his arm to her, trying to

mask his discomfort: They stroll, as the two men head in the
other direction)
fosca: I know how to walk. My cousin likes to treat me like a

child.
28
GIORGIO :
All the while as we strolled, Clara—
F o s c A: I hope I didn’t frighten you the other day.

GIORGIO: No, not at all.
—I could see you reading my letter.
f o s c A: I’m not afraid of death.
giorgio :
All the while as we strolled—
fosca: I rather think I’d welcome dying. It’s everything that

follows that I dread: being shut up in a coffin, smothered in
the earth, turning into dust. These images send me into a
state of terror.
GIORGIO :
—All I saw,
—All I knew,
All that I could think of was you.
(Clara enters, reading a letter)
fosca: Even talking of this makes me...
{Momentarily, Giorgio fears she will suffer another attack)
giorgio : Surely if you are sick, there is always the hope that
you will get better.
CLARA:
—All that I could think of was you.
fosca: Hope, in my case, is in short supply.
29
PASSION
CLARA:
How ridiculous—
giorgio: Well then, one must look to life for whatever plea¬
sures it can offer.
F o s c A: And what might they be ?
CLARA:
—To be looking at her—
giorgio: Helping others, for example.

F o s c A: Helping others! (Laughs)
CLARA:
—And be thinking of you.
f o s cA: I have worked in poorhouses, Captain.
CLARA:
How could anyone—
F o s c A: I felt no different.
CLARA:
So unbeautiful—
F o s c A: Pity is nothing but passive love.
CLARA:
—Stir my memory of you?
F o s c A: Dead love.
(Giorgio is silent as they walk, lost in reverie)
30
CLARA:
To feel a woman’s touch,
To touch a woman’s hand,
Reminded me how much
I long to be with you,
How long I’ve been without you near.
And then to hear a woman’s voice,
To hold a woman’s arm,
To feel a woman’s touch...
giorgio (Noticing that Fosca is staring at him, snaps out of his

reverie; music continues)'. These thoughts are bad for you.
You must concentrate on everything around you that sug¬
gests beauty and life. These trees, these flowers, the warm
smell of the air—
fosca: You make it sound so simple, Captain. As if a flower or
a tree could somehow make one happy.
CLARA:
Perhaps it was the dress,
The fragrance of her dress,
The light perfume of silk
That’s warm from being in the sun,
That mingles with a woman’s own perfume,
The fragrance of a woman...
giorgio: There is no absolute happiness in anyone’s life,

Signora. The only happiness we can be certain of is love.
fosca: What do you mean?
CLARA:
The garden filled with you—
F o s c A: Are you speaking of friendships? Family?
31
PASSION
giorgio: I’m speaking of a superior kind of love—
CLARA:
—And all that I could do—
giorgio: — the kind between two people.
CLARA:
—Because of you,
Was talk of love—
F o s cA: Two people...

giorgio: Yes.
(Giorgio sings to Fosea as Clara continues to sing the letter)
CLARA & GIORGIO:

—Love that fills
Every waking moment,
Love that grows
Every single day,
Love that thinks
Everything is pure,
Everything is beautiful,
Everything is possible.
Love that fuses two into one,

Where we think the same thoughts,
GIORGIO:
Want the same things,
both :
Live as one,
32
GIORGIO:
Feel as one,
both:
Breathe as one.
CLARA:
Love that shuts away the world,
Love that shuts away the world,
CLARA:
That envelops my soul,
That envelops your soul,
CLARA:
That ennobles my life,
Your life,
both :
Love that floods
Every living moment,
Love like—
(Giorgio hesitates, then turns back to Fosca)
CLARA:
— Ours.
33
PASSION
F os cA: Love like— ?
giorgio (As Fosca looks quizzically at him):

Like wine.
An intoxication...
(Music continues under as Clara retreats and exits)
A great blindness, if you will.

fosca: Yes, Fve read about that love, but you speak of it as one
who lives it.
(Music stops. She stumbles slightly; Giorgio goes to aid her,

but she pulls herself away)
I don’t feel well. I must go back.
(Music resumes)
GIORGIO: I’m sorry.

fosca: You can be incredibly cruel, Captain.
GIORGIO: Cruel?
FOSCA:
To speak to me of love—
giorgio (Nervous): Forgive me. I didn’t mean to speak—
FOSCA:
To dangle words like “happiness,”
“Beautiful,”
“Superior”—
You can’t be that naive.
34
You with all your books,

Your taste,
Your sensitivity,
I thought you’d understand.
The others—well,
They’re all alike.
Stupidity is their excuse,
As ugliness is mine,
But what is yours?
Tve watched you from my window.

I saw you on the day that you arrived.
Perhaps it was the way you walked,
The way you spoke to your men.
I saw that you were different then.
I saw that you were kind and good.
I thought you understood.
(.Intensely)
They hear drums,

You hear music,
As do I.
Don’t you see?
We’re the same,
We are different,
You and I are different.
They hear only drums.
All the time I watched from my room,

I would think of coming downstairs,
Thinking we’d meet,
Thinking you’d look at me,
Thinking you’d be repelled by what you saw.
35
PASSION
(We hear the Colonel and the Doctor in the distance)
Don’t reject me.

Don’t deny me, Captain.
Understand me, be my friend.
They hear drums,

We hear music.
Be my friend...
(Music under, fading)
giorgio (Stunned): Yes. Of course. You have my friendship.
(The Colonel and the Doctor approach; Fosea grabs

Giorgio’s hand)
f o s c A: Thank you, Captain.

giorgio: Your hand is on fire.
(Music stops)
f o s c A: It’s nothing. I have a fever.

colonel: Shall we make our way towards the castle?
giorgio: Signora Fosca is not feeling well.
(The Colonel goes to her and takes her arm)
colonel: I’m terribly sorry, my dear.

fosca (Looking at Giorgio): I’ll be fine now.
colonel: Of course, but we should head back nonetheless.
(Music resumes as the Colonel, the Doctor and Fosca head

off with Giorgio trailing behind)
36
SCENE FOUR
The dining quarters.

Clara stands at one side of the stage with a letter in
hand, Giorgio similarly opposite her.
clara: My darling, you did as you should. You had no choice.

giorgio: After all, her cousin is my superior.
CLARA: You must think of your career.
giorgio: How could I turn from such a desperate soul?
c LA RA: You showed pity.
giorgio: Yet I have a sinking feeling.
clara: It is difficult for a man and a woman to be friends.
giorgio: I sense that she needs more.
clara: You must be careful to keep your intentions clear.
giorgio: I5ve opened the door.
clara: Desperation can take its toll.
(.Fosca is revealed on the stairs, descending; she also carries

a letter)
FOSCA:
Three days...
37
PASSION
giorgio: Should I be cruel to keep myself free?

clara: There is nothing wrong with thinking of oneself.
FOSCA:
Three days...
giorgio: All I think of is you.

c lara : Keep your distance.
giorgio: Yes, keep my distance.
clara: Make yourself scarce.
giorgio: Unavailable.
clara: Aloof.
FOSCA:
Three days...
giorgio: I love you so.

clara: I love you more.
FOSCA:
Three—
giorgio: Forever yours,
FOSCA:
—Days.
CLARA: As always,
giorgio: Giorgio.
CLARA: Clara.
(Clara and Giorgio exit in opposite directions. Fosca reads

from her letter as she crosses to the table. The dining hall,
with its usual habitues, slowly comes into place behind her)
fosca: Giorgio, these past three days have been perhaps the
most painful of my life. I’ve looked for you everywhere. No
matter how poor my health, I’ve made my way to the din¬
ing hall, praying you would be there. You promised me
your friendship, Giorgio, but it’s clear to me that your
promise was a hollow one. I so looked forward to your
company. Didn’t you know how your absence would upset
me? I wish that I could strike you from my mind and my
heart. But I can’t, Giorgio. You may disappear, but I will
not.
(She folds the letter and slips it under the napkin at

Giorgio’s place setting, then sits. Everyone follows and the
scene comes to life)
B arri : ...I applied for a new pair of horses, but they only had
bays or piebalds.
cook: Piebalds!
T o RAs s o: You certainly don’t want piebalds.
rizzolli: Perhaps you should go to Turin. There’s a wonder¬
ful stable there—
barri : No. That stable is no longer reputable.
(Giorgio enters)
torasso: Ah, Bachetti...

colonel: We haven’t seen you in three days, Captain.
giorgio: I decided to accompany my troops on maneuvers.
barri : Your hard work is determined to give us all a bad name.
giorgio: Nonsense.
(He sits and as he takes his napkin, the lights elsewhere

darken. He discovers the letter and is about to open it when
he looks to Fosca, who returns the look. He immediately
39
PASSION
sticks the letter into his pocket. The lights restore as he

begins to help himself to food)
Excuse me, Doctor. Why do you always put that gold coin
on the table?
doctor: For thirty years, Eve done that whenever I eat with
other officers. The first meal where no one talks about horses
or women,
(As some of the other officers chime in)
Fll surrender my gold coin.
(Laughter)
barri : Some risk! You’ll never lose it!

rizzolli: I remember a wager that Lieutenant Barri made
once—
(The lights suddenly change. Foscagrabs Giorgio’s hand as

he reaches for the salt; she draws his hand by her side and
out of view under the table)
fosca (To Giorgio, whispering): I’ve missed you so.

GIORGIO: Please.
fosca: You must read my letter.
giorgio: Let go of my hand! Let go!
(Giorgio tries to free his hand with no success; the lights

restore)
rizzolli: ...Well, of course there was no chance for anyone

but him to win.
barri : No one was forced to bet, Major.
40
doctor: Please pass the salt.
(Fosea passes it)
Not hungry, Captain?

