Love Never Dies (Patreon)

Version 2 of the script.

I have two musical numbers I want to add,

And then I plan on recording it next week as an audio (pray for me)

Love Never Dies

Open on the World’s Fair, Chicago 1893

{Under cover of darkness, a massive ship glides into the docks of the fair

Coming to settle, three strong men jump from the deck of the ship, preforming aerial stunts upon the ropes until landing upon the dock, tying the ship off, A plank lowers with the whirring of gears and swinging coils.

A demur man with a weak beard and a combover steps slowly off of the plank, holding a suitcase in his free hand as he holds dearly onto the rope of the plank.

Behind him a cloaked figure follows with slow precise steps, no need to hold the plank ropes for grace comes pretenaturally

The demur man, ( Heinrich Hertz ) finally steps off of the plank and turns}

Henreich - sung

Night in the White City

A humbling sight

A World to behold

Beneath Electric Light

The Fair shall witness

Power from a great height

For they all burn bright

But their methods shall seem trite

History we shall rewrite

As we introduce a dark knight

Into the city of white

Phantom- sung

City of White in the Night

My What a pity

Im sure in the light of day

It can appear quite pretty

A glorious spectacle

that would not admit me

I am judged to be guilty

So I hid out of pity

For that snobby committee

That would stop- Look a kitty!

Me from entering their great white city

Turning Henreich turns to look up at Phantom

Heinreich-

Mein Herr, Command me that I might change the world.

Phantom- sung

Enter into the City

This Faire of the World

My minions shall prepare your stage

Under cover of night it shall be unfurled

From my mind to your mouth

My plans shall be transferred

Never again thought absurd

They will enrapture every word

A genius you shall be conferred

As feeble minds are swirled

Once they see our inventions on the stage of the world

Heinreich - Main Herr, your genius shall save the world.

Phantom- As the Plank starts returning to the ship, Phantom hangs off of it-

No, luminescent Heinrich, Our genius shall save the world.

{Cloaked Figures emerge from stage right

All of them carrying giant crates on their shoulders

All following Heinrich as he stumbles in the dull light of the electric street lamps of the

World’s Fair

Approaching Stage Left

Two Workers are fiddling with a junction box}

Worker One- Hey Pal, watch it!

Heinrich- I am terribly sorry, mein fruend.

Worker One- It’s alright, but you look lost, you need something.

Heinrich- I am Heinrich Hertz, and seek to find my presentation space in the less formal exhibition hall.

Worker One- Ah! You an inventor ?

Heinrich- I have discovered how to draw electricity from the sun!

Worker One- Wow! So like Tesla and Edison ?

Heinrich- Nein, for while they provide the system for the electricity, I shall give it to them.

Worker One- Well ! Follow me !

{Worker Two Flips a switch and the Lights of the night erupt, the original intro of Phantom of the Opera Plays}

{All at once, at the crescendo, A man in a bowler and a suit walks on stage, unscrews bulbs and sticks her hand in the sockets. He rattles to the music until the music fades as though it and the lights are connected.

A spotlight stays on our electricity vampire until he turns around, and slides back into the shadows of the now dark city}

Scene- The World’s Fair- The Next Day

Kids Run around with giant lollipops and cotton candy

Adults dance and point at the wonders

There are signs for Tesla and Edison at opposing ends of the stage

The day is overcast but not raining yet

A carriage rolls in and opens.

Out bounds a child with a man wearing an eye patch and wooden arm

He extends his good arm and helps Christine out of the carriage.

Christine-sung to the first 3 lines of think of me from the original Phantom

Look at it

Look at the world’s fair

Humanity shall fly

Raul-sung

Witness it

Witness possibility

The future is nigh

Christine- sung

Ponder it

the world that we shall see

It will change every life that we could know

Raul-

What are we to discover

Christine-

It shall be quite a sh- OH!

Christine crashes into Heinreich Hertz

Heinreich-

Excuse me Fraline, I did not mean to cause you distress.

