The Fourth Messenger

The Fourth Messenger, featuring Vienna Teng

by Vienna Teng and Tanya Shaffer

supported by

Craig Allen Once in the morning, once in the evening - Favorite track: Isn't It Amazing?* (Bonus Track, Piano/Voice, Digital Only).

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Your download of 31 Tracks from The Fourth Messenger is now available! Bonus items include PDFs with the track list, note from the authors, and full synopsis of the musical, to give context to your songs. Enjoy!

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

This album of songs from the new musical "The Fourth Messenger" stars Vienna Teng as Mama Sid, a world-renowned spiritual teacher with a hidden past. Loosely inspired by the Buddha legend, this contemporary re-imagining poses the question of whether and how it's possible to be both enlightened and flawed.

This pre-order package includes a physical CD and a digital download, to be released November 7, 2015.

Music by Vienna Teng, lyrics by Tanya Shaffer and Vienna Teng, directed by Matt August, orchestrated/music directed by Ryan O'Connell.

"An absolute delight." - SF Chronicle • "Profound and profane, combative and compassionate… Teng’s complex harmonies and inspired melodies stick with you long after the curtain goes down." - Art Animal • "Hugely ambitious and refreshingly original…Teng is a fresh and exciting new theatrical talent with a distinctive voice of her own…" - Huffington Post • "Masterful and compelling…both timeless and contemporary." - Stage and Cinema

Includes unlimited streaming of The Fourth Messenger, featuring Vienna Teng via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

ships out within 7 days

$15 USD or more
What if the Buddha were a woman, living in our times? In this captivating new musical, Mama Sid is a modern-day “awakened one” with a worldwide following. But a determined young woman seeks to unearth Mama Sid’s mysterious past, exposing long-held secrets that could change everything. Epic and intimate, comic and profound, The Fourth Messenger investigates what it means to be both enlightened and human. Book and lyrics by Tanya Shaffer, music and additional lyrics by Vienna Teng. Script includes all lyrics and text, not musical score.

This is a digital pre-order. The PDF will be released on November 7, in conjunction with The Fourth Messenger album featuring Viena Teng.

“An exciting and ambitious project, driven by Teng's eclectic score, Shaffer's inspired rewrites of the Buddha story, and their punchy, provocative lyrics… An absolute delight.” - San Francisco Chronicle • “Intelligent and skillfully crafted…hugely ambitious and refreshingly original... Shaffer's musical has the audience emotionally involved and on the edge of their seats.” - The Huffington Post • “A satisfying and remarkably entertaining new musical that takes on spiritual life with wit and emotional resonance…” - KQED/NPR • “Beautiful...A triumph… Shaffer’s book brims with intelligence and wit… ” - Theater Dogs • “Masterful and compelling...both timeless and contemporary…” - Stage and Cinema ... more

$5 USD or more
What if the Buddha were a woman, living in our times? In this captivating new musical, Mama Sid is a modern-day “awakened one” with a worldwide following. But a determined young woman seeks to unearth Mama Sid’s mysterious past, exposing long-held secrets that could change everything. Epic and intimate, comic and profound, The Fourth Messenger investigates what it means to be both enlightened and human. Book and lyrics by Tanya Shaffer, music and additional lyrics by Vienna Teng. This script includes all spoken text and lyrics, but not the musical score.

This is a pre-order. The script will be released on November 7, in conjunction with The Fourth Messenger album featuring Viena Teng.

“An exciting and ambitious project, driven by Teng's eclectic score, Shaffer's inspired rewrites of the Buddha story, and their punchy, provocative lyrics… An absolute delight.” - San Francisco Chronicle • “Intelligent and skillfully crafted…hugely ambitious and refreshingly original... Shaffer's musical has the audience emotionally involved and on the edge of their seats.” - The Huffington Post • “A satisfying and remarkably entertaining new musical that takes on spiritual life with wit and emotional resonance…” - KQED/NPR • “Beautiful...A triumph… Shaffer’s book brims with intelligence and wit… ” - Theater Dogs • “Masterful and compelling...both timeless and contemporary…” - Stage and Cinema ... more