GIORGIO: Yes, yes.
(He tries onee more to free his hand without luek; agitated)
Colonel, Fve received a letter today.
(Beat; Fosea freezes)
I’m urgendy needed in Milan. I request a leave of at least

five days.
doctor: What?
(The table noise suddenly quiets)
colonel (Pause; annoyed): If you had asked me this in my

office, I might have refused. After all, you’ve been here only
a month...
giorgio: I know, sir. It’s of some importance.
colonel: I should hope. When do you wish to leave?
giorgio: First train tomorrow, sir.
colonel (Beat): Very well. At this table, who could say no to
a guest?
torasso (Laughing): By this time tomorrow, you’ll probably
be in the arms of some young beauty.
(The table fills onee more with eonversation as Fosea lets go

of Giorgio’s hand and dissolves into herself Giorgio quick¬
ly turns from her and continues with his meal as the lights
slowly fade to black.
41
PASSION
In a ghostly fashion, the Soldiers perform their drill.)
AUGENTI, SOLDIER I & SOLDIER 2:
All the time I watched from my room...
AUGENTI:
Thinking we’d meet...
SOLDIER i:
Thinking you’d look at me...
SOLDIER 2:
Thinking you’d—
—Be repelled by what you saw.
SOLDIER I & SOLDIER 2:
Don’t reject me...
AUGENTI, RIZZOLLI, BARRI & TORASSO:
Don’t deny me...
Understand me, be my friend.
ALL:
They hear drums.

We hear music.
Be my friend...
42
SCENE FIVE
The courtyard.
Morning fog covers the stage as military exercises take
place. Giorgio enters with a suitcase in hand, salutes the
Soldiers, then begins to cross the stage. The formation
marches off as Fosca surprises him out of the shadows.
F o s c A: When will you be back?

giorgio {Stunned): What are you doing up and out at this
hour?
fosca: When will you be back?
giorgio: You know I have a five-day leave.
fosca: Will you think of me when you’re gone?
giorgio: Thinking of my work, my superiors, of your cousin,
I will no doubt also think of you.
{He begins to walk away but Fosca steps in his path)
Please, Signora. Don’t make this difficult.
{He walks further, but she continues to block his path. He

raises his hand to impede her; Fosca grabs it and presses it
to her breast, then throws herself around him, planting
kisses over his face and neck. Giorgio pushes her away)
43
PASSION
Please! You must stop this behavior immediately. What will

people think if they see this display?
f o s c A: What does it matter if they see me? What do I care if the
world knows how I feel? I adore you!
(He tries once more to escape, but she drops to the ground
and wraps herself around his legs)
Is that something I should be ashamed of? Is that some¬

thing I should hide? I’m no fool. I know you don’t feel the
same towards me. But one loves a dog, an animal. What can
I do to get you to love me—a human being such as yourself?
(She begins to weep)
giorgio (Trembling): Get up, Signora, please. I beg you.
(He helps her up)
Compose yourself. Calm down. You see that I must leave

right away. I am touched by your affection. It flatters me
greatly. My mind races with a thousand thoughts.
F o s cA: Tell me your thoughts.
giorgio: Really, I must go.
fosca: Write me.
giorgio: Fine. I will write you. (He starts to leave)
fosca (Holding him): Promise.
giorgio: Yes, I promise.
fosca: Tomorrow.
giorgio: Tomorrow. Go. I want no one to see you here.

fosca (Kissing his cloak): Bless you.
(She lets go and he races out. Music. (Fosca crosses to her

drawing room on one side of the stage while on the other
side Giorgio and Clara’s meeting place appears. Clara is in
44
bed. Silently, Giorgio comes to her and embraces her pas¬

sionately as she begins to strip off his clothes. Augenti enters
Fosca’s drawing room with a letter)
augenti: Signora.
(He exits; Fosca tears open the letter)
fosca (Reading):
I am writing to you,
Signora,
Just as soon as IVe arrived,
With a most unhappy heart.
GIORGIO:
God, you are so beautiful—
FOSCA:
I do not wish to cause you pain—
GIORGIO :
As I remember every night—
FOSCA:
So please consider what I say—
GIORGIO:
Clear and beautiful—
FOSCA:
With calm.
GIORGIO:
—Every night, every day, every part of you...
45
PASSION
FOSCA:
My heart—
CLARA:
You feel so good—
fosca (Hesitating to read on):

My heart belongs—
CLARA:
As if you’d never been away—
FOSCA:
My heart belongs to someone else.
CLARA:
Your breath so warm, your touch so sure—
Your skin so delicate...
Your arms so strong...
FOSCA:
I am in love,
Hopelessly in love—
(Increasingly upset)
Hopelessly in love,
And am loved hopelessly in turn,
Signora.
GIORGIO & CLARA:
All this happiness—

46
FOSCA:
You and I—
GIORGIO & CLARA:

Being here with you in the dark.
FOSCA:
—Were not meant for each other.
GIORGIO & CLARA:

So much happiness—
FOSCA:
If I seemed to imply
Something more—
GIORGIO & CLARA:

Even more than what I felt before!
FOSCA:
—I apologize.
GIORGIO & CLARA:

To feel your touch again—
FOSCA:
But since we’re forced to be together—
GIORGIO & CLARA:

—When so much time has passed—
FOSCA:
—Let us try to face the fact.
GIORGIO & CLARA:

To dream of you and then
47
PASSION
To be with you again

And have some time at last...
FOSCA:
Let us both behave with tact.
GIORGIO & CLARA:

How long were we apart—
FOSCA:
If this letter seems cold-hearted—
GIORGIO & CLARA:

—A month, a week, a day?
FOSCA:
—It conceals my own distress.
Nonetheless—
GIORGIO & CLARA:

To feel your touch again—
FOSCA:
—We must end what never started.
GIORGIO & CLARA:

You’ve never been away.
FOSCA:
You must recognize—
CLARA:
Still, I’ve missed you—
{He puts his finger to her lips)
48
FOSCA:
—There is nothing—
GIORGIO :
Hush.
FOSCA:
—Between us.
CLARA:
—So much.
fosca (Repeating):
Nothing...
GIORGIO:
Shhh.
I’m here now.
FOSCA:
Nothing, nothing...
CLARA:
Welcome home...
(Clam and Giorgio embrace passionately as Fosca, stone¬

faced, remains alone in her drawing room; her Attendants
enter with a shawl, which they wrap about her, and a
needlepoint frame, which she takes and begins feverishly
working at.
Fosea’s Attendants set the stage for Giorgio’s entrance)
ATTENDANTS:
Fve watched you from my window.
I saw you on the day that you arrived.
49
PASSION
Perhaps it was the way you walked,

The way you spoke to your men.
You were different then,
You were kind and good.
I thought you understood...
50
SCENE SIX
FOseev’s drawing room.

Fosca sits doing needlepoint. She appears even sicker
than usual. An attendant goes off and returns with
Giorgio. Fosca greets Giorgio with a cold smile and signals
the attendant to leave.
fosca: I received your letter and I thank you. I hope that we

can still take hands.
(She extends her hand to him)
giorgio: Of course. We can certainly be friendly.
(He takes her hand and bows politely over it)
fosca: You don’t know how mortified I am.

giorgio: Mortified?
fosca: About everything that’s happened. My emotions some¬
times overpower my judgment.
giorgio: I found your affection very flattering.
fosca (Smiling coldly): How indulgent you are with me.
51
PASSION
(She gestures for him to sit; he does)
Did you amuse yourself in Milan?

GIORGIO: Very much.
f o s cA: Admit that you only took leave to visit my rival.
giorgio: Your rival? (Beat) Yes, of course that was the purpose
of my visit.
F o s cA: Excuse me. I can be so naive in respect to you. I should
have understood what you meant by the “urgent need” that
required your leave. And will you go back soon?
giorgio: Whenever I can. As soon as possible.
F o s c A: If you get another leave.
giorgio: Naturally.
fosca: Perhaps I should put in a word to my cousin. It all
depends on him. Help from me might serve you well. Of
course, a negative word...
giorgio: Place more value on your dignity. Don’t offend your
own pride, Signora.
fosca: We each deal with our pride as best we can. You love
this woman very much?
giorgio: I wrote you...
FOSCA: Is she beautiful?
giorgio: An angel.
fosca: Then why don’t you marry her?
giorgio (Uncomfortable): She is already married.
fosca (Taken aback): Aha! And you respect her?
giorgio: Respect has everything to do with love.
fosca: That’s not true, but it hardly matters. And is your angel
also a mother?
giorgio: Let’s stop torturing each other. It’s humiliating and
unworthy of us. I find your sarcasm most distasteful.
fosca: I have many flaws, Captain.
giorgio: Our situation has been well-defined. Let’s not dis¬

cuss the subject again.
fosca: That’s what I would like.
52
giorgio: Good. I hope we have no more occasion to speak of

ourselves.
f o s c A: You can also hope that we will not see each other again.
giorgio: That may be the best course of action.
fosca: You may go now, Captain. I have more important
things to do.
('Giorgio rises, clicks his heels and exits. As Clam walks

through, reading a letter, Soldiers and Attendants help us
segue to the Doctor’s office)
CLARA:
Three weeks...
Three weeks...
My darling. The last three weeks have been a blessing.
Signora Fosca has all but disappeared from my life here. She
no longer has her meals with us or takes the occasional walk
around the grounds. Even in her absence, I found myself
hating her more and more. Eve realized how Eve had to
temper my feelings towards her.
soldiers & attendants (Simultaneously):

This is hell,
Living hell,
Living hell...
This godforsaken place,
clara : But now that Em free, I can feel as I please. But you, my
Clara—you remain strong in my thoughts.
SOLDIERS & ATTENDANTS:

Our days are spent in maneuvers,
53
PASSION
Our evenings in discussing the day.

