ABSTRACT
It is late in the second act. The story has been well established and the characters are now very familiar to the audience. We are way past exposition and just past the climax. The helicopter has already flown over the audience and the cast has stormed the Bastille and the guy in the half mask has already driven his fake boat through the sewers. And it has all been very magical. The lighting and the smoke and the projection have fleshed out the scene and the orchestra has played at full tilt until the room is ready to blow. Then the stage goes to a blackout. The fireworks and spectacle of the show are over and the audience applauds wildly at the end. The lights slowly creep up and it takes a while for the audience’s eyes to adjust. A small pool of light appears upstage left and in that pool of light is one actress. It is the female lead and it is her big solo, in which she accepts her fate or decides to turn it around and change her fate. Just about every show has a moment like this and this show is no exception.
