Tosca Outline ...

Set:  Nightclub Rome 2006

Synopsis:  A tragic lover’s tale of a rave diva (Tosca) and lighting designer caught up in protecting a Vietnamese prostitute.

The Story:

ACT ONE

Rome, present day, is in the grip of the cosa nostra (mafia). Their gambling, protection and prostitution racquets run rampant throughout the city. One particular section is controlled by a black, fingerless gloved man, a don, who we cannot identify. Only his mafia family knows his true identity, and they keep it secret under the oath of omerta, or code of silence.

Angel, one of his Vietnamese prostitutes, has just finished a trick. She finds out the identity of the don. She knows that this will get her killed and makes a break for it on foot to escape. She makes her way wildly through the streets of Rome to one place of refuge, a niteclub where she sometimes dances. Her pimps are closing fast.

Angel rushes into the empty club. She finds a key which unlocks the dancer’s dressing-room. She hides herself there.

Sacchi, the nightclub owner, enters. Shee starts to clean up for tonight’s rave. While doing so she complains to herself about the pressure the mafia has put on her financially. Shee is always getting text messages from the Black Hand. Once she didn’t do what was asked and they killed her pet poodle. Soon Mario, the lighting designer, enters.

Mario, who is Angel’s friend, is working on a new 3-D lighting projection of a beautiful woman, for the club tonight.

Sacchi asks Mario why he has not touched the food she brought for him. Mario says he is not hungry. He is more interested in his project and discusses how he found inspiration for tonight’s image from a girl who has been coming frequently to the raves. He contrasts her blond hair and blue eyes to his own beloved Tosca, who has dark hair and brown eyes. Sacchi leaves. She tells Mario to lock the club when he has finished.

As she exits, Mario hears a noise from the dressing-room. He discovers Angel. She has put on new clothes to hide herself. She tells him she is fleeing her life of sex-slavery. They hear a banging on the door. Mario’s girlfriend, Tosca, the celebrate nightclub singer, is outside.

Knowing Tosca to be extremely jealous and not wanting to involve her in this, he hides Angel back in the dressing room and gives her his food.

Tosca enters demanding to know why the doors were locked and that she heard a woman’s voice. Mario calms her down. Tosca tells him that she’ll be finishing her set at another club early tonight and that they can spend the night in his apartment. However Mario is too busy working to pay her much attention and she becomes upset again. She notices the blond hair and blue eyes of the image and demands to know if this is his lover.

Mario calms her down again by expressing his love for her but does not tell her about Angel. Tosca leaves with the final words about the image’s eyes, “make them black.”

Angel reappears. Mario gives her instructions on how to get to his apartment. If her pursuers turn up, she can hide in the ceiling. She hurries out, but in her rush drops a signature mafia condom that Black Hand prostitutes use. Mario follows her to keep her safe.

Sacchi enters bursting with exciting news. There has been a gang war and the don of the neighbouring family has been shot dead. Sacchi thinks that maybe somehow hers extortion problems will ease. The club starts to fill up with young people wanting to drink and dance. Shee tells them that there will half-price drinks tonight. She will also engage Tosca to sing after her other gig. The young people celebrate.

Shot of black hand texting on phone.

Sacchi’s phone receives a message just as …

An officer of the police enters, Scarpia, with his two deputies Spoletta (female assassin) and Carlo (male blunt instrument).

Sacchi reads the message. It is from the Black Hand. She is to do everything in hers power to satisfy the police officer. We now know the identity of the Black Hand don is Scarpia.

Scarpia cuts a swath through the room, intimidating the young people in his path. He finds Sacchi and demands to see the dressing-room. He says he is looking for an illegal immigrant. Sacchi is surprised to find the room open. Scarpia enters and finds the dropped condom.

“Who has been in the club today?” demands Scarpia. Sacchi explains it has only been Mario, boyfriend of Tosca. Scarpia recalls Mario is a strong anti-mafia advocate. One of Scarpia’s fiends, Spoletta, finds the left-over food. “But he said he wasn’t hungry,” says Sacchi.

Scarpia deduces that Mario is helping Angel, but wonders where they could be now. He looks around to find Tosca returning to the club. He dismisses everyone around him.

From now to the end of the act, the music builds to a full rave with people dancing madly. Tosca searches for Mario. Scarpia deftly produces a torn condom wrapper saying he found it up in the lighting box. “How careless of lovers to leave their rubbish lying around,” lies Scarpia. Tosca breaks into a denunciation of Mario and leaves the club. Scarpia motions for Carlo and Spoletta to tail her.

Sacchi returns and Scarpia decides to take a look at his books on a pretense that he hasn’t paid his taxes in full. Really he wants to see how much he can fleece him. He asks to be taken to Sacchi’s office. It is like a mirrored beautifully furnished box high above the dance floor.

Scarpia demands to be left alone. He gloats over his cleverness while examining the books. He will kill Angel and Mario, will get Tosca and a whole heap of money as well.

With the club reaching fever pitch Scarpia turns and gazes at the punters. So much money from these crazies and he has the power to take whatever he wants. He will be the king of Rome.

Tosca unwittingly leads Carlo and Spoletta to Mario’s apartment. Angel escapes into the ceiling while Mario distracts Scarpia’s thugs. Mario is taken away at gun point for further interrogation.

