[Intro – Instrumental] [Distorted cowbell motif, low brass swell, chopped choir breaths] [Verse 1 – FULL ENSEMBLE] Paris is a stage and we strut in disguise Velvet confessions and powdered lies Chandeliers glow on the sins we display We glitter by night, then gossip by day Look at the Baron, his wig stands tall Defying reason, defying it all [Chorus – MAGNIFICENT FULL CHOIR] Vanity! Vanity! Loud and bright Nowhere to run from the crowd’s sharp sight Tickets are bought but the real show’s here Every whisper a knife, every laugh a cheer [Verse 2 – GOSSIP ENSEMBLE] Have you heard the news in the fog and rain? Of a shadow dancing through crime and chain? He strikes in the mist, he strikes unseen Steel to steel, then gone between [GRAVE NOBLE – DEEP BASS] The Spadassin! [FOPS – BRIGHT TENORS] Mascarouche! [ENSEMBLE – HUSHED THEN SWELLING] A name like thunder, a whispered fear [Verse 3 – LADIES AND OFFICERS] A phantom! A spy! A demon at play! With beautiful eyes that lead hearts astray He breaks every blade, every vow, every rule [OLD MARQUISE – DRAMATIC CONTRALTO] Let him find me tonight, let him make me the fool! I’m a maiden—well, maiden in soul! I’m ready at last for love’s grand role! [Bridge – ABBOT AND OFFICER] No virtuous man hides behind a mask Doing the Devil’s most dangerous task [Verse 4 – GENTLEMAN] A demon with mercy? How curious indeed Since when does Hell teach a soul to bleed? They say he spares life, they say he is kind Strange sins for a monster of that design [Verse 5 – YOUNG WOMAN] Or is it justice without a crown? Stealing from wolves when the King lets us drown If law has forgotten the weak and the small Is it sin to answer when justice won’t call? [Chorus – FULL OPERA CHORUS] Vanity! Vanity! Guess and pretend A hero, a villain, depends who you defend Perhaps he is near in a coat or a grin Perhaps he is standing right here within [Break – GENTLEMAN] Alas! I’m revealed! Then kindly arrest— Oh wait, I’ve no blade hidden close to my vest [Exaggerated ensemble laughter] [Verse 6 – MOLIÈRE] Mesdames, Messeigneurs, silence, I pray The theatre opens—let truth have its say A farce and a mirror, delightfully clear You may see yourself laughing back from the sphere If masks look familiar, take no offense The stage tells the truth with elegant pretense [Instrumental Interlude – COMMEDIA CHAOS] [Fast cowbell, crushing 808s, chopped choir, brass punches, comic vocal stabs] [Verse 7 – GENTLEMAN – QUIET] They laugh at the mask, but never the man They cheer for the legend, not what he withstands Do I bleed? Do I fall? Or fade like a dream? Just chalk on a wall, just part of the scheme I remember the alley, the knife, the cost The man I became, the life I lost [Verse 8 – YOUNG WOMAN – TENDER] The play has begun, but your eyes are away The mask is too heavy, the night’s too gray Leave it behind, let the story be done Live a life in the open, live warm in the sun [Final Verse – GENTLEMAN – RISING] Not yet. Not tonight. While the wicked still play Mascarouche has a role he must yet portray [Final Chorus – ALL PERFORMERS, MASSIVE SATB CHOIR] To the Theatre! To the King! To the Mask! Where legends are born And the mirrors all crack [Outro – Instrumental] [Crushing final drop, full orchestra and choir, distorted cowbell refrain, bright major resolution, theatrical applause and laughter dissolving into sub bass]