ships out within 10 days

$10 USD or more

1.	Overture (Instrumental) 01:05	info	buy track
2.	Pebble in a Lake 02:04	lyrics	buy track

3.	The Truth Must Come Out 03:58	lyrics	buy track

4.	This Story is Mine 02:24	lyrics	buy track

5.	Monkey Mind 06:54	lyrics	buy track

6.	The Human Experience 03:38	lyrics	buy track

7.	The Human Experience Reprise* (digital only) 01:14	lyrics	buy track

8.	This Story is Mine Reprise 00:59	lyrics	buy track

9.	Four Messengers Intro 00:53	lyrics	buy track

10.	Four Messengers 06:31	lyrics	buy track

11.	Bois Riche 04:00	lyrics	buy track

12.	You've Got A Glow 03:22	lyrics	buy track

13.	You've Got a Glow Tag 00:36	lyrics	buy track

14.	Knock Knock 03:06	lyrics	buy track

15.	Knock Knock Reprise 01:22	lyrics	buy track

16.	Force of Nature 03:01	lyrics	buy track

17.	The Real Thing 06:46	lyrics	buy track

18.	Look to the Thought 04:36	lyrics	buy track

19.	I Will Not Rise 01:07	lyrics	buy track

20.	Sid's Temptations, Part 1: Bread and Water 01:27	lyrics	buy track

21.	Sid's Temptations, Part 2: Sleep/Hundred Thousand Lifetimes 02:54	lyrics	buy track

22.	Sid's Temptations, Part 3: Come Back to Me 02:14	lyrics	buy track

23.	It Was You 00:50	lyrics	buy track

24.	What About Me? 03:24	lyrics	buy track

25.	You Are There 04:52	lyrics	buy track

26.	You've Got a Glow Reprise 01:37	lyrics	buy track

27.	Aren't You Ashamed? 00:57	lyrics	buy track

28.	This Story is Mine Final Reprise 02:12	lyrics	buy track

29.	As Long As I Am Living 02:29	lyrics	buy track

30.	Look to the Thought Reprise 01:42	lyrics	buy track

31.	Isn't It Amazing?* (Bonus Track, Piano/Voice, Digital Only) 02:06	lyrics	buy track

about

This new musical by beloved singer/songwriter Vienna Teng and award-winning playwright Tanya Shaffer re-imagines the Buddha legend in a contemporary setting, involving a female “awakened one” with a hidden past. Epic and intimate, comic and profound, it explores what it means to be both enlightened and flawed. This album of songs from the ground-breaking musical stars Vienna Teng as spiritual teacher Mama Sid and Broadway vet Cailan Rose as Raina, the young reporter on a mission to discredit her, alongside a supporting cast of eighteen spectacular singers and a chamber band. Helmed by Broadway director Matt August, The Fourth Messenger is available for pre-order as a CD or digital download; you can also pre-order the complete script in PDF or book form. The album and script will be released on November 7. For more info, visit www.thefourthmessenger.com

Praise for THE FOURTH MESSENGER:

Intelligent and skillfully crafted…Hugely ambitious and refreshingly original. Highly recommended.
- Huffington Post

Masterful and compelling…both timeless and contemporary.
- Stage and Cinema

An absolute delight!
- San Francisco Chronicle

Beautiful…A triumph.
- Theatre Dogs

Profound and profane, combative and compassionate… Teng’s complex harmonies and inspired melodies stick with you long after the curtain goes down.
- Art Animal

Satisfying and remarkably entertaining… Funny and touching in all the right places….
– KQED-FM

credits

released November 10, 2015

Music by Vienna Teng
Lyrics by Tanya Shaffer
Additional Lyrics by Vienna Teng
Orchestrations by Ryan O'Connell
Directed by Matt August
Music Directed by Ryan O'Connell

Starring Vienna Teng as Mama Sid and Cailan Rose as Raina

FEATURING (in alphabetical order): Chris Aceves, Pierce Peter Brandt, Robert Brewer, Noel Anthony Escobar, Anna Ishida, Barnaby James, Maria Mikheyenko, Daniel Olson, Annemaria Rajala, Leandra Ramm, Cathleen Riddley, David Rodwin, Fred Ross, Tanya Shaffer, Ashley Simms, Noe Venable, Reggie White

With Ken Bergmann (drums), Anthony Blea (violin), Ryan O'Connell (piano, keyboard, bass), Freya Seeburger (cello)

Produced by Brad Dollar.
Production accelerated by Zoo Labs, Oakland, CA
Mastered by Ken Lee Mastering, Oakland, CA

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Track Name: Pebble in a Lake: SID
Every choice that we make
is a pebble in a lake,
spreading ripples beyond our sight.
Every choice that we make
impresses its shape
on a galaxy of lives.

ENSEMBLE (OFFSTAGE)
Every choice that we make
is a pebble in a lake,
spreading ripples beyond our sight.
With every step that we take
let the choices we make
bring us closer to the light.

(Spot focuses sharply on RAINA.)

RAINA
Every false move she’s made,
every trust that she’s betrayed,
left a wound that will never heal.
Though she may think she’s safe,
got away without a trace,
one day all will be revealed.

The past isn't gone,
its ghosts gather round,
they live and they breathe,
they hunger for answers.
The moment has come
to call you to account.

And I will make my name;
my breakout story will be your shame.
For the truth will, the truth must come out
Track Name: The Truth Must Come Out: REPORTERS
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth must come out

JILL
He said, she said

BILL
Fact check, follow up

REPORTERS
The truth must come out

BEV
I just have a few more questions

KEV
Your story doesn’t line up

REPORTERS
The truth must come out.

(Overlapping groups)

REPORTERS
I just have a few more questions
Your story doesn’t line up
The report from your department
Tells a different story
A different story
A different story

SAM
(Spoken) Staff meeting!

REPORTERS
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth, the truth, the truth will come out
The truth, the truth, the truth, the truth-

(All move into place around a long table.)

SAM
The truth is we’re in deep shit.

Subscriptions are shrinking
Ad rates are sinking
Our website’s a stinking mess

Bloggers and tweeters
Are poaching our readers
In fifteen words or less!

We’ve gotta break something viral
To flip this downward spiral
Revitalize our dying base

We need a shock so volcanic
It spreads like a panic
From print to cyberspace

We need...
The next big story
Pitch it to me
The next big story

ALL
The next big story
What’s it gonna be?
The next big story

SAM
We need watergate, wikileaks, lewinsky scale
The holy grail of reporters’ pay
Or you'll be writing little league play-by-plays!
What’s the next big story
Pitch it to me

SAM AND REPORTERS
What’s the next big story?

RAINA
(Spoken) Mama Sid.

SAM
Raina! What are you doing back so soon?

BILL
Yeah, didn’t your dad just die?

KEVIN
Jesus, Bill!

BEVERLY
Ever hear of tact?

SAM
We’re glad you’re back, Raina. (Pointedly) All of us. And we’re sorry for your loss.

(All murmur sympathy. They lack sincerity.)

RAINA
Thanks, Sam.

SAM
Sure. (Slight pause.) So...whatcha got?

RAINA
(Holds up book) An exposé of Mama Sid.

SAM
The guru?

BILL
The self-help lady?

BEV
The spiritual master?

RAINA
That’s the one.

(Sings) This “spiritual master”
Her name's grown faster
Than a hot tech start-up stock
You can’t help but notice
The millions devoted
To her touchy-feely new age schlock
She's posing as the mother of the whole damn planet
Handing out answers and cures
One hundred percent pure
She's our next big story…

BEV
Honey, that’s great, but if all you’ve got is a hunch...

(Reporters grumble their agreeement with BEV.)

RAINA
Interviews are rare, no one dares to squeeze her
She keeps a tight grip on how the public sees her
Ask about her past, you get the mona lisa
Her private life: off-limits, please!