(Growing louder)
Military madness...
Military madness...
(Giorgio approaches the Doctor, who is at his desk)
doctor: Thank you for coming at this hour, Captain.

giorgio: Yes, of course.
doctor: Signora Fosca has taken a turn for the worse. She is
mortally ill.
giorgio (A beat): I am sorry to hear that.
doctor: Don’t you understand, my boy? It is because of you.
giorgio: Because of me?
doctor: She told me everything. This was a confidence she
made spontaneously, of course. You rejected her love—
which doesn’t surprise me—and now this refusal has
increased the gravity of her disease. This woman is letting
herself die because of you.
giorgio: Because of me! She is letting herself die! Then it is
not a disease, is it, Doctor?
doctor: She has an incurable disease, but if she is calm, if she
takes care of herself, she could live for several years. This
passion that has developed for you—
giorgio: Passion for me? Doctor, I hardly know this woman.
She has thrown herself at me without cause.
doctor: She does not think or act as we do, young man. As
healthy people we cannot appreciate the psyche of the sick.
giorgio: Yes. Well, I am sure you will do all you can for her.
(He begins to walk away but is immediately stopped by the

Doctor)
54
doctor: A simple act on your part is all that is called for.

giorgio (Turning): I don’t wish to get involved.
doctor: You are involved, sir. Go see her.
GIORGIO: No.
doctor: You, who saved a man in combat, must understand
the need to save another’s life when it is in jeopardy.
GIORGIO: How could I possibly visit Signora Fosca at her sick
bed? It is improper. The Colonel would never allow it.
doctor: You needn’t worry. I have made all the arrangements.
giorgio: She knows of this business ?
doctor: You cannot imagine what this has cost her. You are a
good-looking young man. Beauty is something one pays
for, the same as goodness—another quality you embody.
Please go to her now.
giorgio: And if I go, what next? What will she ask of me
tomorrow or next week? You speak of what her feelings
have cost her—but what have they cost me?
doctor: I can imagine how difficult this is for you. But she is
dying, and you have only to give her words. Words that will
make her well. What is the cost of a few words when a life
hangs in the balance?
(A moment, then Giorgio exits us the Doctor watches)
55
SCENE SEVEN
Fosca’s bedroom.
A lone candle lights the stage; we see Fosca in bed.
Giorgio tentatively enters the room and stands for a
moment before a startled Fosea sees him and lets out a tiny
cry; her hair is in a braid, her high fever giving her face a
little color.
giorgio: No need to be frightened. It is Giorgio.

fosca (Covering her face with her sheet)-. Oh my God! My God!
I never thought you would come. Of course I hoped...
(She takes her arm from under the sheet and raises it in
Giorgio’s direction. He extends his hand which she grabs
and kisses convulsively)
I’m sorry. These are follies one commits before dying.

giorgio: Don’t speak of dying, Signora.
fosca: Now that you’re here, I won’t. (A beat) Will you forgive
me for having asked you to come?
giorgio: I am here because I chose to be.
FOSCA: Sit down.
(Giorgiogoes to a nearby chair)
56
No. Sit here.
(She indicates the bed; Giorgio stands frozen for a

moment)
Please.
(He walks to the bed and gingerly perches next to her)
Rest your feet on the bed.

GIORGIO: I am fine, Signora.
F o s cA: I want you
J
to be comfortable. Please.
(Reluctantly, he raises his legs onto the bed; she reaches for
a candle, which she raises to his face)
God, you are so beautiful.

Come, let me see you in the light.
No, don’t look at me.
Let me look at you.
I feel better in the dark.
giorgio: Your kindness makes you beautiful.

f o s cA (Surprised): Do you value such beauty?
giorgio: Of course.
F o s c A: Do you think my heart is good?
giorgio: Yes, I do.
fosca: How do the good hearts beat? Can you distinguish
them from the bad? Listen to mine.
(Fosca takes Giorgio h hand and puts it on her heart)
My heart says it loves you, Giorgio.
(She places her hand on his chest)
57
PASSION
What does your heart say?

giorgio (A beat): It says it loves you, Fosca.
fosca: Like a...friend?
giorgio: Tonight it loves you as you wish.
(He withdraws his hand and she does likewise)
fosca: Thank you, Giorgio. I so wanted to forget you. To think

that I could! I wanted to die without seeing you—
giorgio: lam here to tell you you’d be happier living.
fosca: That day I was so unpleasant to you—
giorgio: Please, let’s not speak of the past. You are tired. Now
that I have come, now that we have spoken, you must go to
sleep.
F o s c a : Will you stay if I do?
giorgio: For a short while.
fosca: Will you sleep, too?
giorgio: If I can.
fosca: Put your head near mine. Can we dream together?
giorgio: Yes.
(They close their eyes, as Clara enters)
clara: My dearest Giorgio. It is three in the morning and Fve

just arisen from a dream of you, a dream so real I could
swear you were there at my side. I am so used to this, hav¬
ing you in my dreams night after night. As I write this you
are asleep. Do you dream of me? How I wish I could just lie
by your side and watch you sleep. To see you disarmed, at
peace. Sometimes I think that when you watch a person
sleep there’s a transparency that lets you see their soul. How
I long to see yours...
(Clara exits. Fosea wakes up and stares at Giorgio a
58
moment before he wakes. She gently reaches out to touch

his face)
fosca: It is you. I thought I was dreaming. Draw the curtain,

please. I want to see die stars before die daylight takes diem
away.
(Giorgiogets up and complies)
Do you think there are worlds out there?

giorgio (Staring into the sky): I do.
fosca: Will we ever visit diem one day?
giorgio: I would like to think so. As a child I used to dream I
could fly—travel to faraway places.
(He returns to her side; they seem more relaxed in each

other’s company)
fosca: Why is a man like you in the army, Giorgio?

giorgio: My father was an officer. It was expected that I
would follow his path.
fosca (She shakes her head, knowingly): Call me by my name.
giorgio: Fosca.
fosca: Say “Giorgio and Fosca.”
giorgio: Giorgio and Fosca.
fosca: “Fosca and Giorgio.”
giorgio: Fosca and Giorgio.
fosca: What music! (Pause) Do you love this woman very
much?
giorgio: Don’t ask me. I’ve told you how I feel.
fosca: What is her name ?
giorgio: Clara.
FOSCA: Clara.
giorgio: Fosca, it will be light soon. I must be going.
59
PASSION
F o s cA: Would you do me a great favor before you leave? Would

you write a letter for me?
GIORGIO: Certainly.
f o s c A: There is paper on my desk.
(Heroes to her desk and sits, taking up a pen)
GIORGIO: Yes?
fosca (Slowly): My dearest...Fosca.
(He stops writing and looks at her, annoyed)
Please.
(After a beat, he resumes writing)
giorgio: “My dearest Fosca.”
fosca:
I wish I could forget you,
Erase you from my mind.
But ever since I met you,
I find
I cannot leave the thought of you behind.
(Quickly, as Giorgio looks up)
That doesn’t mean I love you...
giorgio (Writing):
That doesn’t mean I love you...
FOSCA:
I wish that I could love you...
60
(Giorgio stops writing)
Please...
(A brief pause; Giorgio resumes writing)
I know that I’ve upset you.

I know Fve been unkind.
I wanted you to vanish from sight,
But now I see you in a different light,
And though I cannot love you,
I wish that I could love you.
For now I’m seeing love

Like none Fve ever known,
A love as pure as breath,
As permanent as death,
Implacable as stone.
A love that, like a knife,
Has cut into a life
I wanted left alone.
A love I may regret,

But one I can’t forget.
I don’t know how I let you

So far inside my mind,
But there you are and there you will stay.
How could I ever wish you away?
I see now I was blind.
And should you die tomorrow,

Another thing I see:
Your love will live in me.
61
PASSION
(As the music fades)
I remain always...Your Giorgio...
(He signs the letter and blots it)
Please bring it to me.
(He does)
Thank you, Giorgio. Do you have sisters?

