A musical comedy in 2 acts and 21 scenes

ACT 1

Hector is a young musician with a passion for Berlioz and a fascination

for his “SymphonieFantastique” which tells the tragic story of a young

musician whose burning love will be crushed by the one he loves. In

despair, he will end up killing her. For that crime of passion he will

march to the scaffold and burn in hell. At the Grand Première

Berlioz conducts his Symphonie. Suddenly he’s stunned : at

the very front row, here is Harriet Smithson, the woman

he’s been hopelessly yet helplessly in love with. He

overcomes his flustering and not only the concert

is a triumph but he also wins the lady’s heart. Our

Hector has the same destiny in mind. As the

story begins, he dreams of conducting a

symphony of his own.

OPENING: Hector BERLIOZ march to the scafold, a voic off explains what it's all about

1) Paris concervatoire concert hall; Hector and the orchestra of fellow Students

Hector, a young student at the Conservatoire de Paris, is anxious to conduct the ouverture for a piano concerto he has written. Unfortunatelly, it's a total flop and he is crushed.

2) The left blank; Hector, Chopin and a crowd of musicians and street entertainers

Feeling really down, Hector wanders along the Left Bank when he hears musicians playing next to street entertainers. As he is contemplating throwing his Music and his cello in the river Seine, and go back to his father’s plumbing business he is befriended by an accordion player who calls himself Chopin… Once cheered up he plays an improvised guitar/cello piece with the musicians one of them is a most beautiful French woman named Aurelie.

3) The left blank; the same plus Aurelie

The Left Bankers play together a Latino tune. Aurelie starts to dance to the music but cannot get the shy Hector to join her. Mesmerised,  he watches her woo the crowd just as he is, at the same time, charmed by her, and excited by the stirring dance music that he will transform into a classical tune…. in his head...

4) At Night, in Paris streets; Hector

Hector walks through the Paris evening contemplating love of a woman and love of music.

5) Hector's apartment; Hector and Aurelie

Aurélie accepts Hector’s dinner invitation in his modest student apartment. There, he interprets for her a romantic love song which expresses his feelings towards her and his passion for music. Aurelie will fall for both the man and the musician.

6) The left bank; the left bankers (chorus)

They sing a reggae song as a warning against the pangs of love and the traps and nets of the beautiful and deceitful Aurelie.

7) Ballade en Bugatti Paris street; Hector and Aurelie

Hector has swapped his three piece suit for some casual wear - T-shirt and jean- and looks relaxed, despite the mysterious apparition of Aurelie in a Bugatti sports car. Love is in the air and, as the song flows, they drive along enjoying the sun and each other’s company. But it’s time for Hector to attend his class. He rushes off.

8) Near Aurelie's flash apartment; Aurelie and Sebastien, then Hector

Aurelie is alone and alight with newfound emotions: she begins to sing but is abruptly interrupted as enters John Sebastian. He is a middle aged, good looking, successful record producer. He has been Aurelie’s Pygmalion for a while and is there to announce impending release of Aurelie’s new CD. This father/daughter type of relationship suits him, however he is well aware of Aurelie’s impetuous nature and of the competition with younger men. And here comes a real threat : Hector (who had forgotten his partitions on the back seat of the Bugatti) fiery and ready to fight for his beloved. Follows a heated argument between the protagonists. Sebastian chooses to leave the arena…for now.

9) Hector and Aurelie walking in his apartment

Aurelie candidly explains to Hector who and what Sebastian is and has done for her.This very candour moves Hector so profoundly that he finds candid words to sing his feelings.

10) Split stage; Italian restaurant // Hector's flat

Next evening. Aurelie’s been waiting for hours in a restaurant and grows quite distraught. She sings of her anguish and doubts about Hector’s feelings: could it be that he loves music more than anything else, more than her? Influenced by some "piece of advice from a girlfriend"  she disappears, feeling very sad. Lights up on Hector working relentlessly on the progress of his new Musical piece. Although busy and frustrated, his mind wanders and dreams of Aurelie. He sings his love for her: it is the same theme as the Aurelie’s waiting for him at the other end of Paris. Suddenly he remembers they had a rendez-vous. He rushes to the restaurant but too late… She has left, he’s told by the waiter, looking some what distraught. Hector must find her.