(All start tapping on their smartphones and computers)

KEVIN
She’s on Wikipedia but needs citations

BEV
Nothing on Google but urban legends

BILL
Her mother was an elephant like Dumbo

JILL
No, her mother’s lover was the jumbo

SAM
So her mythology’s outsized
That’s hardly a lead on a pulitzer prize

BILL
It was really sweet of you to give it a try
Ambitious intern
BEVERLY
Sam, this might fly

RAINA
Have you ever seen a brick wall with nothing behind it?
No one puts a lock on an empty cabinet
Now we’ve got this guru keeping her silence
“nothing to see here, folks”
I don’t buy it
Someone’s gonna scoop us sooner than later
Debunk nation ought to be the paper
To spill her scandalous secret
Just gotta find it, unwind it
And write the big bright headline
Of our next big story

BEVERLY
We’d better act now
If we want the glory

ALL
The next big story

SAM
If we hunt it down

RAINA
We’re talkin’ big-time quarry

ALL
Nothing like a goddess falling down to earth
To strike a nerve with the masses
That's how we'll save our asses
With the next big story
The next big story
The next big story
The next big story
The next big story
The truth must come out
Track Name: This Story is Mine: RAINA
This story
It's got my name on it
There's no one else can do it right

I brought this
I’ve got a claim on it
I’m getting on that arctic flight

Good yogi I'll be
She'll gain trust in me
Then I'll strike

SAM
You know something about this lady?

RAINA
I know something
About hypocrisy
I know a lot about denial

I know something
About committing crimes
And never standing trial

One glance in her eyes
Unveils her disguise, and I know

This story is mine
I am all over it
There's no one else can do it justice

This story is mine
Sometimes you feel it so deep
You just have to trust it

So give up, give in, give me the green light
This is the story I was born to write.

(SAM looks at her for a long moment. Something in her passion persuades him. He sighs.)

SAM
Okay.

RAINA
Yes! (Kisses him passionately.)

SAM
Just land it, okay? We wouldn’t want anyone to think I was playing favorites.

(SAM exits.)

RAINA
Just like that
In a single breath
Your entire life can change

A heartbeat stopped
A tether dropped
The whole world rearranged

There’s truth to be told
And nothing to hold
Me back now

'Cause I know something
About duplicity
And something about loss

I know something
About blind ambition
And a lot about its cost

And oh, do I know anger
It’s my old and trusty friend
Now it's time for me to learn
Something about revenge

This story
This story
This story is mine
Track Name: Monkey Mind: YOGIS
In, out, in, out
In, out, in, out
At last Relax
No more clutter, no more clatter
Time For mind
Tangle and chatter fade
Jungle is far away
Only breath, body, snow, silence
On this remote island
Remembering how to rest
Remembering how to breathe
Remembering how to be
Just be…
At peace…
Just me…

RAINA
It's quiet
It is way too quiet
It's insanely quiet
I hear every little sound:
Bellies grumbling
Old pipes rumbling
Snowflakes tumbling all around!

Look at these nut cases. Sam would have a field day. Sam. He wouldn’t last ten sec-

ALL
Concentrate

RAINA
What will I say to her?
My first question?
Should I play the skeptic
Or the worshipper?
This is stupid.
Sitting freezing on the ground.
This is stupid.
Why does she make us wait around?
It’s Just a power trip.
I’m getting out of here.
But I just got here!
What the hell is wrong with me?

It’s like there’s
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind
Scolding and carping, my head’s in a vice
Won’t you shut up monkeys, won’t you play nice?
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind
Monkey mind

Who is Mama Sid,
Guru beloved by all?
Will she look like her picture?
Will she be larger than life or small
Like the rest of us?

MYRA
I think I left the stove on.

ALL
Concentrate...

MYRA
Concentrate...
I just know I left the stove on!
Scrambled eggs, medium high
My house will burn down
My plants will all die
My photos, my clothes,
Everything I own
Everything I’ve saved
Damn it!

ALL
Concentrate...
Concentrate...

MIKE
“Small man in a big man’s shoes”
How could my own brother say that to me?
“Small man in a big man’s shoes”
In front of the entire family?

DEREKH
I’m not going to think about my major
‘Cause if I don’t think about my major
the answer to what should be my major
Will just...come to me

HARMONY
Twelve months, six days, seven hours
Twelve months sober and clean
Twelve months, six days, seven hours
And five minutes

MIKE
Did he pass the bar on the first try?
He’s just jealous, of course that’s why
I should feel compassion, I know
But I don’t feel compassion, oh no,
I hate him!

ALL
Let go

MIKE
I hate him!

ALL
Let go
And love...

MIKE
But I can’t!

ALL
But I can’t
But I can’t
It’s like there’s
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind
Running and swinging and screaming and singing and
Laughing and talking and squeaking and squawking
Like monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind, monkey mind, monkey mind.

(While RAINA sings the following section, YOGIS rhythmically chant “In, out, in, out, in, out, concentrate”)

RAINA
Help!

I know cutthroat competition
I know the merciless routine
I know the headlong rush to deadline
Fueled by sugar and caffeine
But sitting so still
Makes me want to kill

I’m a city girl
Take me back to the city
Where the snow is black
And the air is gritty
Give me some familiar aggravation
Like shoving my way through a crowded train station
Give me noise and filth and degradation
Anything but this total deprivation
Of any stimulation at all!

Dad would have kept me from doing this
Oh Dad, I miss-

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut UP!!

DEREKH
Economics, my dad says that’s where the jobs are
Or engineering, safe bet there

HARMONY
Can I trust myself?
Can I love myself?

MYRA
If my house burns down, my homeowner’s policy
Might be enough to cover my surgery

DEREKH
But all I want here is to be outside
Like a park ranger or a river raft guide

HARMONY
Can I face myself?
Embrace myself?

DEREKH
Don’t think about that!
Don’t think about that!

MYRA
But I shouldn’t have to set my house on fire
To pay for surgery to keep me alive

MIKE
“Small man in a big man’s shoes”
Is that what everybody else thinks too?

ALL
That’s what everybody else thinks too!

MYRA
I’m gonna die!

ALL
I’m gonna die!