Christine- Pardon me, Missor. I have simply been swept up in the majesty of the White City.

Heinrich- It is quite a show to behold.

Raul- Allow me to introduce us, I am The Vacant du Chalet, Raul and my wife the viscountess Christine, and of course our son Amour

Amour- I’m Ten !

Heinreich- A pleasure. I am Heinreich Hertz, Inventor.

Christine- An Inventor you say ?

Raul- Do you bring something to the city as an offering to Columbia herself ?

Heinreich - Ja, For I and my benefactor have found a way to provide energy to all the world merely using the sun.

Amour- I’m the son!

Raul- I don’t think he meant you, dear Amour.

Heinreich- No my boy, the big star in the sky.

Christine- Solar energy for all ?

Heinreich- sung - to the tune of the Phantom of the Opera

The power of the sun

Shall change the world

The others here to stun

Shall leave sunburned

I have the way to set

The world alight

The Ph-lantropist who funds me

Will see

As I claim the night.

Both Christine and Raul look curious at one another and then at Heinreich,

Raul grabs Amour’s collar with his wooden arm and pulls him back to his parents before he wanders into the crowds behind them

Christine- shocked-

Excuse me mosiour, but that tune…

Heimreich -

Um, fauline, it is merely something I hummed in the shower this morning.

The Chorus- sung as they stop walking behind the leads - to the tune of Masquerade - a sign lights for freshly squeezed lemonade

LEMONADE !

Freshly Squeezed and home made

Lemonade

Have a glass

And let it

Refresh you

Christine - I have -

Raul- We have heard that tune before

Heinreich - It was merely a Diddy I heard on the plane….

Amour- What’s a plane

The Chorus- turning away from the leads to look back towards the rear of the stage as giant paper animals rolls by-

A PARADE!

We are quite entertained

A Parade

Watch them

Strut there stuff

Before you

Raul- You mentioned a benefactor

Christine - You said Philanthropist

Heinreich - I really must be going

Raul - and the song you sang

Christine- have you ever been to the theater in Paris ?

Amour- Does Cotton candy exist yet?

The Chorus -

It’s Charades !

A mime acting quite afraid

Some Charades

It’s bad acting

Right in front of you

Christine - Who is your Financier ?

Raul - Do you know Eric ?

Heinreich- I MUST GO. THERE IS A WORLD TO SAVE.

Christine- Save from what

Heinreich runs off stage right

Christine falls into Rauls arms

Amour wanders back on stage with the Elephant from the Parade on a leash

A Man from the crowd pulls a light from a socket stage right and sticks his hand into it

The lights of everything flicker as the crowd runs and the stage goes dark

All at once it rains ferociously

Christine and Raul stand center stage

Christine - sung

He still lingers in the shadows just behind

The Chorus-

Who has stolen our light

Raul - sung

A bloodthirsty wraith who learned to be kind

The Chorus-

What caused the city go dark?

Christine-

A ghost intertwined

The Chorus-

We are draped into night

Raul -

A spectre unkind

The Chorus-

What monster stole the power

Christine-

Who will forevermore haunt

Raul-

Our hearts and our minds

The Chorus-

Someone has stolen our spark

{The Chorus walks off stage to the left being careful not to trip

Raul and Christine follow the footlights off the left

Amour pulls the elephant song with him }

{Finally withdrawing his hand from the socket,

H.H. Holmes holds up the build he pulled out and it lights

He giggles maniacally holding it aloft}

H.H.Holmes-

Oh the White City

Your light and life is mine

I shall live for ever

My power is divine

So sweet it’s electric

And it all will be mine

{H.H.Holmes cackles as he wanders into the

Rain, thunder and lightning making him stop and smile for a moment

All at once the stage is empty}

{Heinreich wanders from stage right back towards the center of the stage,

His light still aloft

He goes to turn and the Phantom is there

Grabbing the light

Concealing it beneath his cloak}

Heinreich- sung

He is here, my lord

Phantom- sung-

So he found us again at last

{The elephant wanders through the background}

Heinreich-

We are nearly prepared

Phantom-

My patience has passed

{Amour is left behind as the elephant waters off stage and Amour waves}

Heinreich-

Your rematch is certain

Phantom-

The fatal die has been cast

{Amour notices the two men singing and wanders to the side of the stage to see who they are}

