Synopsis by Matthew – thank you!
ACT 1
The show opens on a rail track with the wires singing in the wind. A young man, Walter Hartright, about 30 years old and very good looking, walks on. It is late at night. His train has broken down, and when he encounters the Signal Man, he asks him for directions to Limmeredge House, where he will be starting the following morning as drawing master. The Signal Man does not give the proper answer but instead looks at him in horror. The Signal Man explains to him that the night before he had had a vision of a man like Walter standing there, telling him of danger on the line and to “Mark [his] words, a year to this day, the dead lie on the tracks.” The signal man recieves a message and while Walter is calling out to him, a strange woman appears behind him dressed in pure white. She is in great distress and tells him “they” are after her, trying to stop her from telling her secret. She runs off into a train tunnel when a carraige comes towards them. the carriage is driven by a servant of Limmerage House who takes Walter there. (Prologue)
The next morning, Walter is welcomed by Marian Halcombe, the older sister of the house. She explains that she is Marian and her parents were dead. Her father was poor and died when she was young. Her mother then remarried a wealthy man and produced a younger half sister, Laura Fairlie. Laura will inherit all the money. They now live in the house with their elderly, complaining and sickly uncle Mr. Fairlie. Mr. Fairlie warns the young Hartright not to fool around with his nieces (I Hope You’ll Like it Here)
Walter meets the young and beautiful Laura who resembles the strange woman in white. He and the two sisters go to the park and begin to draw, as he is their teacher. They sing of their perspectives and their heated passions for one another that are secretly in their minds (Perspective)
Later on that summer a lesson ends and Laura tells Walter after she is left alone with him of her love for him as he tells her of his love for her (I Believe My Heart). Marian overhears and before she can react villagers come on to celebrate the Harvest (Lammastide)
Amidst all the celebration, Walter encounters a young girl crying explaining she saw a ghost lady in the graveyard…
It is now almost sunset and Walter is in the graveyard and encounters the woman in white who says her name is Anne Catherick (and that she is not a ghost) and that her secret will save a woman’s life. She explains that she was abused by a man and she tells his name, Sir Percival Glyde.
The next day, Marian tells Walter to throw away feelings for Laura beause her father betrothed her to a nobleman: Sir Percival Glyde.
Glyde comes to Limmerage House and asks Laura to move the marraige from spring to Christmas. She accepts.
Glyde’s friend Count Fosco, a rodent-loving, very large Italian arrives at Limmerage House to celebrate as he is to be the Best Man. Marian comes to welcome him and he is instantly captivated by her
A celebration occurs in honour of the coming wedding, (A Gift for Living Well) and Walter interupts by asking Glyde of Anne Catherick. Glyde tells of an Anne who is crazy, who lies, and that he has only tried to help, and Mr. Fairlie agrees. When they leave the room, Walter is outraged and sees Glyde as a liar. Marian does not want Laura to “break-up” with Glyde so she tells Walter that he should leave and although he loves Laura, he does. Laura gives him a drawing he drew of her to remember her by.
The wedding occurs and Anne watches in the backround. (The Holly and the Ivy). Apart from the wedding celebration, Anne says to herself that she will help Laura from all the evils of Glyde so that she will not be friendless.
It is now late February or early March and Laura and Glyde have returned from their honeymoon. They are now at their home Blaskwater Manor, a dark and cold place. They are not smiling and Laura is dressed in complete black. Marian senses something wrong with Laura, and asks what is wrong in Laura’s bedroom where she reveals bruises upon her body made by her husband who only wants her money because he is steep in debt.
Marian is distressed and runs out near Blackwater Lake and vows to right the wrong for the sake of Laura (All For Laura)
As she cries in distress, Anne comes to her telling her to bring Laura there the next night so that she can tell the secret to save them.
After Anne leaves her, Fosco comes and tells her he would bring her inside as it was a chilly night and she had no coat on.
The next day, Glyde attempts to force Laura into signing a document without her knowing what is in it. Fosco helps Laura by saying Glyde should wait. (The Document)
That night, Marian and Laura go to Blackwater Lake to meet Anne and they are shocked to see that Laura and Anne look identical.
As Anne is about to tell them the secret, Glyde and some men come and grab Anne and proclaim they will bring her back to the Asylum. As Anne curses Laura believing she trapped her, Fosco puts a tranquelizer syaing he is a doctor and “it was the best for her as she was a danger to herself.”
