TODD - Act 2. "At the Edge" [2012] (Complete translation)
I. Death at the Ball
A newspaper-boy on the street: Evening news! The bloody Judge has passed one more death sentence! Sir, sir, buy a newspaper!
The narrator’s voice: The Judge, the Judge... How to get to him? Suddenly, the fortune befriended Sweeney: a London dandy, dressed fashionably, entered the hairdressing saloon. He got lucky, he drew a lucky lot in the lottery – a ticket to the masquerade at the Judge’s place. Oh, this is really a lucky lottery lot! A stroke of the razor – and the bloody corpse of the dandy follows the usual route from the chair to the meat grinder. Having dressed in a costume of death and replaced the razor with a scythe, Sweeney goes to the ball of the Judge.
The soloist’s voice: The old castle sparkles with lights in the night. Wine and champagne run there a river. The royal Judge invited everyone to the ball, but, for some reason, he did not call on the Death.
Todd: But does the Death need an invitation card? No!
The Choir of Guests: And here she stood, alone, silent and cold, and she stared at the brilliance of the lights, the strange guest from the realm of shadows!
The soloist’s voice: Here are they – jesters, kings and executioners – having fun in a round dance and the glitter of candles. And the minuet sounded, and the quadrille sounded – and satyrs danced with shepherdesses.
Todd: But does the Death need an invitation card? No!
The Choir of Guests: And here she stood, alone, silent and cold, and she stared at the brilliance of the lights, the strange guest from the realm of shadows!
The soloist’s voice: As the tower clock struck twelve, owls hooted far off. Wind threw the window wide open, all the candles went out, and it became dark.
When they turned on the light, they saw the body of the Judge with a bloody sheet on his chest: “Hundreds of times you called me on to executions of the innocent, but forgot to invite the old woman to the ball.”
Todd: And I will take you with me to the other world...
The Choir of Guests: And a string broke, ringing, and a glass of wine fell down. The moon disappeared in clouds, and, with it, the strange guest from the realm of shadows!
Todd: And I will take you with me to the other world...
The narrator’s voice: Here he is, the Judge, very close. One move with the sharpened scythe – and the enemy is defeated.
The Chorus of the Guests: No!
The narrator’s voice: This was the revenge. But... it is a masquerade! Just a masquerade! The judge’s mask covered a completely different person! The Judge is still save, and the entire Scotland Yard has already been alerted of what has happened. Being afraid of exposure and tired of twisting the grinder handle at nights, Lovett suggests Sweeney moving to a small island of dreams: they have money, they love each other, what else is needed?
II. A Small Island
Lovett: Just a small island in the light of sunset – scarlet - in the boundless sea, hidden from anyone’s eyes... The sheet of shore and warm autumn... The wind, whipping around, brings baby talk in short gusts.
Lovett and the Women’s Chorus: How wonderful! What an autumn! How colorful!
The male voice: This is it! This is happiness!
Lovett: The island is uninhabited – and we fly, only we two, and dive in the velvet waves of the peace. Hand, give me your hand – I am afraid for some reason that suddenly something from our past might return.
Lovett and the Women’s Choir: But I believe in a miracle! I believe in a miracle! I believe in happiness!
The male voice: This is it! This is happiness!
Lovett and the Women’s Choir: It feels strange – it feels so light! This is happiness, so difficultly obtained happiness! Silent, light happiness...
The narrator’s voice: But Sweeney is almost insane. He cuts throats to his customers like a butcher does to the cattle, like a baker does to the bread. He cannot stop until he gets to the Judge and avenges his ruined life!
III. Restless
Todd: How can one be thrilled with a ghostly dream and sleep peacefully, breathing deeply, when the heart tears into pieces from the pain, and the soul burns with thirst for revenge?
I wish I could lapse into a peaceful sleep, dare to laugh and dream to dare. I wish to hear at the rosy dawn the birds singing at least not about death. But...
The tight collar of a noose squeezes my throat. As long as we follow the fate and the main enemy has not yet been defeated, the skew lightning of the distant thunderstorm shall keep on slitting the darkness with the flash of blade.
When everything around is embroiled with misery, and the price of delay is rising up, we would not find peace until the revenge is taken!
The narrator’s voice: However, even the omnipotent Judge, who has achieved the top of power, wealth and fame, does not feel happy. Any street girl would give herself to him, he can also buy the most expensive lady, but...