Heinreich-

Tomorrow shall see Holmes die

Phantom-

My victory is forecast

{Standing there, Amour squints at them}

Heinreich-

Your Phantoms are rock steady

Phantom-

My nerves are quite peppy

Heinreich-

The device is all ready

Phantom-

My next act shall be deadly

Heinreich-

For he is here, my lord

Amour-

Hey, your that guy from mom’s past !

Phantom -

Merde.

~End Act 1~

Act 2

opens in the Sciences pavilion

The stage is divided between the raised platform for the Tesla stage

And the raised platform for the Edison stage

In the back resides an unlit stage for Hertz and a pillar

Tesla & half the crowd-

AC!

Edison & the other half of the crowd-

DC!

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla:

Alternating vs direct

Such is such a disrespect

Alternating is the only correct

Method for the world to connect

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison

Direct vs alternating

I shall spare you alliterating

The effect would be devastating

Disaster is what he’s proliferating

{A clear line of demarkation forms betwixt the sides

In the space between we can see several cloaked figures moving about the Hertz stage}

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

Alternating is the way to go

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

With Direct we have control

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

Edison wishes to be King

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison -

Tesla thinks not of the chaos he’ll bring

{The animosity of the crowds continue to rise through dances and swelling of music

Flailing across the center of the stage, but never obscuring the small stage in the back}

The shadowed figures

Tesla-

Alternating versus Direct

The riches that they wish to collect

While keeping their boot on your neck

Such greed should always be put in check

Edison-

Direct versus Alternating

Americans wouldn’t be debating

Such talk weakens us and we are waiting

For you to just shut up, your aggravating

{The outburst get more violent yet still stay contained, while Hertz emerges onto stage from the right, right before being handed a cylinder from a cloaked phantom, who sees Christine, Raul, and Amour come in an observe the proceedings from stage left. Hertz walks downtime center of the divide calmly and cooly, stepping up the stairs onto his stage and moves to a panel where he will insert the cylinder and flip the switch}

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

Alternating shall provide utopia quick

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

Tesla is a dangeros raging lunatic

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

Should not electricity be a right

Edison-

DC

Tesla-

AC

Edison-

NONE OF YOU VERMIN DESERVE MY LIGHT

{A massive pillar of light turns on silently when Hertz flips a switch, the orchestra swells at the power shown. The two crowds quiet and Hertz straightens his tie and begins to address the crowds in a reprise of the tune from “Here’s to us” from the original }

Hertz-

Mine Herr and Dearest Fraulein

I welcome you to my show

I shall articulate

While I demonstrate

Solar power

And how it will

Undoubtedly

Definitively

Postiviley

Give Power to you all

Now each cell can keep a house warm

And provide each with unlimited power

While not needing all the wire

Or feeding the desire

Of fat cats

Who wish

To charge you

For the right to live your life.

H.H. Holmes Stands on the giant light behind Hertz-

Plunging his hand into the light it dims and dies

The crowd grows scared

Holmes- sung

Life ?!!?

LIFE ?!?!

You think you are deserving

You think you should live

Your life and your energy

It all will feed me

The corrupt and the sainted

The deified and the damned

Life !

It’s Electric!