GIORGIO: Yes.
F oscA: Do you loss them goodbye?
giorgio: On occasion.
f o s c A: Kiss me goodbye the way you do them.
(Giorgio gives her a peek on the forehead)
No, like you kiss her.
(Fosca suddenly pulls Giorgio to her and embraces him like

a lover. Stunned, he pulls himself away; agitated)
Now go! Thank you, Giorgio. Quickly! Run!
(Giorgio runs from the room. There is a moment of calm

and then Fosea lets out an involuntary scream; blackout)
SOLDIERS :
How can I describe her?
The wretchedness,
God, the wretchedness
And the suffering, the desperation
Of that poor, unhappy creature—
The embarrassment...
62
Scene Three: Fosca (Donna Murphy) at the castle garden.
63
Scene Five: Giorgio (Jere Shea) meets Clam (Marin Mazzie) in Milan.
64
Scene Six: Fosca (Donna Murphy) awaits Giorgio in her parlor.
Scene Eight: The Soldiers (William Parry, George Dvorsky, Francis

Ruivivar, Cris Groenendaal, Marcus Olson) gossip as they play billiards.
65
Scene Nine: Clam (Marin Mazzie) sings a letter to Giorgio.
68
Scene Eleven: Giorgio (Jere Shea), a blanket around him as he rides
the train to Milan.
Scene Thirteen: A Christmas Party in the ColoneVs quarters {Marcus

Olson, Cris Groenendaal, Francis Ruivivar, George Dvorsky).
69
Scene Sixteen: Finale (Marcus Olson, Matthew Porretta, Marin Mazzie,
John Leslie Wolfe).
70
SCENE EIGHT
Billiard room.
Lights up as the men gather, play pool, Rizzolli and
Torasso against Barri and Augenti; the Cook stands and
watches; the Doctor observes them from the side.
TORASSO :
Did you hear that scream last night?
AUGENTI:
Did anybody not?
rizzolli: Four-ball in the side.
COOK:
She knows how to scream, all right.
barri (As Rizzolli shoots):

Well, she practices a lot.
augenti: Good shot.

rizzolli: Six-ball in the corner.
71
PASSION
COOK:
So that wasn’t dying, we assume.
barri :
No, I think she just fell off her broom.
TORASSO :
Or they hung a mirror in the room

Of la Signora!
barri :
La Signora!
augenti :
La Signora!
RI z z o L L i: Please, a little quiet!
(Bugle call. Drums continue softly under as the game con¬

tinues; Giorgio enters to speak with the Doctor)
giorgio: Doctor.
doctor: Captain.
giorgio: Was it truly necessary for me to go to her last night?
doctor: Why else would I have asked you to go? I’m not some
kind of procurer, Captain.
giorgio: She hardly seemed near death.
doctor: I’m sure she summoned her strength for you. Her
condition was precarious before you arrived. You have done
her a great service. You have done a brave thing. Now it is
over. Good day.
(The Doctor exits)
rizzolli: Care to play, Captain?

giorgio: No. Thank you for asking.
72
(He leaves; music resumes over drums)
TORASSO:
Just a bit aloof, don’t you think?
COOK:
Not around the Colonel.
rizzolli :
Gendemen, gendemen...
augenti:
Never trust a man who doesn’t drink.
torasso:
And he keeps a journal.
b arri : Eight-ball off the nine.
RIZZOLLI:
Maybe, though, he just prefers his books.
COOK:
Not as much as he prefers his looks.
TORASSO :
Which is why he thinks he’s got his hooks

Into la Signora—
(Barri makes a spectacular shot, ending the game; sighs of

admiration and disappointment from the others)
BARRI:
Gendemen, I’ll make a wager:

Come the summer, he’ll be Major-
73
PASSION
(Bugle. Pause, as they look at eaeh other and decide not to

take the bet)
rizzolli:
I’ll say!
all (ExceptRizzolli): I’ll say!
ALL:
I’ll say!
(Music stops.
As the billiard table disappears, we segue to the other
side of the stage where the Colonel and Giorgio stroll in)
colonel: Captain, I cannot thank you enough. Your kind¬

nesses to my cousin have meant a great deal.
giorgio (Uncomfortable): You have no reason to thank me.
colonel: Any attention that is paid to her means so much.
Signora Fosca has always had a shortage of friends.
(Fosca is revealed at her writing table)
fosca: My dear Giorgio. I am writing you even though the

Doctor has forbidden it. What a joy to have someone to
whom I can tell my feelings, with whom I can share my
past.
colonel: I was a young man when my parents died and
Fosca’s mother and father welcomed me into their house
whenever I was on leave.
(Music under, as we go back in time)
As a child—
74
FOSCA:
As a child—
COLONEL:
She was lonely—
FOSCA:
I was happy—
colonel:
Her parents doted on her—
fosca (Overlapping):
My parents doted on me—
(Fosea’s Mother and Father enter)
FOSCA & COLONEL:
They said:
MOTHER & FATHER:
Beautiful.
MOTHER:
So sensitive.
MOTHER & FATHER:
So beautiful.
FOSCA:
They told me to be:
mother:
Careful—
75
PASSION
COLONEL:
Of course—
mother:
—Fosca.
colonel:
—To them she was.
father:
A girl as beautiful as you are

Has to —
fosca:
And so—
father:
—Be careful.
fosca:
I thought that I was beautiful.
FOSCA & COLONEL:
And then I (she) reached the age

Where being beautiful
Becomes the most important thing
A woman can be.
(Fosca rises and crosses downstage)
COLONEL:
An unattractive man—
FOSCA:
As long as you’re a man,

You still have opportunities.
76
colonel (Simultaneously):
— Can still have opportunities.
MOTHER & FATHER:
Beautiful...
FOSCA & COLONEL:
Whereas, if you’re a woman,

You either are a daughter or a wife.
MOTHER & FATHER:
A woman is a flower.
FOSCA & COLONEL:
You marry—
FATHER:
—Now you’re seventeen.
COLONEL:
— Or you’re a daughter all your life.
MOTHER & FATHER:
Now is the hour...
COLONEL:
I’d met this nice young man.
FOSCA:
I’d seen this nice young man—
colonel:
He’d introduced himself—
77
PASSION
FOSCA:
—Passing by—
colonel:
—At my club.
FOSCA:
—Just below my window.
COLONEL:
So —
FOSCA:
One day—
colonel:
— One evening I invited him—
FOSCA:
—He tipped his hat to me.
COLONEL:
—Home.
(.Brings Ludovic, the young man of whom he has just spo¬

ken, over to Foscah Mother and Father, as music continues
under; Giorgio stands to one side and observes)
Count Ludovic—
FOSCA:
I must admit that I was flattered—
colonel: — this is my Aunt Theresa and my Uncle Bruno.
{The orchestra stops momentarily)
78
mother: A count?
fat her: From where, if I may ask.
ludovic: Austria.
mother & father {Thrilled):
Austria...
mother: What a beautiful place.

colonel {Calling): Fosca, we have a visitor!
FOSCA:
Imagine my surprise...
colonel: I’d like you to meet a new friend. Count Ludovic.
{Ludovic takes Foseah hand and kisses it)
fosca: He was even more handsome up close.

colonel: I was amazed to see the Count take such an interest
in my cousin.
{Ludovic crosses to Fosca and takes her hand)
ludovic {Floridly):
If I had known you were here, Signorina—
fosca: “If he had known...” Of course he knew.
LUDOVIC:
—I would have brought you many flowers.
colonel: If I had known...
LUDOVIC:
You do like flowers?
fosca: Yes.
79
PASSION
COLONEL:
I should have known.
LUDOVIC:
Fve seen you at your window.
mother: Won’t you stay for dinner — ?

father: Do. Yes.
ludovic {Still to Fosca):

I’ve watched you every day since I arrived.
FOSCA:
I had my suspicions.
COLONEL:
I had no suspicion.
FOSCA & COLONEL:
I chose not to see.
ludovic:
The way you move,

The way you gaze at the sky...
fosca:
For love had made me blind—
COLONEL:
How could I be so blind?
FOSCA:
— Or what I took for love.
80
colonel: Within a month, he had asked for her hand.

giorgio: Signora Fosca has been married?
colonel: Yes.
mother & father (To each other)-.

Austria...
Count Ludovic of Austria...
fosca:
I sensed in him a danger,

Deception,
Even violence.
I must admit to some degree
That it excited me.
MOTHER & FATHER:
Austria...
Count Ludovic of Austria...
(Music continues under)
colonel: Once they were married, once he’d received my

uncle’s sizable dowry, he traveled a great deal, was unavail¬
able to Fosca.
fosca: He gambled away the dowry.
colonel: It didn’t take him long to spend all their money.
fosca: I was forced to go to my parents to borrow from what
little savings they had left.
colonel: Then one day, as she was coming from market...
(Ludovic’s Mistress suddenly appears)
mistress: Excuse me? You’re the wife of a Count Ludovic?

fosca: Yes.
81
PASSION
MISTRESS:
You fool.
The man’s a fraud,
A fake.
The trips he said he had to take
Abroad,
He took them so that he
Could be
With me.
He calls himself a Count,

But he’s not.
He’s never had a title in his life!
He doesn’t have a title,
But he does have a wife
And a child
In Dalmatia.
F o s c A: No, you must be mistaken.

mistress: Oh, yes.
He only wants to bleed you.
Until the day he doesn’t need you.
I warn you he’ll abandon you
As he abandoned her
And me,
And coundess others, I’ve no doubt.
I’m telling you, the man was born without
A heart.
(Starts away; turns back)
You fool...
(Exits; as Ludovic enters elsewhere; music continues under)
82
FOSCA: I confronted him with tiiis information, and he made

no attempt to deny it.
l u D o v i c (Shrugging, pleasantly):
Ah well, at last you know the truth,
Signorina.
But you as well must face the truth.
Fve no desire to deceive you any more,
But do admit what you ignore:
We made a bargain, did we not?
And we got
What we bargained for.
(The musie becomes a waltz)
You gave me your money, I gave you my looks

And my charm.
And my arm.
I would say that more than balances the books.
Where’s the harm?
Now it’s through.
If women sell their looks,

Why can’t a man,
If he can?
Besides, the money wasn’t even yours,
It belonged to those ridiculous old bores,
Your parents.
(Fosca starts to strike him, but he catches her arm; smiling)
Forgive me, my dear,

But though you are no beauty, I fear
You are not quite the victim you appear.
83
PASSION
Well, let us part by mutual consent

And be content.
And so good luck and goodbye.
I must go.
(.Starts off; turns buck)
Oh, and yes, we haven’t paid the rent

Since July...
Just so you know...
{Exits, us music continues underneuth)
fosca: I returned home, to find my parents impoverished and

in poor health.
colonel: Fosca’s health failed...
fosca {Bitter):
A woman’s like a flower...
{She returns to her writing desk)
colonel: ...She began to suffer her first convulsions. My aunt

and uncle nursed her as best they could.
FOSCA:
A flower’s only purpose is to please...
colonel: I spent months looking for the man.
FOSCA:
Beauty is power...
colonel: By then, of course, he’d vanished.
84
FOSCA:
Longing a disease...
colonel: To this day, I dream of finding him and realizing my

revenge.
fosca: My father died not long thereafter.
colonel:
How could I be so blind?
FOSCA:
I couldn’t face the world.
colonel:
It took her many months to leave her bed.
fosca (Simultaneously):
It took me months to leave my bed.
colonel: When her mother died, she had nothing really. No

one.
fosca: And so I went to stay with my cousin, who in some way
felt responsible for my circumstances.
colonel:
Why could I not admit the truth?

