TWO ACTS MUSICAL BASED ON VICTOR HUGO'S CLASSICAL NOVEL
Script / music / lyrics by Tibor Zonai
England, The end of the XVII. Century.
Child trafficking is booming. Poor parents often sell their little ones, and merchants distort them and show them in fair comedies. The new king’s decree punishes these horrors, so the merchants try to get rid of the children.
The small, mutilated-faced Gwynplaine is exposed from a boat on an abandoned coastline. In the hands of a dead woman, she finds a blind little girl she takes with her and baptizes Dea. After being driven out of the town where he asks to eat, an elderly comedian living as a hermit, Ursus welcomes the two orphans into his house.
Fifteen years later Ursus organizes a small company to come to London to perform on a suburban stage in the evenings. Gwynplaine will be a celebrated star. Meanwhile, Dea and Gwynplaine's brotherhood turns into love. Gwynplaine is called to a secret meeting by a princess after one of the performances. The boy would leave excitedly, but then dusters would lead him in front of the sheriff, from whom he would learn that he was from the royal family, according to a letter.
Ursus — seeing the dustballs take the boy and send his clothes back to him — thinks Gwynplain has been executed. He can't tell Daa the boy's death, but she understands it. Losing her love is getting weaker.
Gwynplaine is the member of the Upper House in London. After his heartbreaking, passionate speech, the lords ridicule him.
Gwynplaine returns to her family in frustration, but can’t find them because all the comedies have meanwhile been expelled from London. Gwynplaine finds Ursus in the harbor and the weak Dera at his death, who dies in her arms. The boy follows him so they can move on to eternity together.
SONGS
in Hungarian with English subtitles
ON THE LAND OF THE BEGGARS
(Sailors, Gwynplaine, Hardquannone)
In the harbor, the ship is ready to depart. Hardquannone wants to board Gwynplain, but the captain won't let them on board.
TWO HEARTS
(Ursus, Gwynplaine)
Ursus accommodates Gwynplain and the blind little girl, Dea, in her caravan.
JEALOUSY
(Dea, Gwynplaine)
Dea realizes that Gwynplaine has fallen in love with another woman, the boy hesitating to go to the rendezvous.
WHAT AM I WORTH?
(Gwynplaine)
Gwynplaine finds out in prison that he comes from a noble family.
LONGING FOR A DANCE
(Josiana)
Princess Josiana finds her own life boring, so she looks for adventures.
THAT'S NOT I WANTED IT TO HAPPEN
(Gwynplaine)
Gwynplaine is disappointed in the lords, leaving the palace, returning to his loved ones in the circus.
PLAYLIST OF THE COMPLETE SONGS
in Hungarian with English subtitles