You want to keep yours

I see it in your faces

Fall to your knees

And I shall-

{ The lights flicker, Hertz slinks away, the crowds cower, H.H.Holmes stands triumphant until at last a laser hits him in the chest. All once, from the back of the theater, A figure flies in via jetpack,

Phantom -

The trap I layed for you

Has fallen shut

Awkward my exe is here

To watch me kick your butt

But such is the case

So we shall see

The Phan

Tom of the White City

Shall end

Your eternity

{ Phantom lands on stage and the steampunk jetpack flies off and hits Edison square in the chest

Holmes leaps from the massive pillar and engages in a slow motion fight in the background with Phantom as

Christine, Raul, and Amour stand watching. A shimmering doorway appears and Tesla steps through it, it closes behind him.}

Amour-

See Mother there he is

I told you so

And all it took

Was that elephant I stole

That’s that guy you talked about

When dad is gone

The Phan

Tom I thought you said his name was Eric

I might be wrong

{ The overdramatic fight between Holmes and Phantom continues in slow motion. Eye gouging, head butting, and a knees to the testicles can be witnessed. Holmes knocks the laser gun out of Phantom’s hand.}

Christine-

I tried to get a gig

At the worlds fair

Who thought that that old creep

Would show up there

Let alone with lasers

And a jetpack

The Phan

Tom of the World Fair

Really Eric

It’s kind of whack

{ Christine pushes Amour towards Raul, and engages in the slow motion fisticuffs as well, clotheslining Holmes and swinging a punch that Holmes ducks only to punch Phantom in the face. Phantom gets Holmes In a headlock while Christine fishes a pistol out of her handbag}

Raul-

I lost a limb and eye

To a were sloth

Now I’m dealing with this

On my day off

I’m gonna beat these tools

And get some chocolate

Cause Eric

Not calling you phantom

Is this level of creeper

AH! GODS ! IVE BEEN SHOT!

{ Christine went to shoot Holmes but Holmes kicked the gun, causing Christine to shoot Raul. In the confusion, Holmes slips away from Phantom and runs off. Raul collapses into Christines arms. Amour stands confused and scared. Phantom runs up, throwing an orb on the stage, and all 4 disappear. }

-End Act 2-

Act 3- Interior, Floating Steamship above the World’s Fair. A winch pulls and the four find themselves in the belly of a ship that is flying above the fair. The ship is powered by some sort of glowing orb where a regular steam engine should be and is flying due to massive clusters of hydrogen balloons. A tank with a dolphin sits in the corner, characters stand all around and watch as the four tumble onto the deck which has now closed. Human animal hybrids, robot people, clowns, and all manner of people can be seen. In the upper left of the hold, Richard Nixon can be seen in a cage.

Eric-

Brethren

Take heed

Raul is in need

He has been mortally wounded

Ask not who has done this vicious deed

Christine-

Raul

Stay with me

Live and you shall see

That you have nothing to fear

For the phantom and I are not a we .

Raul-

Seriously

Eric ive been shot

I wish this didn’t happen a lot

I think if I live through this we will have to talk

Because working with you has been less than hot.

Christine- Working with you

Eric - Good to see you

Christine- Working with you

Eric- We were going to tell you

Christine- WORKING WITH YOU

Eric- All of you shoo !

{ The stage clears as the menagerie whisks Raul to the infirmary. Christine woo saa’s while Eric walks Amour over to meet the dolphin}

Christine- Talk Porcelain Puss.

Eric-

So

Christine

You look real good

Christine- Nope

Erric-

Have you been working out much

Christine-

Now

Eric-

So Raul sought me out when broke

And I helped him make loads of dough

It was the least I could do I suppose

Though I insisted it be under your nose

Christine- Men

Eric-

Welcome to the Realm above the clouds.

You reside in the kingdom of oddity and shrouds

We exist here free of the world that would call us freaks

We excel in sciences, art, and everyone speaks

With their minds

Christine-

You have built a kingdom in the sky

A sanctuary for you heavens high

Can your science save my love my one truest love

I would see him and my son safe in this kingdom above

Then I’ll speak my mind.

Amour- Hey momma, this is Renaldo the telepathic dolphin

Christine- That’s nice dear.

Amour- he says that dad’s gonna be okay.