How could I not have seen through the veneer?
I told myself, “As long as she seems happy,
Why interfere?”
Or was I just relieved to know
That somebody would want her for a wife?
In war you know the enemy,
Not always so in life.
85
PASSION
The enemy was love—

Selfishness really, but love.
All of us blinded by love
That makes everything seem possible.
You have to pay a consequence

For things that you’ve denied.
This is the thorn in my side.
(Music continues under, us Mistress, Mother, Father and

Ludovic appear in tableau)
MISTRESS:
As long as you’re a man,

You’re what the world will make of you.
MISTRESS & MOTHER:
Whereas if you’re a woman,

You’re only what it sees.
COLONEL, FATHER & LUDOVIC:
A woman is a flower
Whose purpose is to please.
all (Except Giorgio and Fosca):

Beauty is power,
Longing a disease...
(As we segue to the next scene, Clara enters in a robe, her

hair down)
86
SCENE NINE
The mountainside, a distance from the outpost.
CLARA:
Giorgio,
I stand here
Staring at the sunrise,
Thinking that we’ve never seen a sunrise together,
Thinking that the sunrise
Only means another day
Without you,
And thinking:
Can our love survive

So much separation,
Keep itself alive,
Much less thrive?
(Giorgio walks onstage and sits; he takes a letter from his

uniform pocket and reads. We hear the faint rumblings of
thunder)
87
PASSION
If only you were here,

If I could feel your touch,
I wouldn’t have such fear.
If only we had more than letters
Holding us together,
If we just could hold each other now,
The sunrise then could be
A thing that I could see
And merely think, “How beautiful...”
clara & giorgio (As Clara exits):

Giorgio,
I now sit
Staring at the mirror—
You may not believe it but I swear,
As I stare,
There it is,
Plain as day:
A gray
Hair,
GIORGIO :
Of which I was unaware,

Which is more than I can bear,
Which I’m ripping out right now
And am sending on to you
As a milestone of my age,
As a turning of the page...
Perhaps when next we meet,

I’ll be a sorry sight.
You won’t know who I am.
My hair completely white,
My face
A mass of wrinkles.
88
What will you feel then,

My Giorgio?
Time is now our enemy...
{Unsteadily, Fosca has entered and made her way towards

Giorgio)
fosca: You came a great distance to read her letters. Are you
running away from me?
{Giorgio doesn’t respond; he returns the letter to hispoeket)
Since I’ve recovered, you’ve made every effort to get away

from me. To be free of my company.
giorgio: There are times when I wish to be alone.
fosca: I know that I offend you.
giorgio: No. I won’t have this conversation.
fosca: And what kind of conversation do you desire, Captain?
Something innocuous? Do you wish to discuss your troops?
Or should we talk about the weather? Feels like rain, what
do you think?
giorgio: I think you can be very difficult.
fosca: I didn’t come here to be difficult. I came here simply to
share your company.
{He notices blood on her hands)
giorgio: What’s happened to your hands?

fosca {Looking at them blankly): I must have fallen.
giorgio {Attending to her hands): You have no business being
out here.
fosca {After a beat): Do you want me dead?
giorgio {Walking away from her): Fosca, don’t be so unfair.
fosca {Following him): You’re right, I am unfair. I want to free
you from my affection. I know what I’m doing to you.
89
PASSION
(There is a long, painful moment of silence as they sit and

stare off into space)
Why is it that the violets and daisies blossom now?

giorgio (A beat): They mistake Autumn’s warmth for April.
f os cA: What is that bird that sings?
giorgio: A wren, I think.
f o s c a : What does it look like?
giorgio: It’s grey and I believe it’s the smallest of birds.
fosca: The smallest...You know so much. (A beat) Give me a
kiss.
(Giorgio recoils)
Yes, I know a woman shouldn’t ask such a thing. A woman

shouldn’t have followed a man here. Well, given my appear¬
ance, I don’t behave as other women do. And so I ask you
for a kiss.
(He doesn’t respond)
Then I’ll kiss you.
(She takes his hand and kisses it)
giorgio (Agitated):
Is this what you call love?
This endless and insatiable
Smothering
Pursuit of me,
You think that this is love?
(Softly, attempting to control himself)
90
I’m sorry that you’re lonely,

I’m sorry that you want me as you do.
I’m sorry that I fail to feel
The way you wish me to feel,
(Growing in anger)
I’m sorry that you’re ill,

I’m sorry you’re in pain,
I’m sorry that you aren’t beautiful.
(Evenly)
But yes, I wish you’d go away

And leave me alone!
(Quietly; intense)
Everywhere I turn,
There you are.
This is not love,
But some kind of obsession.
Will you never learn

When too far is too far,
Have you no concern
For what I feel,
What I want?
Love is what you earn,

And return,
When you care for another
So much that the other’s
9i
PASSION
Set free.
Don’t you see?
Can’t you understand?
Love’s not a constant demand,

It’s a gift you bestow.
Love isn’t sudden surrender,
It’s tender and slow.
It must grow.
(.Increasingly angry)
Yet everywhere I go,

You appear,
Or I know
You are near.
This is not love,
Just a need for possession.
Call it what you will,

This is not love,
This is the reverse,
Like a curse,
Something out of control.
I’ve begun to fear for my soul...
(Music stops; a loud clap of thunder is heard. Trembling,

Fosca rises and begins to leave. She stops, shudders momen¬
tarily and, with a muffled cry, crumples to the ground.
Giorgio turns and sees her lying there; he crosses the stage
past her and begins to exit. He stops, pauses for a moment,
then reluctantly returns to her, covering her with his coat.
He picks her up and carries her offstage as the lights fade
to black)
92
SCENE TEN
Parade ground.
The Soldiers enter, drilling; drums, then bugle.
TORASSO :
Both of them were soaked to the skin.
rxzzolli:
Where had they been?
AUGENTI:
On the bluff.
COOK:
Were they all alone?
TORASSO:
No one knows.
COOK:
You don’t suppose — ?
barri :
Ugh!
93
PASSION
RIZZOLLI:
Gentlemen, enough!
TORASSO:
Still, it would explain Signora’s attitude—
augenti:
Why she comes to every meal.
barri:
It isn’t for the veal.
TORASSO :
And it would explain the Colonel’s gratitude.
cook:
I hear he calls him “Giorgio”—
RIZZOLLI:
But nobody is that brave.
AUGENTI:
No, that’s cheek.
RIZZOLLI:
Nobody is that brave.
cook:
Wouldn’t you like to peek?
TORASSO :
Ugh!
BARRI:
Gendemen, I think I’ll change my wager:
94
He’ll be Major
Next week.
RIZZOLLI:
I’ll say!
all (Except Rizzolli): I’ll say!
ALL:
I’ll say!
(A bed is rolled onstage. At first we can’t quite make out

who is in it: we see a black-caped form writhing as the bed
spins. The black figure lifts up: it is Fosca atop Giorgio, who
struggles beneath; the Soldiers and Attendants surround
this action)
GROUP i:
Everywhere I turn,
group 2:
Everywhere I turn,
group 1:
There you are.
group 2:
There you are.
groups 1 & 2:
This is not love,
But some kind of obsession.
group 1:
Everywhere I go,
95
PASSION
GROUP 2:
/
Everywhere I go,
groups i & 2:
You appear,
Or I know
You are near.
group 2:
You are near.
groups 1 & 2:
You are near.
Love,
Love’s not a constant demand.
It’s a gift you bestow.
Love isn’t sudden—
It’s tender and slow...
group 1:
Tender and slow...