IV. Performance of the Judge
The Judge and the Choir: The world is a case of twice two makes four, and any exceptions in it are rare – everything is corrupt in this world, from the blonde to the brunette. There is really no need to trust the sweet lyre – everything is corrupt in this world, from the judge to the executioner.
After so many heads chopped off, the drive for romance disappears. I need a sip of pure air to feel again that exciting passion to a beautiful woman and to fall in her fresh arms.
But on the couch I see again the same mugs: some are older, some are younger, some are cheaper, some are costlier. It is all the same: a pound more, a pound less, despite the gender and rank - in the world of purchasable women and bribed men.
After so many heads chopped off, the drive for romance disappears. I need a sip of pure air to feel again that exciting passion to a beautiful woman and to come close to her healing spring.
Thus, at nights, week-by-week, with my eyes unclosed and with my body sweating, I am waiting for a dream and praying the Lord to send me something, which I could not buy for money.
The Judge and the Choir: After so many heads chopped off, the drive for romance disappears. I need a sip of pure air to feel again that exciting passion to a beautiful woman and to press myself to her fair image.
The narrator’s voice: One dark and gloomy London evening, the Judge hears a lovely sweet voice coming from the church...
V. A Bride of Christ
Elisa: Our Heavenly Father, bless me! I want to die in the name of love! Our Heavenly Father, bless me! I want to die in the name of love!
Once, there lived one girl in the world, who loved sincerely and fondly. And in a white wedding dress, like a bird, she was humming a song at the window.
From everywhere, bridegrooms hastened to her, but her eyes did not notice them, and long sleepless nights her prayers sounded by the icons:
Our Heavenly Father, bless me! I want to die in the name of love!
Like a lily, innocent and pure, named the bride of Christ, she was waiting to meet Him for a new life, since this life seemed idle to her.
And the girl snuffed out like a candle, and her soul ascended into Heaven. As His queen – with honors – the Bridegroom met the girl.
On her grave, nightingales sang, stars from the skies fell like lilacs, and the angelic song about eternal and divine love sounded:
Our Heavenly Father, bless me: the living in the name of love is immortal!
Our Heavenly Father, bless me: the living in the name of love is immortal!
The narrator’s voice: Once, twenty years ago, the Priest adopted a little girl, left by the church in a laundry basket. Now he is hiding her, not only from Sweeney Todd – for him, Elisa is the only light ray in this dark sinful world. The Judge is stunned by the voice and appearance of the girl. Besides, she reminded him someone, but whom exactly... The Judge asks the Priest to send the daughter immediately to his place – the Priest should not hide such a talent: the girl must sing for the guests! The Priest is horrified – he cannot refuse the Judge, but he understands perfectly how this evening will end for his poor Elisa. And, having invited the Judge to take sacrament, the Priest pours some poison into a cup with the church wine. And again, rumors creep along the streets that the Judge is on his deathbed and that he was poisoned during the sacrament. On having heard this, Sweeney rushes into the church in a fury...
VI. The Priest Will Say No More
Todd: I listened to you, hoping for something and believing. You guided me, and I thought you knew the direction. I walked after you through the doors you opened – and there is nothing inside! Emptiness!
Who told you that your anger is stronger than my pain? Who told you that your hatred is stronger than mine? It is your fault – you have confused the roles in this damned theatre of shadows! In this damned theatre of shadows!
Why did you take my rightful place and did what I should have done? You stole my goal, you deprived me of the right to revenge and the meaning of being! The being!
Who told you that your anger is stronger than my pain? Who told you that your hatred is stronger than mine? It is your fault – you have confused the roles in this damned theatre of shadows! In this damned theatre of shadows!
You stole my goal! You stole my goal, you deprived me of the right to revenge and the meaning of being! The being!
Who told you that your anger is stronger than my pain? Who told you that your hatred is stronger than mine? It is your fault – you have confused the roles in this damned theatre of shadows!
The narrator’s voice: A flash of the razor – and a corpse falls on the floor of the confessional room. Sweeney, disguised in a cassock, rushes to the house of the dying Judge. What he is most afraid of is to come too late to the last sacrament of the Judge.
VII. The Heavenly Judgement
The Judge: I was not afraid of anything in this life, but there... I am terribly scared. Terribly!
Todd: And what if there is just nothing there?
The Judge: What a bad joke! In this life, I have been the Justice, but there... I am scared. Fearfully!
Todd: When those innocent, convicted falsely, will come, you will not give them a term. You will not give them...
The Judge: In this life, I have sinned a lot, but there... God sees. He sees...
