ACT ONE

As our story begins in a small town in southern Italy. We are at a funeral. But it is not just any funeral. A circus performer has died and a highwire act is in progress over the cemetery. During “DANZA” the tightrope walker tosses roses into the grave. 

 

We meet Marcello, our narrator and husband to Roseanna. We learn in short order that the tiny cemetery is now nearly out of burial plots and that Marcello’s wife, gravely ill, wishes to be buried alongside her daughter who perished at the age of just seven. Thus it is Marcello’s mission to keep everyone in his village alive at all costs for as long as possible. The townsfolk, barely tolerant of his meddling, joke with him that for all his efforts, snatching cigarettes out of people’s mouths, making sure workmen have their ladders properly supported, helping the elderly across the streets, “ANYONE COULD DROP DEAD” at any moment.

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Back at home (above the Trattoria Marcello runs with his wife and her sister Cecilia) Roseanna baits Marcello with the idea that after she is gone, he might consider marrying her sister (“THAT THING”). The scene shifts to a prison. Copponi is being released and sings of his bitterness and his intent to reclaim the money he was convicted of stealing and has hidden away for ten years in the care of his lawyer Rossi. He is en route to Rossi’s house, but not before he tells of “COPPONI’S LAMENT”.

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In the town square, Cecilia obliges some tourists by taking their photos, but first pretending to make off with their phones. An observer of her shenanigans, the young lawyer Antonio, is smitten and invites her to coffee. He is far less confident than Cecilia and finds her difficult to read. That is, until he has a revelation (“FROG SONG”). The solution to Marcello’s dilemma is to buy more land for the church cemetery. To that end, he visits a wealthy neighboring landowner in an attempt to persuade him (Capestro) to sell off an acre of land which adjoins the church. Capestro, bitter that he lost Roseanna’s love to Marcello long ago, defiantly sings “THAT SHIP HAS SAILED”.

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Downcast, Marcello returns to Roseanna. She tries to reassure him all will be well and as God intends it to be (“MY MARCELLO”). Learning that a townsperson, Fatalatti, is on his deathbed in a coma, Marcello rushes to prevent the family from unplugging his life

support (“POOR FATALATTI”).

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Just as the debate finally is decided against Marcello’s wishes, the patient miraculously awakens, and the day is saved. Back at the Trattoria, Roseanna and Cecilia discuss the potential relationship between Cecilia and Marcello (“YOUR MARCELLO”).

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Suddenly, Rossi, in a panic having heard Copponi has been released from prison, is struck in the head by the church bell, which has mysteriously fallen from its tower. In the hospital, Marcello prays for his full recovery (“MARCELLO’S PRAYER”) Rossi is indeed released and returns home.

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There, Marcello confronts him about the hidden money Copponi seeks. Sadly, the doctors were premature in releasing Rossi, and he suddenly falters and passes away, giving only the slightest hint to Marcello as to the location of the hidden treasure. Unfortunately for Antonio, Cecilia has learned that his father is none other than the evil Capestro. Needless to say, their budding relationship is sabotaged by this revelation. For now.

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Back at Rossi’s, Marcello, in an act of genius combined with madness, born of his devotion to Roseanna’s wish to rest beside her daughter for eternity, has placed the inconvenient corpse of Rossi in his freezer amongst the frozen vegetables (“REST IN PEAS”).

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ACT TWO

Once more at the church graveyard, the townsfolk sing of the mysterious bell accident, but celebrate Rossi’s apparent recovery (“THE BELL”). At her daughter’s grave, Roseanna, depressed over Marcello’s absence of late, sings her concerns to her daughter’s headstone (“YOUR FATHER”).

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Antonio impresses Cecilia with his intention to confront and defy his father over his refusal to sell his land to Marcello. That night at dusk, on a pastoral hill overlooking the town, Marcello and Roseanna recall their love story (“OUR STORY”).

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The wicked Copponi, through a twist of fate, confronts Marcello at Rossi’s house, and once the money is found, instead of killing Marcello to guard his secret, is himself killed through no fault of Marcello’s. But now, yet another body to dispose of to keep Roseanna’s dream alive!

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Roseanna, in the meantime, decides it falls to her to confront Capestro over the sale of the land. In an emotional encounter, the two let their disappointment, detestation and despair play out (“SIXTEEN”). Back at Rossi’s, it is time to move the corpse from the freezer and Marcello has enlisted Cecilia to help defrost Rossi with two hairdryers in hand (“UNEXPECTED FREEDOM”). The two sing of their mutual relief that they are not attracted to one another and so may move on to other worries at hand. Antonio, clashes defiantly with his father and sings of “LOVE!” as the balm to all worries.

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Outside the Trattoria, Marcello tearfully announces that his beloved Roseanna has passed away. It is too late. All of Antonio’s efforts are in vain. When Antonio later learns of Roseanna’s death, and hears that Marcello is at the train station bound for New York (a place where Marcello had always promised to take Roseanna) he races off to say goodbye. At the station he finds Marcello, Cecilia in a black veil alongside a black draped coffin. Roseanna will finally travel to New York after all.

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Overcome, he drops to one knee and proposes to Cecilia! At the end of his heartfelt proposal, Cecelia removes her veil to reveal Roseanna! In quick order we learn that Copponi lies in the coffin on its way to New York, that Roseanna is on her way to consult a heart specialist there as well, and that Cecilia awaits Antonio at a beach cottage getaway. To celebrate this stunning but euphoric turn of events, they all sing “FINALE”.

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“WHAT FILLS A DAY WITH PEACE, LOVE!

WHAT FILLS A LIFE WITH JOY, LOVE!

WHAT IS THE FORCE BINDING US ALL, ISN’T IT LOVE!”