Tender and slow...
group 2 (Overlapping):
Sudden surrender...
Sudden surrender...
(All exit including Fosca, who disappears into the shadows

as the Doctor appears; we are now in Giorgio’s bedroom)
giorgio (In his sleep): Let go. Let go of me. Help me. Please
help me!
96
(The Doctor wakes him)
What?
doctor: It’s all right. Calm down.
GIORGIO: She was dragging me down into the grave with her.
She was hugging me. Kissing me with her cold lips. Those
thin arms pulling me, drawing me, like icy tentacles.
doctor: It was only a dream.
GIORGIO: I feel so warm.
doctor: You became ill after carrying Signora Fosca back in
the rain.
giorgio: When was that?
doctor: Two days ago.
(He puts his hand to Giorgio’s head)
You still have a fever, but it seems to be lower. My boy, you

will recover from this illness, but it will take some time. You
might as well enjoy it away from here. I am putting you on
sick leave.
giorgio: Sick leave?
doctor: This is a dreary place. It can get to us all.
(Understanding the implication, Giorgio looks to the

Doctor)
As soon as you are well enough, you will depart for Milan.
giorgio (Fondly): Milan...
doctor: Don’t look so sad, Captain. I trust there is someone
there who can oversee your recuperation.
97
SCENE ELEVEN
A train compartment.
Formation takes us from Giorgio’s bed to a train com¬
partment.
soldier (While other Soldiers hum in background):

To feel a woman’s touch,
To touch a woman’s hand,
Reminded me how much I long to be with you,
How long I’ve been without you near.
And then to hear a woman’s voice,

To hold a woman’s arm,
To feel a woman’s touch...
(Clara strolls through)
CLARA:
Giorgio, darling,
Forty days’ leave so soon!
Imagine that,
A whole forty days—
Well, forty matinees.
98
I’ll be there to greet the train

That carried you away from me
Because it brings you home.
(Giorgio enters slowly. He has a blanket around him and

carries a suitcase as he moves towards the train compart¬
ment where he sits)
Tm filling up the room,

Our little room,
With every flower in bloom.
I’ll have the fire lit,
The table set,
I’ll wear the blue chemise.
And once we’re in our room,

Our secret room,
Where I’ll be able to care for you,
Kiss you,
Embrace you,
Be there for you...
(She exits. The train whistle blows and, just as the train
starts to move, Fosea enters, carrying a small suitcase)
giorgio (Furious): How could you? How dare you follow

me?!
F o s c A: Eve come to speak to you.
giorgio: I am ill. Do you understand that? And you are the
reason I am ill.
fosca (Sitting): I apologize. Nothing could be further from
what I wished for you. That is why I wanted to follow you
to Milan. To see that you are well.
giorgio: That is the reasoning of a capricious child. You can’t
do this.
99
PASSION
F o s cA: I heard what you said, Giorgio. IVe come to tell you I’ll
keep my distance... stay out of your path. But I can be near¬
by. I can be there quiedy waiting.
giorgio: And this you think will make me love you?
fosca: No. No, I am doing this because I love you.
giorgio: Well, my heart feels nothing for you. How many
times must you hear this?
fosca: This has nothing to do with your heart. This has to do
with your eyes—what you see. If I were beautiful, if there
were ample flesh on my bones, if my breasts were large and
full, if I were soft and warm to your touch—you would feel
otherwise.
giorgio (Firm): No. Your appearance is no excuse for the way
you behave. My feelings towards you are a result of your
relendessness, your constant selfishness and insensitivity.
fosca (After a pause; music underneath): I’m sorry. No one has
ever taught me how to love. I know I feel too much. I often
don’t know what to do with my feelings. You understand
that, Giorgio. Don’t you?
giorgio (Slowly, pleading): Fosca, you have to face the truth.
Please. You have to give me up.
fosca (Calm):
Loving you
Is not a choice,
It’s who I am.
Loving you
Is not a choice
And not much reason
To rejoice.
But it gives me purpose,

Gives me voice,
To say to the world:
ioo
This is why I live.

You are why I live.
Loving you
Is why I do
The things I do.
Loving you
Is not in my
Control.
But loving you,

I have a goal
For what’s left of my life...
I will live,
And I would die
For you.
(As music continues under)
giorgio (Skeptical): Die for me? What kind of love is that?

fosca: The truest love. Would Clara give her life for yours?
Would she, Giorgio?
(A beat; he doesn’t answer, realizing the truth of his situation)
I would. Flappily. In the end, you’ll finally see what is beau¬

tiful about me. (Beat) Do you want me to move to another
compartment?
giorgio: We’re getting off at the next stop. I’m taking you
back.
(She turns from him and stares out the window; after a
beat, she begins to shiver from the cold)
IOI
PASSION
You’re freezing.
(No response)
Cover yourself up.
(She doesn’t move)
Do you want to get sicker?
(She still doesn’t respond; he moves to her and wraps his

blanket around her)
F o s c A (Staring out the window): The moonlight makes even this

landscape look lovely.
(He returns to his seat)
Look. There seem to be faces in those rocks, smiling back at

us.
(Slowly, Giorgio looks out to see what she sees; he smiles ever
so slightly, then slowly turns baek to look at Fosea as the
lights fade to blaek)
woman (Offstage):
How long were we apart...
man (Offstage):
A month, a week, a day?
woman (Offstage):
To feel your touch again...
102
both (Offstage):
You’ve never been away...
(Lights up on the courtyard where Giorgio is met by the

Doctor; Giorgio remains weak, his illness very apparent)
doctor: Don’t be offended if I’m amused, Captain, but it is ail

quite bizarre, really. She led you back like a lamb.
giorgio: You know her, and you know there is no way I could
have acted differendy.
doctor: You needn’t worry. No one knows of her exploits.
giorgio: I suppose I should be relieved, though in truth it
matters litde to me.
(Turning on him)
And who told her I was leaving?

doctor (Defensive): I hardly thought it a secret.
giorgio: What is it that you want, Doctor?
doctor: I don’t know what you mean.
giorgio: You know what I mean. Why did you bring this
woman into my life?
doctor: I thought it would help her. I thought it might bring
her some small degree of happiness.... I had no intention for
it to turn to this, Captain. Honestly, I didn’t. I apologize.
(Giorgio begins to leave)
She tells me that you’re going to Milan tomorrow, but for

only four days. I assume that is just a pretext and that you
won’t be coming back?
giorgio: I don’t want to be away from my duties that long.
Excuse me, I have things to do. (Walks away)
103
PASSION
doctor: Captain Bachetti, you forget that I am your superior.

You can’t decide to forgo a sick leave just like that. Has
Signora Fosca brought you to this point?
giorgio: Absolutely not. This is my decision.
doctor: Don’t you see what she is doing to you? To your men¬
tal state? I may have helped bring this woman into your life,
but I can also get you away from her. For your own good. I
can see to it that you are transferred permanently. If I send
a dispatch to headquarters, you’ll be ordered to leave.
giorgio: I don’t wish to be transferred.
doctor: Why are you behaving this way?
giorgio (After a moment): I feel it my duty to help her.
doctor: Don’t you understand, Captain? No one can help her.
Good day.
(The Doctor exits. The Soldiers enter drunkenly; they quiet

when they see Giorgio, who acknowledges them and then
exits)
TORASSO :
Forty days —!
cook:
Where does he get all the luck?
TORASSO:
Forty days—!
rizzolli :
The man is sick.
TORASSO:
But forty days —!
104
BARRI:
Yes, he’s sick of being stuck

In the sticks.
AUGENTI:
Who isn’t?
TORASSO :
In Milan —!
COOK:
He’s gone
Because it’s getting pretty thick
With the Signora.
rizzolli:
Gentlemen—
AUGENTI:
He’d better get out quick

From the Signora.
RIZZOLLI:
Gendemen—
BARRI:
That’s not an easy trick

With the Signora.
rizzolli (Loudly):
Gendemen!
(They turn to him)
105
PASSION
You know what I think?

We need another drink!
cook: HI say.
rizzolli:
I’ll say!
all:
FU say!
I’ll say!
Fll-
('They look at each other and walk off in disgust)
106
SCENE TWELVE
Near the Milan train station.

Clara and Giorgio stroll from the train station to a
bench nearby; music under.
CLARA:
Giorgio,
I didn’t tell you in my letter
Something even better,
A surprise here at home:
In a week my husband goes to Rome.
It’s the first time he’s away.
He’ll be gone at least a day,
Maybe two or even three.
I can visit you at night,

We’ll be lighted by the moon,
Not a shuttered afternoon.
Just think of having time

That we can call our own,
Together and alone.
107
PASSION
Perhaps we’ll take a drive

Into the country,
And perhaps at last
We’ll share a sunrise.
Wouldn’t that be beautiful—?
giorgio: Clara, I’m not taking my sick leave.

clara: What do you mean?
GIORGIO: I’m staying only four days.
clara (Jealous): It’s that woman, isn’t it?
giorgio: There are many reasons—
clara: No! You constantiy write to me about her, speak of her
when we’re together. She’s always on your mind, Giorgio.
Do you love her?
giorgio: The idea is laughable.
clara: I hate this woman, and I don’t even know her.
giorgio: There are times when I hate her, too.
clara: Then why do you sacrifice yourself on her behalf?
(A beat)
giorgio: I’m not certain. Clara, please don’t be angry. This

woman has no friends. No one to talk to. I know the power
I have over her. I didn’t ask for this power—she bestowed it
upon me, but somehow it carries responsibilities that I can’t
seem to shed.
clara: She needs you.
giorgio: Don’t you need me, too ?
clara: Yes, of course, but not like this woman.
giorgio: Leave your husband, Clara.
clara (Stunned): What?
giorgio: Let’s have a life together.
clara (Slowly): Giorgio, you know that’s not possible.
giorgio: Everything is possible.
clara: I would lose my child.
108
giorgio: And what if you were to lose me ?

clara: I don’t want to lose you, Giorgio. You knew my situa¬
tion.
giorgio: We could run away together. We could take your
child—
CLARA: You’re not thinking clearly. You’re not yourself.
giorgio (.Defensive): I’m myself!
clara: Where would we go? How would we live?
giorgio: We would manage.
clara: We are not two people who could ever just “manage.”
We have to carve out a life for ourselves around our present
obligations. We have no choice.
giorgio: We have a choice.
clara: Yes, I suppose that’s true, Giorgio. Just as you have cho¬
sen to forgo your sick leave.
(He is surprised by her remark; they look at one another

awkwardly)
I’ve often wondered if you would love me as much if I were

free.
giorgio: I would. You know I would. I love you.
clara: And I love you. (Beat) You’re not coming back, are you?
giorgio: I’ll be back, Clara. I’ll be back. Let’s stop this talk and
enjoy our four days together.
109
SCENE THIRTEEN
The ColoneVs dining room.