MYRA
I’m gonna die!

ALL
I’n gonna die!
I’m gonna die!
I’m gonna die!
I’m gonna die!

(All freeze. SID enters.)

SID
Kinda noisy in here, isn’t it?

ALL
Monkeys in my mind
Monkey mind, monkey mind!
Track Name: The Human Experience: SONG: THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

SID
See the fear

MYRA
I see the fear

SID
What color is it?

MYRA
White.

SID
What shade?

MYRA
Blinding.

SID
Like sun on snow?

MYRA
Yes.

SID
Breathe through the fear

MYRA
Breathe through the fear
I’m trying to breathe through the fear
But how can I breathe through the fear?

SID
Feel the fear
Name the fear
It’s just another
Texture here
Feel your Heart rate rising
The sweat appear
Part of the human experience

MYRA
Part of the human experience

SID
Now see the fear
The shape of the fear
Focus till it’s crystal clear
You’re outside of it now, peering in
At all of this human experience

MYRA
All of this human experience

SID
Now you are a painter
Noticing the light on the trees
now you are a scientist
Gazing through a microscope
You are a detective gathering clues
So keenly attuned
To everything around and inside you.

SID (GRADUALLY JOINED BY ENSEMBLE)
Joy and doubt
Fear and rage
Feel them spark, ignite, and blaze
Let them burn themselves clean
And evaporate
Like all of this human experience

SID
Now see the grief
Name the grief

MEN
So tired of holding on so tight

SID
The act of naming brings relief

WOMEN
So tired of keeping up the fight

SID
Heavy, light, shallow, deep

ALL EXCEPT SID AND RAINA
Step outside your suffering

ALL EXCEPT RAINA
Part of the human experience

(SID returns to Myra.)

SID
See the fear
Feel the fear

MYRA
Hello, fear
I know you, fear
You’re part of the human

SID
Part of the human

ALL
Part of the human experience.
Track Name: The Human Experience Reprise* (digital only): SID
Now close your eyes, and imagine, with each breath...

You’re building a container
Picture an enormous wooden bowl
Building a container
And there’s nothing it can’t hold
A vessel deep and wide
To hold all of your life
You’re building a container called awareness

So whatever you are feeling
However subtle or intense
A part of you is larger
Than even the darkest circumstance
The ocean holds the waves
The fire holds the flames

SID AND YOGIS
And you can hold it all
In your awareness...

SID
Welcome to the winter retreat.

(SID watches RAINA for a moment. “The Human Experience” theme continues as the lights and scene shifts. SID exits.)

RAINA
(Softly) Hello, grief.
Track Name: This Story is Mine Reprise: RAINA

Something about the way you work
Really gets under the skin
If I don’t cling tight to what I know
Even I could be taken in
I’d lay down my arms
Fall for your charms
And be lost...

But that's not how this story goes
'Cause I'm not such easy prey
The next time we come face to face
I'll be prepared to play
i’ll be your new best friend
the one you can trust in
until in the end you’ll confess
to me

This story
This story
This story is mine
Track Name: Four Messengers Intro: DEREKH
While Mama Sid’s own mama
lay sleeping in her bed,
her husband sawing logs beside her,
like he always did...

Into her dream there burst a stranger
An elephant as white as the foaming sea
She tried to scream; no sound escaped her
The elephant dropped gently onto its knee
Then From its trunk it pulled out a flower
She swooned to feel its heat and its power
IT drew her close and they danced intimately!

HARMONY
Very intimately.

DEREKH
Then all at once, the elephant,
It disappeared into her side!

HARMONY
Then came a knock upon the door
Right In the middle of the night...
Track Name: Four Messengers: CLARA
The elephant came to you, is it true?

MAY
What?

CLARA
The white elephant came to you, is this true?

MAY
Well, yes, that is, I did dream of an elephant, but–

CLARA
I knew it!

(VLADIMIR, DEREKH, and HARMONY cheer and embrace.)

CLARA (CONT’D)
The ancient prophets all foretold it

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

CLARA
The pachyderm now bears it out

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

CLARA
The long-awaited day is finally here

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah
Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah

MAY
I'm sorry, I don’t follow you.

CLARA
With his immense well-formed proboscis

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

CLARA
The giant mammal plants the seed

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

CLARA
For a flower which has no earthly peer

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah
Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah

SUNNY
Come again?

CLARA
Within your womb the seed is growing

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

MAY
What?!

CLARA
A couple months and she'll be showing

DEREKH, HARMONY, VLADIMIR
Ha!

SUNNY AND MAY
Huh?

CLARA
What part of “you’re knocked up” isn't crystal clear?

MAY AND SUNNY
We’re pregnant!

(MAY and SUNNY embrace. VLADIMIR and DEREKH slap SUNNY on the back, congratulating him in their language.)

CLARA
And this is not just any baby, oh no. A being such as this comes but once in ten thousand years! A being so noble, so majestic, that even the birds and the beasts bow down to pay their respects!

(VLADIMIR and DEREKH again slap SUNNY on the back, shouting further congratulations.)

SUNNY
Yeah? What's he gonna be? A captain of industry like his papa?

CLARA
The possibilities are boundless
So many paths that fate could take
But you can trust in a life beyond compare

MAY
How exciting!

SUNNY
a general...

MAY
commanding troops on land and water

SUNNY
A president...

MAY
Creating law with the wave of a hand
A movie star...

SUNNY
Or the world’s first

SUNNY & MAY
Trillionaire

MAY
A super-athlete - top of the game

SUNNY
A power broker, a money machine

MAY, SUNNY
greater than the world’s ever seen...

CLARA
All of that is possible, yes. But there is another option:

A noble teacher your child could be
A kind of tour guide to the mysteries
Renouncing the materialist class
To pursue the spirit’s path
Holy mendicant roaming the land
Spreading wisdom and joy with the touch of a hand

MAY
Oh, my!

SUNNY
(Alarmed) Holy...mendicant?! A beggar, you mean?

CLARA
Only in the most trivial sense!