11) The left blank; Hector and Aurelie

Hector finds Aurélie on the Left Bank and tries to convince her that he loves her deeply. In a Berlioz way he plays a few notes and she replies but as the Music builds she will come with a different theme, her way to express: “You are too engrossed with your music and, after all,music must be your destiny…” An aria develops where he tells her he will do anything for her love, which resounds with three magic chords. Aurelie forlornly walks away

End of Act 1

ACT 2

12) A bar in Paris; Hector and Regaltou the bartender

Hector is in a bar where all the patrons are busy watching a football game, discussing and joking. Regaltou "the neighbourhood seer"remarks his sadness and gives him a piece of advice on how to mend a brokenheart. He tries to humour him with a tune: "life is like ridding a bicycle providing you don't stop you don't fall",the argument is not convincing him and most certainly do not brighten his spirit. 

13) Illusion

Hector and a few others sing for their supper on the Bld St Michel. An artist Sebastian produces, Vincent Amadeus the self proclaimed God of Rock& Roll, meets “by chance” Hector and the others. He has been “asked” by Sebastian to take Hector to London, America, Japan, Alaska or Antartica with the promise of music and money.Chopin goes, as well, he seems now ready to « help » Sugar daddy as he calls Sebastian. He too misses Aurelie and whose fault is it?

14) The god of rock&roll, in New-York city

Vincent’s homage to himself at a swell club in New York City. Hector and Chopin play in the band… but don’treally look so enthused.

15) Same reunion plus Aurelie

While Vincent is away the mice will play, Chamber Music at a rock and roll show. Out of the blue appears Aurelie. In fact her album’s revealed to be a success and she’s here to promote it on this side of the Atlantic. Thrilled by those miraculous circumstances, she instantly joins in with her flute and much gusto. But, they’ll have to move away from the stage though… and fast, bikers don’t always like string quartets...

16) Same; Hector and Aurelie

They find shelter in the corner of the bar. Emotions are running high between the two but they rather keep them silent, whilst the words they sing hide a lot of hurt and regrets…so let’s not talk about love… But doesn’t Love always prevail? Now under their magic charm, all the rockers and bikers take up a chorus in a gospel type of grove, thanks heaven for beer and Beauty. W hen in doubt write a gosspel" I was told in New York, I had no doubt but still wrote one...  Now Aurelie convinces Hector to come home to Paris with her. Together, they will find the means to prepare a show where Hector's gift for music will shine.

17) Parterre of a chateau; workers and builders choreography (ballet company type); Hector and Aurelie

Thanks to Aurelie, Hector has the chance to see his own stage built in the park of a magnificent Chateau. The music denotes the building of the stage. Everybody's working hard, rehearsing, staging, building... however is it all coming to fruition? Alas not, the workers walk away, the trucks run out of petrol, the repo men turn up, there’s no money to pay for anybody or anything…  it looks as if it's all over for the dreamers, “the gods of Music are against us” says Hector, but Aurelie has another idea.

18) Paris, a select restaurant; Sebastien and Aurelie for a pact with the devil

Aurelie wants desperately to make Hector’s dream come true,"it's you I love Sebastian, but I owe it to Hector, please help me help him" and is prepared to compromise or worse still, to make a pact with Sebastian. He has tricked Aurelie when they signed the recording contract and now has power over her. So in return for the funds, he will acquire the rights for the production and regain other rights ……over Aurelie.

19) Concert hall, backstage; Aurelie, Chopin, and Hector

As he walks up and down, Hector overhears a conversation between Aurelie and Chopin and learns there and then how all this has been made possible. Deeply shaken and shocked by this revelation, he is also told by Chopin how he too betrayed him out of spite. Hector must fight back his grief to face the music and the audience. Or relinquish, and he really feels like it…

20) On stage; Hector, the Orchestra, Aurelie and Sebastien

[The stage is re-set with a podium upstage facing the audience]

Tears still in his eyes, Hec marches to the podium. Silence and then the enchantment begins. And doesn't quite end with the last note of his triumphal Symphony: the crowd has assembled on stage and gives Hector a standing ovation. He invites the spectators to keep seated.... The only people left standing under a spot light are Hector, Sebastian and Aurelie. Taking no notice of Sebastien, Hector crosses downstage, takes a cello from a musician and, from another one, a flute he hands to Aurelie, as a gesture of pardon. They begin to play their final duet (cello/flute) it's the same melody that ran as a watermark throughout the play. Sebastian looks at them both... what will he do?

21) Final duet

At the end of the piece, only two instruments can be heard, the flute and the cello playing a final minor chord, it took all that time all the fights, the tripping about, the broken hearts, the building, the failing, all the songs to… at last…. end up with a perfect minor chord… Lighting should only be on Hector, Aurelie and John Sebastian. As the notes sustain, Sebastian who has always suceeded in everything he endeavoured to do understands he cannot defeat Love and Music united, he slowly rises from his seat… and exits. The light fades on John Sebastian as he is leaving while remaining on Hector and Aurelie. The music ends.

Fin