We segue to a Christmas party in the dining quarters
with all the Soldiers, household staff, the Colonel and the
Doctor. Fosea plays the piano as Torasso sings a Christmas
carol.
torasso {Singing)'.
La pace sulla terra
E a voi tranquilita.
E nato un bambino
Che il mondo salvera
Dal gran poter di Satan
E da sua potesta.
O novella di gran felicita!
{Hisgrand ending is met with enthusiasm)
colonel: Thank you, Lieutenant. {To Fosea) That was beauti¬

ful, my dear. {To all) Merry Christmas, everyone. Salute.
all: Salute!
rizzolli: When is dinner being served, Sergeant Lombardi?
cook: The pheasants will be ready shortly.
IIO
colonel: The Christmas season is the most wonderful time of

the year, wouldn’t you agree, Doctor?
doctor: I am not much of a believer, I must confess.
colonel: It isn’t the birth of Christ we’re celebrating tonight.
We are celebrating the joys of domestic life.
cook: And the food!
colonel: All right, yes, the food.
(Colonel declines more Champagne from the Cook)
No, thank you.
('Giorgio enters, still looking somewhat ill)
Look who has arrived.
{The Colonel, with Fosea on his arm, crosses to Giorgio)
doctor: Captain.
colonel: Thank you for coming, Captain. I am so happy that
you haven’t taken your leave.
{Augenti enters with a stack of letters, which he dis¬

tributes)
AUGENTI: Mail.
colonel: We’ve come to think of you as part of the family.
rizzolli: At last, a letter for me.
giorgio: And I appreciate that.
augenti: Colonel.
colonel: Excuse me. (He takes his mail and backs off)
fosca: Are you feeling better, Captain?
giorgio: Yes, thank you.
fosca: It’s kind of you to join us tonight.
ill
PASSION
giorgio: My pleasure. You look very charming.

F o s c A (Uncomfortable): Thank you.
augenti: Captain.
{He gives Giorgio a letter; there is an awkward moment

between Fosca and Giorgio)
fosca: Go ahead, Captain. Read your letter. It’s fine. {She

retreats to the Doctor’s side)
B arri : I can smell the perfume on Captain Bachetti’s letter from
here. And fragrant perfume it is, Captain. My correspon¬
dence smells like it came from the barn.
{Barri engages Giorgio in conversation)
cook: Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Fve just put in the
truffles.
rizzolli: Truffles, indeed. I can’t remember the last time I
had truffles.
torasso: I hope they’ll be recognizable after Sergeant
Lombardi...
colonel: Captain Bachetti—
{Giorgio realizes the Colonel is addressing him)
Is it you or the gendemen from the ministry who are

responsible for this surprise?
(A hush falls over the room)
giorgio: Excuse me?

colonel: You have been transferred back to headquarters. You
are to report immediately.
giorgio (Taken completely by surprise): Immediately?
colonel: This is most unusual, Captain Bachetti.
112
giorgio: Really, I don’t understand.
(His eyes go from the Doctor to Fosca, who stands stunned

for a moment)
fosca (Emotional): Giorgio! (As she crosses to him) My love,

don’t leave!
(She throws herself into his arms; there is an embarrassing

moment as everyone in the room tries to hide his diseom-
fort)
colonel (As if to an errant child): Fosca!
(She turns and looks to the others, who all stare at her. She
runs offstage with a scream, pushing away anyone in her
path; the Doctor follows)
Gendemen.
(The others in the room exit as the Colonel moves to

Giorgio)
You will wait here for me, Captain Bachetti.
(The Colonel exits after Fosca; Giorgio pauses in confusion,

then crosses to a chair and sits, staring off into space. Clara
enters; music under)
CLARA:
Giorgio...
(He stares)
Giorgio...
113
PASSION
(.Suddenly he remembers Clara’s letter; he opens it and

begins to read)
I am writing to you,
My angel,
Though not long since you’ve been gone,
With a most unhappy heart.
Because, in truth, as time goes on,

I think of nothing else but you—
And us.
Oh, my love, my sweet,

You’ve changed,
I’ve watched you change.
You’re not the man I thought I knew.
At times, these past few days together,

I would wonder whether
You were here,
Really here with me.
I thought, was I naive

To believe
We’d continue year by year?
Is it over forever?
(Music stops)
It seems to me the answer rests with you. Yes, I have oblig¬

ations at home, but my heart is yours. When my son is
older, when he goes off to school, there is the chance for us
to be together. I will make the sacrifice you ask of me then.
Please understand why I can’t now. Will you wait for me,
114
Giorgio? Can we have back what we once had? I have

know. We both have to know.
(Music resumes)
giorgio (Bitterly, quietly):

Just another love story.
CLARA:
No one is to blame.
GIORGIO:
A temporary love story.
CLARA:
But it needn’t end the same.
GIORGIO:
I thought we had more.
CLARA:
We had more—
GIORGIO:
We had something more—
both :
—Than any other love story.
CLARA:
All that happiness—
giorgio (Looking at the letter):

Is this what you call love?
PASSION
CLARA:
—We had then—
GIORGIO:
This logical and sensible
Practical arrangement—
We can have that happiness—
GIORGIO:
—This foregone conclusion—
CLARA:
— Once again!
GIORGIO:
—You think that this is love?
(His voice rising, he crumples the letter)
Love isn’t so convenient.

Love isn’t something scheduled in advance,
Not something guaranteed
You need
For fear it may pass you by.
You have to take a chance,
You can’t just try it out.
What’s love unless it’s unconditional?
Love doesn’t give a damn about tomorrow,

And neither do I!
CLARA:
All that happiness —
116
GIORGIO :
It was fine.
CLARA:
—In the past—
GIORGIO :
I was yours, you were mine.
CLARA:
That was not just happiness,
Love was in that happiness,
Thafs why it will last.
GIORGIO :
Love is more, I want more.
both :
I thought I knew what love was—
CLARA:
I didn’t know that love was a complication.
GIORGIO:
I do know that it’s not a negotiation.
CLARA:
We’ll take it in our stride.
GIORGIO:
What we had—
CLARA:
You decide.
117
PASSION
GIORGIO:
—Wasn’t bad.
CLARA:
We could have everything.
I want you more than anything.
GIORGIO:
How sad—
CLARA:
To wait is nothing.
We’re young, and time is nothing.
GIORGIO:
—That what we have is nothing...
CLARA:
Nothing...
BOTH:
Nothing...
(She disappears as the Colonel enters, brandishing a piece

of paper)
colonel: Signor Bachetti—
(Giorgio stands)
I discovered this letter at my cousin’s bedside. This is your

signature, is it not?
giorgio (Uncomfortable): Yes, sir.
colonel (Cold): You have taken advantage of my cousin’s
affections.
118
GIORGIO: That was not my intention, sir. Perhaps you should

discuss this matter with Signora Fosca.
colonel: My cousin is asleep, and in any event, I wouldn’t
subject her to such a question. No one can make me believe
that a man such as yourself would desire a woman like
Signora Fosca, would write her a letter like this.
giorgio (After a pause): Why is that, sir?
colonel: The reason seems obvious.
giorgio: Not to me. Forgive me for saying this, but you had
no right to read that letter—no right to take it from her
room.
(.He goes to grab the letter, but the Colonel angrily pulls it
back)
colonel: My cousin is at the end of her life. She does not

deserve to be led on in such a manner!
giorgio: You don’t know your cousin. She is not a child! She
is not just a sick person. Signora Fosca is as responsible for
her actions as am I for mine.
colonel: You have abused my good faith, come into my
house to dishonor it. Your attitude towards me is nothing
short of contemptuous. I must demand a reparation from
you—and mere words will not suffice.
giorgio: What? Fight? A duel?
colonel: I have confided in you. You know that my cousin
has been taken advantage of before.
(The Doctor enters and stands off to the side)
We will meet tomorrow morning at eight, behind the castle

steps.
doctor (Trying to make light of the situation): Gentlemen, wait.
Colonel, there is an explanation. Captain Bachetti, speak up.
Say how she forced you—
119
PASSION
giorgio: Not at all. Nothing was forced on me.

doctor: Please, let’s come to our senses here.
colonel: And one more thing.
giorgio: Yes?
colonel: My cousin knows nothing of this discovery. She
must know nothing of what is going to happen. I need your
word on that.
giorgio: She will not hear of this matter from me.
colonel: Very well. Tomorrow. (He exits)
doctor: It’s deplorable that that woman has brought you to
this. Let’s not panic. The Colonel will calm down. There’s
still time to explain—
giorgio: I wish to see Fosca.
doctor: What?
giorgio: Whatever the outcome of this duel, I’ll never see her
again. Arrange for me to meet her tonight as you did before.
doctor: You don’t know what you’re saying.
giorgio: You may have forgotten how to cure diseases, but
you induced mine, so don’t pretend you don’t know what
I’m saying.
doctor: You understand this woman could never be your
lover. Her physical condition—
giorgio: You will arrange for me to see her, Doctor.
doctor: No! I will not participate in this madness.
(The Doctor exits; music; we segue to Fosccds bedroom)
120
SCENE FOURTEEN
Fosca’s bedroom.
Quietly, Giorgio enters. Fosca is resting on the bed and
doesn’t hear him.
giorgio: Fosca. Fosca.
(She lifts herself up)
Fm sorry to surprise you like this.

fosca: Thank you for coming.
giorgio: I wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with
the transfer.
fosca (She rises): I know that now. The Doctor told me.
giorgio (Beat): The letter from Clara...
fosca: Yes?
giorgio: It’s over. Finished.
fosca (Another beat): I’m sorry.
giorgio (Surprised): Sorry? I would have thought you would
be pleased.
fosca: There was a time when I would have welcomed that
news, but I realize I don’t wish you to be unhappy. I don’t
wish to see you sad.
121
PASSION
giorgio: I feel so much...but I’m not really sad.