SUNNY
So my kid will either be rich and powerful or some kind of homeless wacko?!

CLARA
I never said-

SUNNY
What's gonna make the difference? What's gonna tilt the scales between option number one and option number two?

CLARA
Well, since you ask...

(Closes her eyes, enters a trancelike state. VLADIMIR, DEREKH, and HARMONY join her.)

CLARA, VLADIMIR, DEREKH, HARMONY
Hmmmmmmmmmm....

CLARA
If the child is to become the awakened one, the holy mendicant, the great wandering sage...

(She opens her eyes.)

CLARA (CONT’D)
Four messengers
Four messengers
will be the storm
that bursts the dam

ALL
Four messengers
Four messengers

SUNNY
could do much harm
I need a plan!

So who are they? What do they look like? What are their names?

CLARA
Messengers number one, two and three
Ambassadors of life's fragility
Harbingers of every creature’s plight:
Existence is both harsh and fleeting
All that's strong shall one day weaken
We are born to sicken, age and die

SUNNY
So these first three messengers who will transform my kid into a... spiritual peddler… will be icons of sickness, aging, and death?

CLARA
You could put it that way.

SUNNY
What about the fourth messenger?

CLARA
The fourth. Ah...the fourth.

A grain of hope, a hint of light
A spark of possibility…

SUNNY
So that's grain, hint or spark?

CLARA
A glimmer that this earth just might
Hold more than what the eyes can see
With a pure and shining presence
This messenger inspires a dream
Of a pathway to transcendence
A path to set all creatures free
Once your child has seen this vision
No force on earth can stem the tide
Compassion streaming into wisdom
Spurring on your noble child

CLARA, VLADIMIR, DEREKH, HARMONY
Four messengers
Four messengers
Will point the way
To what’s beyond

Four messengers
Four messengers
Will spur this young soul to become

VLADIMIR
The teacher

DEREKH
The prophet

HARMONY
The seer

CLARA
The sage,
The one who shines light on this desolate age
The one whose compassion is vaster than earth

ALL
Who unlocks the secrets of death and rebirth-

SUNNY
No way in hell!

CLARA
You don’t have to yell.

SUNNY
Sickness, aging, death, and some holy freak
These are the four my kid’s never gonna see
Then he’ll grow up to be a tycoon like me!
I will surround him with young, healthy people
I’ll build a fortress, the walls will be stout
And i will keep those four damn messengers out!
Track Name: Bois Riche: SUNNY
It’s another lovely day in
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!

HARMONY
Sun is shining, flowers blooming

DEREKH
Brooks are burbling, children singing,

COMMUNITY MEMBERS
The ice cream truck jingles down the street

SUNNY
(Confidentially) It’s actually nonfat yoghurt with Sucralean - the kids don’t know the difference! Childhood obesity is a problem you won’t find here.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Everything is ideally proportioned in
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!
Nothing unlovely troubles the eye
From the soft green grass to the clear blue sky
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!

RAINA
What does Bois Riche mean, anyway?

DEREKH
“Rich wood,” I think.

RAINA
And this town is where?

DEREKH
Search me.

HARMONY
You had to have money to live there

MEN
We say that without any shame

DEREKH
Dozens applied and got turned aside

COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Though we sympathize, we're not to blame

WOMEN
We're wealthy because we are worthy

MEN
We've all worked so very hard

OLDER COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Or our parents did for us

YOUNGER COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Or their parents did for them

COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Well let's not pursue the matter too far…

HARMONY AND DEREKH
Everyone is beautiful in
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!
Bois Riche, Bois Riche!

MEN
Our bodies toned, we’re Olympically fit

WOMEN
All that nature has denied us
plastic surgeons can fix

ALL
Oh ugliness is something that we will not abide
It starts skin deep but then it rots you inside
If you’re looking for substance let style be your guide
In Bois Riche!

SUNNY
Thinking of buying in? Come on out here, Sidney! This is my little girl. Shall we tell these good people about a few of the amenities we have to offer?

SID
You bet!

SUNNY
Botanical gardens

SID
Our own private zoo

SUNNY
Movies and concerts

SID
And theatre too!

SUNNY
Every type of cuisine you could possibly wish

SUNNY AND SID
Stables
An ice rink

SUNNY
a pond stocked with fish
Saunas and steam rooms, infinity pools
State-of-the-art gyms and outstanding schools
Synagogues, Churches, boutiques and a mall
Professional golf course, oh we’ve got it all

Would you like an application?

(Pulls out a tome the size of a phone book.)

It’s a little thick, for security reasons. For the sake of the children, you understand.

Our children these precious creatures
Full of innocence, purity, joy
I can’t bear the mere thought of their
Fragile little psyches destroyed by

ALL
Violence, hatred poverty crime

SUNNY
We’ll keep these far away from their minds.

WOMAN 1
Children grow up someday

ALL
But ours won’t if we fulfill our design.

SUNNY
Here, children can be children, into adulthood and beyond!

ALL
So lock that gate and let the riffraff choke
Inside paradise we’re full of hope
And nothing unlovely troubles the eye
From the soft green grass to the clear blue sky
Bois Riche, Bois Riche
Bois Riche, Bois Riche
Bois Riche, Bois Riche
Bois Riche!
Track Name: You've Got A Glow: ANDY
Take me with you.

SID
Why?

ANDY
You’ve got something.

SID
(Laughs) Like...the flu, maybe?

ANDY
I’m serious!

SID
I’m sorry. I’ll miss you too.

ANDY
I need you.

SID
Andy.

ANDY
You’ve got something I can’t name.

SID
We’ve been through this. It’s nothing personal. I’m just not interested in that kind of relationship.

ANDY
That’s not what I mean.

You’ve got a glow
You shine like the sun
I want to be near you
And I’m not the only one
We’re drawn to your orbit
Reflect back your light
So let me come with you
Don’t walk out alone into the night

SID
Andy, all of that is just what you’re projecting onto me.

ANDY
No. It’s more than that.