As the act closes, Marian and Laura are left alone. Marian proclaims: We are powerless against these men, but we will not be victims! (Act 1 Finale)
The second act begins later the same night as the end of Act I with Laura alone in her room dreaming of Walter, wishing to be with him forever rather than to be in her hopeless life (If I Could Only Dream This World Away). Marian comes into the room telling Laura not to be frightened and that she will eavesdrop on Fosco and Glyde to see what their next move is.
Marian goes outside into the stormy weather and finds herself outside the window of the library where Fosco and Glyde are playing billiards, discussing how to get rid of Anne and get Laura to hand her estate over to Glyde who is steep in debt. Fosco has a stroke of criminal genius and explains to Glyde his “master plan” but the plan is not heard by the audience or Marian because of loud thunder cracks. Marian slips and gasps, which is heard by the men inside. She runs off…but Fosco already has a good idea who it was….
Fosco comes to Marian in her room and comments on how wet she is, he gives her a drink and tells her to sleep. When she does sleep she has a nightmare of everything that has happened in the show thus far (The Nightmare). After Marian wakes up she finds Fosco at her bedside and Fosco tells her of Laura’s death, saying that Laura was sleep walking and fell from her window, Fosco then gives Marian his card…Marian is stunned.
At THE FUNERAL, Glyde pretends to be very affected by Laura’s death and starts talking about the will. Mr. Fairlie tells Glyde the estate will be his in June, only a few months away. Marian vows once again that she will right this wrong, knowing without proof, that Glyde and Fosco killed her.
Glyde is in London gambling, making Fosco feel very embarrassed. Fosco feels that this plan may have been a little flawed so he asks for is share and leaves Glyde to his gambling (LONDON).
In London, Walter is down-on-his-luck, still carrying the picture he drew of Laura last summer. He realizes that he and Laura can never be and he sells the picture to a pawn shop (EVERMORE WITHOUT YOU).
Marian arrives in London to seek Walter’s help. She searches for him amongst the poor who sing of their LOST SOULS. She sees the picture of Laura and is able to get Walter’s address from the pawn shop owner.
Marian asks Walter, who is still angry with her, to bring justice to Laura’s death (IF NOT FOR ME FOR HER). He accepts.
Marian dresses into a prostitute’s outfit to look seductive as she goes to Fosco’s London home to get the document that says where Anne is so that she will be able to find out the secret.
Fosco is preparing to leave England as he does not want to be caught for his crime. He sings of his genius mind to his beloved rodents (YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING). Marian arrives and THE SEDUCTION begins. After distracting Fosco, she tells him to shave if they are to go any farther. This gives Marian time to find the document. Fosco realizes what she has done and tells her that they could have had such an amazing life together. He allows her to leave.
According to the document, Anne is in THE ASYLUM. When Walter and Marian arrive, they are led to Anne only to discover that Anne is not Anne, but is really Laura! They realize that Anne must have been buried as Laura because they look so much alike. They now realize that the only way to find out any information about Anne, they must see their uncle, Mr. Fairlie…
BACK TO LIMMERAGE, it is now the first of June, and hasty Glyde is in Limmerage getting Fairle’s signature for the estate. As Glyde leaves, Fairlie curses his brother for making him suffer in such a way to become so miserable because he has been forced to keep all the family secrets. Marian and Walter run into Fairlie’s chambers and beg him to tell of Anne. When Fairlie does not believe that Laura is alive in Anne’s place, he hears the piano playing the tune that Laura all too often played. In disbelief, he reveals to Laura and the others that Anne was the daughter of Laura’s father, but was not wanted because she was born outside of the marriage. She was only a year older than her half sister Laura, but they could have easily passed for twins. But Fairlie does not know of Anne’s secret and tells them that if they want any more answers they must go after Glyde. Laura decides that Anne will haunt Glyde one last time…
Back at the station, a year after the beginning of the story. Glyde is impatient as he is waiting for the train to take him to London and then to the continent. The Signal Man is weary of Glyde as he senses that his dream a year ago may now come true. Laura enters dressed like Anne, making him believe she is the ghost. She forces Glyde to reveal the secret. He tells her that the baby Anne was having eight years earlier may have been his, as he and Anne were in a relationship. Because of his suspicions, he drowned the baby in Blackwater Lake and threw Anne into an asylum. When he realizes that the ghost is really Laura, he prepares to kill her. She is rescued by Walter. Glyde runs off into the tunnel and is killed by an oncoming train. The Signal Man sees his dream come true.
Marian tells Walter to go to Laura and that the two of them can finally live as one. As Walter and Laura again profess their love for one another, Laura takes the shawl that she and Anne wore and puts it on Marian who is then left alone to realize that she and Walter will never be and that she will be alone in love for all her life. (FINALE)