Christine- Uh huh.

Amour- and that I shall witness the collapse of humanity as.i walk the wastes of doomed civilization only to find companionship with him in the oceans of a dead earth.

Christine- Eric and I have to talk honey, you play safe with Roberto.

Renaldo- Utilizing a brain in a jar which flashes when he squeaks, and decodes his thoughts through a gramophone horn-

It’s Renaldo, lady!

Christine- Eric.

Eric- Angel of Musi-

Christine- ZIP IT! Explain.

Eric- signing-

Nighttime.

Beckons-

Christine-

SPOKEN. NOT SUNG.

Eric-

Okay.

I have built the Icarus to save those like me, to offer them a home.

We have built a scientifically focused socialist democracy that has advanced science, music, art, and medicine, by decades if not centuries. We have sold what we could to fund our existence, Hertz serving as the voice amongst you as he is the most … human looking.

Christine- Is Hertz not…

Eric- Heireich Hertz physically died two years ago. I was able to reanimate him using a meteorite I dug up and a potato.

Christine- oh. interesting.

Eric- The world’s fair was our opportunity to secure our future, while simultaneously saving humanity from its dependence on coal. But the wealth of electrical power was enough to attract Holmes.

Christine- the door in the bowler hat?

Eric- Yup. Holmes is a vicious murderer and an energy vampire. I have fought him on several occasions and have even captured him, only to have him escape before I could destroy him .

Christine- And how doe Raul factor into all of this?

Eric- Raul has been one of my human operatives. I have a network of people in positions of power with skills that might benefit the Kingdom of Clouds. In exchange, I manipulate the markets to benefit them, give them vast wealth that I have been able to extract from the depths of the ocean, or simply turn lead into gold and give it to them to pay them.

Christine- wow.

Eric- after we broke up, I devoted my time to my work. I’m kinda sorta a genius and some junk.

Christine- Clearly.

Eric- Thus we find ourselves here.

Amour-

Renaldo can sense the vampire.

Christine- That’s nice honey.

Eric- I was trying to give you guys the space you needed

Given our last meeting was … awkward.

So I worked to better myself and the others like me.

Christine- good to hear you have been doing okay.

Eric- Raul says you’re doing amazing work.

Christine- I get by.

Eric- I’m happy.

Christine- So can I see my husband?

{Gargantuous the Gorilla- A Gorilla in a lab coat- wheels a sheet covered bed out onto stage}

Gargantous- singing-

Witness your husband

Better than ever

A creature of science

Unlike any other

A perfect balance of man and machine

See your husband

More alive and strong

A cyborg- the first one

Yet he looks like he will belong

A perfect humanoid robot my greatest dream

{ The sheet is pulled off and Raul sits up looking fully restored, no wooden arm or eyepatch }

Raul- sung-

I live

I’m super

Im a man

Of the future

Im more than flesh

I’m a living computer

Christine-sung-

You live

You are whole

The bullet I couldn’t control

Forgive my love

Such was never my goal

Eric runs onto the rafter that overlooks the storage bay.

Eric -

My people of the Kingdom of the Sky

We have worked to preserve our peace

And so today we shall do that

While destroying one who threatens all of the world

Such is what I promised you

And such it shall be

For I shall not fail you

You are all angels to me.

- Song about the Nullifier HERE -

Eric- sung-

Now you have your husband back,

All falls into place

We must drain Mr. Holmes

And launch him into our space

This is not a war

But we are caught in a race

To deny him deification

He is a plague that we must erase.

Raul- sung-

Let it be done my friend

Let us destroy this fiend

We must capture H.H.Holmes

And drain this archfiend

This is our quest

Our powers must be teamed

Through the destruction of him

You will finally be redeemed

Christine- sung

Summon your minions

Call your kin

We shall need all your people

To finally trap him

With some sort of contraption

Are you sure you can win

H.H. Holmes will be destroyed

For every single sin

Chorus - And so we go

Eric - To defeat this monster

Chorus- With all those we know

Raul- To dethrone a malicious immortal

Chorus- Before his power can grow

Christine- To give the world some peace

Amour- I’m a psychic symbiote for Renaldo !