You’ve got a glow
You awaken my mind
The moment you enter
The room just comes alive
It’s not infatuation
It’s Deeper than desire
So please take me with you
Don’t walk out alone into the fire

SID
I’m just a pilgrim
The glow that you see
Is simply your own burning
Need to arise and be free
I’ve nothing to show you
No magical spark
So I can’t take you with me
When I walk alone into the dark

My hands are empty of gifts
I’m still trying to learn how to live

ANDY
Let me follow you, Sid

SID
Andy I’ve nothing to teach
There's no wisdom to in following me

ANDY
Then at least
Let me walk beside you
That's all that I ask
Let me shoulder some weight
In this daunting task
We share the same dream
A dream that will grow
Sidney, dear Sidney
You know more than you know...
You've got a glow

SID
No more than your own

ANDY
You shine like the sun

SID
So does everyone

ANDY
I'm seeking the answers

SID & ANDY
And I'm not the only one
I'm drawn into orbit
Propelled into flight
Compelled to keep searching
Until I emerge into the light

ANDY
So please take me with you
Don't walk out alone into the night
Track Name: You've Got a Glow Tag: ANDY
The privilege to walk beside you
Is all I've ever asked
Just to shoulder some weight in your daunting task
To share in the dream
To bask in your glow
Sidney, dear Sidney, it means more than you know...
Track Name: Knock Knock: RAINA
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

RAINA
Someone who wants to know you
The you when you were younger, still becoming
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

RAINA
Someone who needs the whole truth
Someone who wants to know the steps and stumbling
Your students open up
And reveal themselves to you
If you would do the same,
We could see you’re human too
And start to feel we also can break through!

SID
Knock knock

RAINA
Who’s there?

SID
The welcome mat is empty
The clamor in your ears is your soul calling
Knock knock

RAINA
Who’s there?

SID
I know it can be tempting
But focusing outside yourself, you're stalling
The road map of our suffering
leads right back to ourselves
There’s nothing to be gained
Imitating someone else
I offer you a compass
But my path isn’t yours
You’ve got to open up your own doors

RAINA
I see.

SID
You see?

RAINA
Oh sure.
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

RAINA
Now everything is clearer
How carefully you craft these lessons for us
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

RAINA
You’re holding up a mirror
For us to understand ourselves—how generous!
And how convenient that you’re standing
Behind the one-way glass
A teacher never shows
Any weakness to her class
Or if she ever screwed up
Somewhere in her past...
Now you are a guru
Though of course you never use the name
Now you are a hero
Even as you seem to shun your fame
Rise high above the rest
No secrets to confess
You're building the mystique of the
Beautiful, flawless, untarnished
And wise Mama Sid
It's a brilliant story
A brilliant story-

SID
Peace.

RAINA
Hm?

SID
Why are you here?
What is it that you yearn for?
I'd like to understand what drives your anger

RAINA
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

RAINA
I'm doing you a favor
I'm giving you a chance to live with candor

SID AND RAINA
You're clinging tight to something
That's bringing you to grief
Until you can release it,
You'll never find relief
And don't you know the truth will set you free?

RAINA
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?
Knock knock

RAINA
Who’s there?

SID AND RAINA
Knock knock
Knock knock.
Track Name: Knock Knock Reprise: SID
Knock knock

ANDY
Who’s there?

SID
Someone demanding answers
Who’s gonna keep on knocking till she gets them

ANDY
Knock knock

SID
Who’s there?

ANDY
That girl is like a cancer
Poisoning our peace with her resentment
She stands in your glow
Draws warmth from your sun
So many flock to you for guidance
But not that one
I don’t trust her motives, Sidney

SID
She says that I am hiding
Am I?
There’s healing in confiding
That is true
Oh who is it that she reminds...

ANDY
Why won’t she
Respect your boundaries?
I don’t believe
That she is what she seems
Maybe I should just ask her to leave

SID
We cannot turn away one who comes to us in need

ANDY
But since you’ll never tell her your life story

SID
I didn’t say that.

ANDY
You mean...

After all these years
All these long and silent years
Why?
Why her?
Track Name: Force of Nature: SONG: FORCE OF NATURE

SID
Noticing the light
Filter through the blinds
Something about her face

Noticing the chill
Creeping up my spine
Another time and place

Noticing the blood
Pounding in my head
An overwhelming draw

Noticing the thrill
Noticing the dread
A frozen stream must thaw
Deep within
Warming
Spidery cracks
Forming

Is it just the moon that turns the tides
And the sun that melts the ice?
There’s a force of nature in her eyes
A mighty power

After all these years
Long and silent years
An urge to speak arises

Watch the feeling grow
Ask it what it knows
Open to life’s surprises

Thoughts lead to words, and words lead to actions
But silence too Can mean attachment

Is it just the moon that turns the tides
And the sun that melts the ice
There’s a force of nature in your eyes
A mighty power

Sid, let go
Oh, don’t resist the flow

Now I’m noticing the air
Noticing the fear
Stop holding on now
Be strong now
Let it go

(Raina appears upstage, in shadow)

SID AND RAINA
It isn’t just the moon that turns the tides
And the sun that melts the ice
There’s a force of nature in your eyes
A mighty power

SID
After all these years
Long and silent years
Now it is time
Now it is time
Track Name: The Real Thing: SLEAZY MAN
Hey lady, sweet lady, hey where you headed to?

DRUNKEN MAN
Hey kiddos, wait kiddos, I think I remember you

RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED MAN
Hey buddy wanna score some crystal?

HOMELESS WOMAN
I just need a place to squat

SCARED WOMAN
My man is raging and he’s got a pistol

SLEAZY MAN
Hey girl, you’re lookin’ hot!
Can I have your number?

RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED MAN
Won’t you cut me a break?

HOMELESS WOMAN
I just need a hot meal

SCARED WOMAN
Oh please keep me safe

RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED MAN
Some money for train fare

DRUNKEN MAN
Money for beer

SLEAZY MAN
Can I have your number?

MEN
Just blow in my ear.