ACT TWO

Later in Sacchi’s office … The rave is pumping outside. Tosca is singing. Scarpia has just finished supper luxuriating in Sacchi’s books while the frantic owner helplessly looks on. A gorgeous waitress tries to take his plate away, but he grabs her. He drinks his wine and extols his love for the physical pleasures of life while man-handling the girl and fantasizing about Tosca. She wrests herself out of his grip. He orders her in a fit of rage to make sure Tosca comes and sees him after her performance. He orders Sacchi out at the same time as Spoletta enters.

Spoletta, Scarpia’s chief assassin, explains that Angel escaped, but they caught Mario and have him in a car outside. Scarpia is furious and threatens Spoletta.

Mario, handcuffed, is dragged in by Carlo, another one of Scarpia’s thugs. Scarpia orders the doors locked and Carlo to guard the door from the outside. He presses Mario to admit where he has hidden Angel. Mario is defiant and when Tosca appears (in response to the Scarpia’s request) whispers to her to keep quiet about what she has seen. Scarpia separates the lovers, sending Mario to a room next door with Spoletta to torture him.

Scarpia offers some wine to Tosca. He asks her what happened at the apartment, but she remains silent. A scream from next door terrifies her and Scarpia takes great pleasure in telling her what Spoletta is doing to Mario. The torture continues and it is Tosca who breaks telling Scarpia he can find Angel in the ceiling as Mario is dragged back in.

Scarpia makes sure Mario hears as he sends Spoletta to investigate the ceiling. Mario turns on Tosca but everyone is distracted when Riccardo, another of Scarpia’s hencemen/police enters blurting out that the neighbouring don is not actually dead and has sworn war on the black-hand family. Scarpia is physically shocked for a split second.

Mario, who has worked out just who Scarpia is, sings triumphantly about justice and revenge but is dragged away by Carlo and Riccardo. Scarpia vows Mario will be hung under the Ponte Cestion (bridge) in the morning after having his face beaten beyond recognition as a sign to any who defy him. Tosca and Scarpia are left alone.

Scarpia invites Tosca to partake of a glass of wine - perhaps they can find a way to save her lover. “How much?” she offers. Scarpia laughs that he can be bought with money. When a beautiful woman wants something from him, all she has to do is offer herself. Tosca is disgusted but knows she is caught. She sings the famous ‘vissi d’arte’ aria, asking why this has happened to her and how she wishes she could escape with Mario to her native Southern Italy.

Spoletta rushes in with news that she found Angel in the ceiling, but she overdosed on heroin before she could stop her. “Hang her under the bridge for all to see”, says Scarpia, “and as for the other …” He looks at Tosca. She nods her head in agreement to his proposal, but insists that Scarpia gives the order for Mario’s release in her presence. Scarpia says he cannot just let him go, however he will arrange for a helicopter to pick them up from the roof of the police station and take them both far away. “You will have disappeared, let people make up there own minds on what happened to you.”

Tosca vows they will never return to Rome. Scarpia turns to Spoletta saying that Mario is to be kept in a police cell until morning then taken to the roof, he will bring Tosca. “Make the arrangements for the chopper, just like we did for Palmieri …” says Scarpia. “Right,” confirms Spoletta, “just like Palmieri.”

Tosca then demands some money to escape with. She wanders over to the supper table, the fruit knife catches her eye. Scarpia agrees, pulling a wad of cash from Sacchi’s open safe. He approaches her with open arms and Tosca stabs him in the heart. The knife glances off his police badge (the irony). He laughs at her pathetic attempt on his life and slaps her in the face; however Tosca slashes out again and catches him in the neck, severing his jugular. He is dead in seconds, feebly calling for help. Tosca waits until he is completely still before removing the money from his gripped hand. She drags him into the room where Mario was tortured and leaves. She says to Sacchi on the way out, “I wouldn’t disturb Scarpia if I were you; he’s dead to the world.”

ACT THREE

Set on the rooftop of the police station. The bells of the city chime five am in the morning. A young classical singer practices off in the distance (Swallow).

Mario is brought out. He wants to spend the time thinking of Tosca. The stars are brightly shining as Mario sings the most famous aria from Tosca, E lucevan le stelle.

Suddenly Tosca appears with some more of Scarpia’s men. She is reunited with Mario and tells him about the money they have to leave with, how she killed Scarpia and that there is a helicopter coming to take them away. The lovers sing about their chance at freedom.

Tosca is very apprehensive during this time. She wants the chopper to turn up before Scarpia’s body is found. Mario spots the chopper coming. It appears over the building, hovering just above. Mario runs forward, a man reaches out appearing to want to grab his hand and pull him up, however a second hand appears holding a gun, there is a shot and Mario falls dead.

Tosca screams, realizing Scarpia’s deceit as the chopper peals away. She rushes to Mario’s body.

At the same time, Spoletta and Carlo appear on the rooftop yelling at Tosca to give herself up. They know she killed Scarpia. Quickly Tosca reaches a decision and runs to the roof edge.

“Scarpia, I will see hell own you forever”. With this Tosca throws herself off the building to her death.

THE END