Christine- What wait?!?

Eric - Oh no.

Chorus- In the 4th act of the show.

Act 3 ends-

Act4 - Exterior The White City boardwalk in the rain.

{The rain and thunder takes the night over in the White City as Hertz runs across the stage. H.H. Holmes pursues while chuckling to himself.

Hertz and Holmes are seen running across the stage at different directions and at different elevations.

Holmes finally catches Hertz in the center of the stage.}

Holmes- sung

Come now morsel

Don’t be shy

You shall feed me

The engine that preserves you

Shall give what I crave

Come now snack

Don’’t you fight

You shall nourish me

I shall ascend ever higher

You shall rest in a grave.

A spotlight engulfs Holmes and Hertz

All other lights go dark

Holmes drops Hertz and spins within the pillar of light.

Chorus- sung to music of the night-

We have come to claim you

Holmes- You freaks again.

Chorus- We have come to stop you

Holmes- None of you can face me alone

Chorus- We are not alone

{ Raul leaps across the spotlight punching Holmes in the face }

{ Christine steps into the spotlight to zap him with another laser }

{ Amour runs up and kicks Holmes in the shin }

{ One at a time the citizens of the Icarus provide different glancing blows from the shadows. Fins, tentacles, headbutts, folding chairs, until he has fallen.}

Holmes- FACE ME LIKE A MAN.

Eric- You are no man and neither am I .

{ Eric Emerges into the spotlight behind the fallen Holmes. Eric jumps on Holmes. Suddenly the spotlight disappears. Lightning lights the stage infrequently , but when it does the four leads are fighting, meanwhile the chorus sings]

Chorus- sung

The night was full of rage

A struggle for power

Titans clashed in the night

For near an hour

But soon a victor

Would win the night

The Phantom of the Icarus has triumph

Within his sight

{ The lightning holds for a moment and we see Eric hold Holmes as he tells Christine to siphon off Holme’s power. Christine hesitates, and Holmes elbows Eric }

Chorus- sung-

The weapon Christine holds

Shall steal immortality

It siphons off the life

Weakening Holmes indefinitely

To see the monster fall

And cast into space

The Android of the Icarus faces his nemesis

Laying him to waste

{ The lightning holds and Raul is punching Holmes in the face who has Eric and Christine in head locks. Amour picks up the nullifier }

Chorus- sung

This fight drags on a bit

And goes quite mad

The combatants grow tired

And endurance is sad

But in a moment of weird

Nothing goes right

Amour has the nullifier

And Holmes is in his sights

{ The lightning lingers as Holmes grabs at the nullifier, and the device lights up. Amour and Holmes start convulsing. Christine screams but Eric stops her from lunging forward. Raul jumps in to grab his son, the nullifier explodes and everything goes dark. Slowly the lights of the boardwalk of the White City come back alive. Holmes stumbles up first. Eric tries to get to him before he pulls a bulb out of its socket but it is too late. Holmes sticks his arm in the socket and pulls back with a yelp}

Holmes- OW! Wha-

{ Amour is wreathed in blue crackling light as he hovers over the stage. }

Chorus- sung

This is quite

The plot twist

Who saw it coming

The boy has Holmes’ power

With which he’s humming

Holmes shall run away

Eric, Raul and Christine hypothesize

The world is safe once more as Holmes is human

For Amour never dies

Christine- Huh

Raul- This does not compute.

Eric- I’m gonna take the W and get a sherry.

Christine- sounds good.

Raul- can I still eat and drink?

Eric- of course.

Raul- capital !

Amour- since im immortal now, can I have a sherry too?

Christine- not until your at least 100, young man.

{ Orchestra swells into a rousing rendition of Masquerade and the show ends. }