ALL
You wanted the real thing
The real thing
The sharp sting
You’re craving the hard dark flavor
Of what life is
I’ll show you the real thing
The real thing
The real thing
The harsh fling
I’ll give you a wake-up smack
And you’ll start to live
Just look at me
Just look at me

(The crowd parts to reveal DELILAH, a drag queen, dressed in layers of ragged lace and beads. She looks emaciated and very sick, with sores in plain view. The others give her a wide berth. She is lit in a luminous way, to indicate that she is the first messenger.)

DELILAH
Just look at me
In my face you will see
Brutal reality

(DELILAH coughs.)
SID
You're sick.

DELILAH
Yes. And you are?

SID
Sid. Sidney. Sidney Arthur.

DELILAH
Pleasure to meet you, Miss Sid Arthur. I’m Delilah.

Back when I ran this city
They called me “Empress D”
Little girl you’re so pretty
You remind me of me
Back when I was a sweet thing
The belle of the ball
Boys and girls, queens, kings
I dazzled them all.

But now you see that my youth has
Been nipped in the bud
By this ruthless intruder
Invading my blood
Devouring my muscles
Consuming my bones
Leaving only the memories
Of all that I’ve known

SID
Is there anything that I can do for you?

DELILAH
Are you God? If you are, there’s a thing or two.
Startin’ out with a fat shot of morphine for the pain
Then you can add a clean pair of lungs and
Kindly vanquish the chills and the runs and
While you’re at it, can you sharpen up my brain?

(DELILAH collapses in a fit of coughing)

DELILAH (CONT’D)
So are you God?

SID
No, I am not.

DELILAH
Then you can’t help
Me or anyone else,
No, not even yourself.

(SID stares. The crowd closes in
around her.)

ALL
You wanted the real thing
The real thing
The sharp sting
You’re craving the jagged edges of
What life is
Well this is the real thing
The real thing
The deep spring
This is the moment when you
Begin to live

(HAG, an old woman, hobbles onto the stage, carrying bags of groceries.)

HAG
Hag coming through
Hag coming through
Out of my way
Out of my way
Or inhale the bouquet
Of my new pepper spray!

(Homeless people part to reveal SID and YASHA.)

HAG (CONT’D)
Well lookie here.

A coupla freshly minted swells from
Bois Riche, Bois Riche
Bois Riche, Bois Riche

SID
How’d you know?

HAG
Sneaking out while daddy’s snoozing
for hanky panky, smokes and boozing

SID
No!

HAG
Now don’t play the innocent with me.

(Sid stares.)

HAG (CONT’D)
Just close up that gaping squeak-hole
Don’t stare at me like i’m a freak
Or do i divine this is the first time
that you’ve ever seen an antique?

SID
Of course I’ve seen old people before.

HAG
Those face-lifted, botoxed fifty-year-olds in Bois Riche?

SID
Some of them are fifty-five, I think.

HAG
Ha!

This jowly face and flabby belly
Breath that reeks of rot and mold
Veiny legs and tits like jelly
This is what it means to be old.

And believe me, it feels as bad as it looks.

Aching back, swollen feet, and a frozen knee
Failing eyes, failing ears, fading memory
Hard to sleep, hard to pee, and libido is a joke

Add to the pain and humiliation
The booby prize for this drawn-out staycation:
Is watching all your friends and family croak.

See what you have to look forward to?

(She exits. Homeless people close in.)

ALL
You ran from your mansion
In search of the real
For one night to slum it
And learn how it feels
To make eyes at danger
To flirt with the knife
To move to the muscular rhythms of life
You came for the real thing
And now that you've found it
You want to escape but
You find you're surrounded
You're starting to feel like
You're under attack
But once you have gone there
There's no turning back
(Scene shifts to Bois Riche. SUNNY lies on the floor,
a paramedic covering him with a sheet. SID and
YASHA enter.)

SID
What...Dad?! What happened?

PARAMEDIC
Heart attack. I’m sorry, Miss. He’s dead.

SID
No! Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

(The people SID met in the city appear around the periphery, creating a psychological backdrop to the action.)

ALL
You wanted the real thing
The real thing

HAG AND DELILAH
Four messengers

ALL
This is what life is
The real thing
The real thing

HAG AND DELILAH
Four messengers
ALL
This is what life is
This is the path
This is the path
This is the path
And there’s no turning back.
Track Name: Look to the Thought: YOGIS
Every choice that we make
Is a pebble in a lake
Spreading ripples beyond our sight
Every step that we take
Impresses its shape
On a galaxy of lives

Every choice that we make
Is a pebble in a lake
Spreading ripples beyond our sight
Every step that we take
Impresses its shape
On a galaxy of lives

Every choice that we make
Is a pebble in a lake
Spreading ripples beyond our sight
Every step that we take
Impresses its shape
On a galaxy of lives

SID
Everything that we feel
Everything we think is real
Is elusive as rising steam
Everything that we build
Is a promise unfulfilled
No more solid than a dream
What is the point of moving forward
Our fate is set no matter which road we choose
What is the point?

YASHA
I was beside you, I saw it all too
I realize there's no easy answer
Look in my eyes, I'll tell you what I know is true
This much I'm certain of
Maybe it's not enough
But Sidney-I love you
I always have
And I always will

SID
Everything that we've known

YASHA
You don't have to feel alone
When you think of what you saw that night

SID
Everything that we feel

YASHA
You can trust that this is real
Come let me hold you tight

SID
When I feel your arms around me
I can believe

BOTH
We'll be alright somehow

YASHA
Let my love shelter you

SID
Yasha, I love you too

BOTH
Maybe this is all we need for now.
Track Name: I Will Not Rise: SID
And put an end to all my wandering
And put an end to striving to learn the truth
I’ve had enough, I’ll go no farther
And from this moment on I will not be moved
I will sit calm and firm as a mountain
Clear as empty air
Open as sky
Until I touch
What doesn’t die
I will not eat
I will not sleep
I will not rise
Track Name: Sid's Temptations, Part 1: Bread and Water: BREAD
Comin’ fresh from the oven
I'm golden and hot
Give your taste buds some lovin'
Yeah I'll hit the spot
The aroma's rising
Rich and surprising
Yum yum yum yum, aaaaaaah!