F o s c A: I thought you loved Clara?
giorgio: I did love Clara. I did. But... {Quietly at first)
No one has ever loved me
As deeply as you.
No one has truly loved me
As you have, Fosca.
{Stronger)
Love without reason, love without mercy,

Love without pride or shame.
Love unconcerned
With being returned—
No wisdom, no judgment,
No caution, no blame.
No one has ever known me

As clearly as you.
No one has ever shown me
What love could be like until now:
Not pretty or safe or easy,

But more than I ever knew.
Love within reason—that isn’t love.
And I’ve learned that from you...
{Music continues under; he sees her trembling)
Are you cold?

fosca: No, I’m afraid.
giorgio: Of what?
122
FOSCA:
All this happiness,
Coming when there’s so little time.
Too much happiness,
More than I can bear.
(Music continues under)
I pray for the strength to enjoy it. Tomorrow you will leave.
This is the only time I have. (Beat) You do love me, don’t
you?
giorgio (Slowly, amazed at the realization): Yes, I love you.
fosca: Say it again.
giorgio (Firm): I love you.
fosca: Once more.
giorgio (Embracing her as she breaks down): I love you. Be
calm. Strong. I am yours.
fosca: This isn’t a dream?
giorgio: This isn’t a dream.
(She begins to lead him towards the bed but Giorgio resists)
We can’t.
fosca: To die loved is to have lived.
(They kiss. Fosca becomes weak, and Giorgio lifts her and
carries her to the bed where he gently puts her down. He
stares at her momentarily; her strength returns and she
pulls him onto the bed as the music swells and the lights
123
SCENE FIFTEEN
An open field.
We hear the sound of military drums. Daybreak. The
Colonel', the Doctor, Torasso, Barri, the Cook, Augenti and
two Soldiers march in and take their positions. Giorgio and
Rizzolli enter last; Giorgio looks hollow-eyed and dishev¬
elled.
cook: Gentlemen.
(The Colonel crosses to center; Giorgio stands numb)
doctor: Captain.
(Giorgio comes to life and makes his way to center; the

Cook presents a box with the pistols. Giorgio and the
Colonel each take one and then move to their positions)
torasso : Gentlemen. Ten paces, please. One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
(The Colonel and Giorgio mark off ten paxes. They turn
and fire simultaneously. The Colonel stands frozen for an
124
instant, then trembles and falls to the ground; the Doctor

and the other men rush to his aid, leaving Giorgio stand¬
ing alone on the other side of the stage. Suddenly, Giorgio
lets out a high-pitched howl—a cry that is clearly reminis¬
cent ofFoseah—as lights fade to black)
125
SCENE SIXTEEN
A hospital.
Lights up on Giorgio>, dazed, sitting at a desk. A nurse
enters and brings him a box with a letter. As Giorgio opens
the letter, the Doctor enters.
doctor: Captain Bachetti. I didn’t write to you before, be¬

cause I knew your illness might prevent you from compre¬
hending the contents of my letter. I now have heard that
you are closer to recovery and that your nervous condition
has improved.
I don’t know exacdy what you have been told, or what
you even remember of the events that led you away. Signora
Fosca died three days after the night you last saw one anoth¬
er. She died unaware of what took place between you and
her cousin. The Colonel’s wound was serious, but not mor¬
tal. He recovered in a few months. I wanted to speak to the
Colonel about you in order to convince him of your inno¬
cence, but in the end I worried that I would hurt your cause
more than help it.
In a box that I am mailing, you will find papers that were
left behind in your desk. Also, I have enclosed some per-
126
sonal belongings of Signora Fosca’s, and a letter she wrote

you just prior to her death.
(As Giorgio goes through the papers in the box, he sum¬

mons up his past)
BARRI, RIZZOLLI & TORASSO:

The town, it is remote, isn’t it?
And provincial—
Don’t you think?
I’m filling up our room,
Our little room,
With every flower in bloom.
I’ll have the fire lit,
The table set,
I’ll wear the blue chemise...
ludovic (Overlapping):
The time has come to face the truth,
Signorina.
attendants (Overlapping):
These pompous little men,
cook, augenti & soldier i (Overlapping):

attendants (Overlapping):
Military madness...
cook, augenti, soldier i & attendants (Overlapping):
127
PASSION
Imagining your fingers touching mine.
Imagining our room,
The bed,
The secrecy,
The world outside,
Your mouth on mine...
colonel (Overlapping):
An unattractive woman
Is easily deceived...
(Giorgio picks up Fosea’s letter, opens it and starts to read)
giorgio: My dearest Giorgio. The end is near. The time has

come for me to surrender life gracefully. These past two days
since you have left, since we were together, have been a rev¬
elation.
Now at last
I see what comes
From feeling loved.
Strange, how merely

Feeling loved,
You see things clearly.
(Fosca’s voiee quietly begins to join his from offstage)
Things I feared,
Like the world itself,
I now love dearly.
128
(Fosca enters and crosses to him)
both:
I want to live.
Now I want to live,
FOSCA:
Just from being loved.
All that pain

I nursed inside
For all those years—
GIORGIO :
All that vain
And bitter self-concern—
both :
All those tears
And all that pride
Have vanished into air...
FOSCA:
I don’t want to leave.
GIORGIO:
Now that I am loved,
FOSCA:
I don’t want to leave.
both :
Everywhere I turn,
You are there.
129
PASSION
FOSCA:
Everywhere I look,
Things are different.
both:
Everything seems right,

Everything seems possible,
Every moment bursts with feeling.
Why is love so easy to give

And so hard to receive?
FOSCA:
But though I want to live,

I now can leave
With what I never knew:
Em someone to be loved.
GIORGIO:
I’m someone to be loved.
FOSCA:
And that I learned from you.
{The Company becomes visible behind them)
ALL:
I don’t know how I let you

So far inside my mind,
But there you are, and there you will stay.
How could I ever wish you away?
I see now I was blind.
FOSCA:
And should you die tomorrow,

Another thing I see:
130
GIORGIO :
Your love will live in me....
FOSCA:
Your love will live in me....
GIORGIO & GROUP i:

Your love will live in me...
FOSCA & GROUP 2:

GIORGIO & GROUP I:

FOSCA & GROUP 2:

GIORGIO & GROUP I:

FOSCA & GROUP 2:

GIORGIO:
FOSCA:
GIORGIO:
(The Company, Fosca last, leaves Giorgio alone at his desk

as the lights fade to black)
.
*5
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ISBN 1-55936-088-7 $10.95
WINNER OF THE 1994 TONY AWARDS FOR BEST BOOK,

BEST MUSIC AND LYRICS, AND BEST MUSICAL!
“★★★★! Easily among Sondheim’s best—subtle, rhapsodic and full of

emotional depth.” —David Patrick Stearns, USA Today
“Hypnotic, rigorous, very risky... a major work.”

—Vincent Canby, New York Times
“A triumph of simplicity and pure passion.”

—Howard Kissel, New York Daily News
“Held me in its grip ... had me sobbing uncontrollably... Sondheim’s deep¬

est, most powerful work.” —Robert Brustein, New Republic
“The best and most adventurous musical of the season.” '

—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“A great, great show. Unchallenged as the most emotionally engaging new

musical Broadway has had in years.”—Jeremy Gerard, Variety
npl* • jjl ij_«ii»

“Just plain won
Broadway.” •-ARCHIVE
Identifier: passionGGstep
Title: Passion : a musical

Passion is the th Authors: Tarchetti, Iginio
Ugo, 1841-1869. Fosca
James Lapine. T1
Pulitzer Prize. Th https://archive.org/details/
passion00step
and Drama Critic
Other works by Stephen Sondheim also

available from TCG: Assassins, Gypsy,
Into the Woods and Pacific Overtures.
Theatre Communications Group

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What is the musical about?

What is the musical about?

What are some of the main characters in the musical?

What are some of the main characters in the musical?

I

Music & Lyrics

Book & Direction

Music and Lyrics by

Book and Direction by

THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Photographs by Joan Marcus.

Design and composition by The Type works.

First Edition, December 1994

CLARA Marin Mazzie

Based on the film Passione d’Amore, directed by Ettore Scola,

Giorgio and Clam’s room.

What would you do

(She languishes across him)

That we ever should have met

Then inevitable, yes,

The sadness in your eyes

Unhappiness can be seductive.

You pitied me...

How quickly pity leads to love.

All this happiness

I thought I knew what love was.

I wish we might have met so much sooner.

I thought I knew how much I could feel.

All the time we lost...

I didn’t know what love was.

You are so beautiful...

—Happening by chance in a park.

Surely, this is happiness—

—By the sadness that we saw in each other.

—No one else

Just another love story,

No, but this is more,

This is so much more —!

(Smiling at each other)

Like every other love story.

Some say happiness

I thought I knew what love was.

Td only heard what love was.

I thought it was no more than a name

I thought it was what kindness became.

I thought where there was love

—That with you—

But with you—

—There’s just happiness.

(Music continues underneath as they lie silently next to

(She goes to the curtain and opens it; a brilliant shaft of

(She returns to Giorgio and begins to put on a stocking;

CLARA: I must go. I’m expected.

(Touching her lightly)

CLARA (Succumbing)'. Giorgio...

giorgio (Caressing her foot):

CLARA: Not now...

Your smell so sweet,

giorgio (Moving up her body):