Todd: And now do you think you are going to Heaven? Well, no, it will not work! Will not work!
I would have absolved your sins, Judge, and you could roll on to Paradise – to Paradise – but your sins, Judge, do not let you go: they do not let you go, they do not let you go!
The narrator’s voice: One more flash of the razor – and the horrible revenge is taken! Dulled, Sweeney return home – now, everything, everything is over. But fortune disposed otherwise: on having noticed the familiar cassock in the doorway of the hairdressing saloon, Eliza rushes for her father, but came upon a stranger with an insane look and bloody hands. “Betty?” – The girl and her mother looked as like as two peas in a pod, and her name was the same – Elizabeth – Betty. Confused in his mind, Todd mistakes the daughter for his wife. “Why are you alive? You are alive in my heart, but dead in this world. I avenged your death, hated everyone, I shed rivers of blood... and all for nothing? No, you must not be alive!”
VIII. Why Are You Alive?
Todd: Is it you? I do not believe! I do not believe: twenty years have passed! Twenty years! I was told, I was told that you died. Neither you, nor me... I am no longer the same. Why are you alive? Are you alive! Why did you come?
I am deaf! I cannot hear – I cannot hear you – shut up! No need for excuses: now the excuses are nothing but words! Why are you trembling? Might the ghost be afraid of the living? Oh, how rosy your cheeks are, your cheeks, your...
Answer me, if you can, am I so horrible now? You are silent, so I will reply. Here is my answer: you are an angel, I am a beast! I am the beast! The beast!
The narrator’s voice: Happy Lovett is wearing a wedding dress – she is convinced that everything is finished – the Judge is dead, and now they can start a new life. She runs into the hairdressing saloon and ...sees the corpse of the girl... “What have you done! You killed your own daughter!” Yes, Lovett knew that Sweeney’s daughter was alive, but she was afraid to tell him – she was afraid of losing her love.
IX. Death of Lovett
Lovett: Just a small island in the light of sunset – scarlet - in the boundless sea, hidden from anyone’s eyes... The sheet of shore and warm autumn... The wind, whipping around, brings baby talk in short gusts. Let us leave for it, let us leave for it, let us leave...
The narrator’s voice: Too late! The last stroke with the razor – and Sweeney Todd is left alone. Alone in the whole world. In complete silence, the grinder handle starts spinning by itself. Sweeney goes to the mouth of the infernal machine, to its very edge...
X. At the Edge
Todd: No need to pretend being alive, when everyone is around is dead – when everyone is dead.
All those I loved are dead for long ago, and those, who loved me, as well. Well, goodbye!
Burned on both sides, my candle approaches the end. All around is turning dark: Heaven and Earth, goodbye!
Uuu-uuu... Here I see the Death, I see the Light just like a trace – like the light of a star, like the light of the love, which is no longer the case... It is gone – it is calling me into the darkness. The pain fades away and the fear disappears, so be it.
Burned on both sides, my candle approaches the end. To make a step – and farewell, the world!
Uuu-uuu... Here I see the Death, I see the Light just like a trace - like the light of a star, like the light of the love, which is no longer the case... It is gone – it is calling me into the darkness. Only one step, just a step, the last step.
The narrator’s voice: So ended this horrible story – the true story of Sweeney Todd, the barber of Fleet Street – the story, echoes of which may still heard under the Westminster Bridge and under the arches of Covent Garden. Have you ever been to London, sir? This city is impeccably grey. Perpetually grey days and perpetually grey dawns, and the wind tears apart last year's newspapers. Burnt fates raise smoke, and nowhere is a place for the alive. In the veins of the city blood runs like rust. This city is impeccably dead!
Mikhail Gorsheniov: vocal parts and Sweeney Todd
Ilya “The Devil”: vocal parts of the Judge (IV, VII)
Lena Tae: vocal parts of Lovett and Eliza (II, V, IX)
Alexander Leontiev: vocal part of Soloist (I)
Veniamin Smekhov: the narrator’s voice
Authors and producers of the project: Mikhail Gorsheniov, Vlad Lyuby
Libretto and poetry: Mikhail Bartenev, Andrei Usachev
Music: Mikhail Gorsheniov (I, II, III, VI, IX, X); Alexei Gorsheniov (Kukryniksy) (IV, V, VIII); Alexei Gorsheniov, Valery Arkadin, Pavel Sazhinov (VII)
In Russian: http://www.korol-i-shut.ru/disco/2017/
TODD - Акт 2. “На Краю” - Король и Шут
Opmerkingen