CHORUS
Yum yum yum yum, aaaaaaah!

BREAD
Slather me with butter, baby
Spread me with a sweet red jam
Ooh baby don't you know who I am?

SID
Bread…

CHORUS
Bread!

SID
I'm hungry…

CHORUS
So hungry

SID
And thirsty too...

(A glass of WATER runs on.)

WATER
Oo, that's my cue!

You're a scorching desert inside
Every inch of you crumbled and dry
I can heal you, I can provide
This cool, cool water

CHORUS
Cool, cool water

WATER
It's easy, I'm here for you
Pour this glorious river right into you

WATER AND CHORUS
Glug glug glug glug glug glug
Glug glug glug glug glug glug aaaaah!

SID
Go away. Mine is a thirst you cannot soothe.

(BREAD and WATER approach ominously.)

WATER AND CHORUS
Glug glug glug glug glug glug
Glug glug glug glug glug glug

BREAD AND CHORUS
Yum yum yum yum yum yum
Yum yum yum yum-

SID
I said shoo! I have a job to do.
Track Name: Sid's Temptations, Part 2: Sleep/Hundred Thousand Lifetimes: MAY AND ANGELS
Sleep, sleep
Sleep, sleep

MAY
Poor sweetheart. You’re exhausted.
SID
Mama?

MAY
Who else?

SID
Oh, Mama. I've missed you so. All my life.

MAY
Then join me.

SID
Right now?

MAY
Of course.

SID
(Rousing slightly) But...you're dead.

MAY
Exactly. It's so peaceful! Isn’t that what you want: to be at peace?

SID
But my work here’s not done.

MAY
You’ll finish it some other time.

There are many lifetimes to be lived
May and angels
Maybe next time you’ll have more to give
Now sleep, sleep

What's one little lifetime, anyway?

(As SID sings the following, the ensemble enters and stands behind May, a sea of faces stretching back.)

SID
Then suddenly I see
Stretched out behind me
The bodies I have occupied
The people I have loved
The tears I have cried
The deaths I have died
A hundred thousand lifetimes
Searching, searching
A hundred thousand lifetimes Is enough
This time I'll see it through
It's what I have to do

MAY AND ENSEMBLE
You break my heart.

SID
I know it.
I break my own heart too.
Track Name: Sid's Temptations, Part 3: Come Back to Me: YASHA
My Sidney, why'd you run away?
I’ve been aching for you night and day,
Day and night, with all my soul

SID
Oh, Yasha, I didn't mean to hurt you...

YASHA
Why won't you let me wrap my arms around you
And feel your troubles melt into the ground
I'll make everything right; I’ll make you whole

SID
Yasha, I miss you!

YASHA
Then come back to me

(Ensemble joins in, singing “ah” and “mm” in the
background.)

YASHA (CONT’D)
Come back to me
I've learned so much, I'm no longer a boy – You'll see!
I'll kiss you where you're sore
Don't suffer anymore
Come back to me, there's much to enjoy

SID
Oh, I would like that...

Oh Yasha, how I miss the heat
That electric tingle, sharp and sweet
Pressed against you in the dark
Delicious urgency in every move
Maybe this is the only kind of truth
Skin on skin

SID & YASHA
Heart to heart
So come back to me

ENSEMBLE
It's not too late for

SID & YASHA
Come back to me

ENSEMBLE
What we're made for

SID & YASHA
I/You have wandered so long, now it's time to come home

ENSEMBLE
Sweet home

YASHA
All is forgiven

ENSEMBLE
And more

SID
The moment I walk in

CHORUS
That door

YASHA
So come back

CHORUS
Ah

YASHA
Come back

SID & CHORUS
Ah

YASHA
Come back

SID & CHORUS
Ah

YASHA
Come back to me...

SID & CHORUS
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh–

SID
No! I can’t. Go away, Yasha.
Track Name: It Was You: SID
I feel my world expand
And now I understand
You are every child on earth
Every child is you
i see we’re one now
And somehow
I must raise us all
And that is when I know
I know I have to go

RAINA
I don’t understand.

SID
The fourth messenger
The fourth messenger
It was you
Oh, It was you.
Track Name: What About Me?: RAINA
Every time I’d see your face
Flash across a TV screen
Every time your name appeared
In another glossy magazine
Every time I’d hear you quoted
Every time I’d hear you praised
By some student so devoted,
Somebody whose life you saved,
Every time I’d hear a stranger
Rave about how much you give
How you walk divine among us
How you show us how to live
I’d want to rage
I’d want to cry
I’d want to tell them it's all a lie
I’d want to howl up to the sky:
What about me?
What about me?
How can it be
This miraculous “she"
Could forget about me?

SID
(Tries to take her hand) Raina.

RAINA
No!

Every time I’d see a woman
Lift a baby to her breast
Walk a toddler ‘cross the street
Or Scold a teen on how she's dressed
Every time I read about
How every mother loves her child
In my mouth the taste grows bitter
In my chest my heart beats wild
Every time I think of how
You left me when I had no voice
No words to tell you how I need you
No power that could sway your choice
I want to rage
I want to cry
I want to tell them it's all a lie
I want to howl up to the sky:
What about me?
What about me?
How can it be
This miraculous “she”
Could forget about me?

To sit there in the room with you
Hear your laughter, see your smile
It’s not as I imagined it would be
My heart’s a knot, a book shut tight
Unreadable even to me
Every time you meet my eyes
I lose my tether, lose my drive
Why do they love you?
Why can’t I hate you?
Oh why don’t you know that I’m alive
How can it be
This miraculous she

The teacher, the prophet, the seer, the sage
The one who shines light on this desolate age
The one whose compassion is vaster than earth
Who shows us the cycle of death and rebirth...
Oh how is it true
This miraculous you
Could just walk away
Stray till today
From your own body's issue
Your sinew, your tissue
This stubborn but vulnerable
Still, I hope, lovable
Me?
Track Name: You Are There: SID
This is the part where I kiss your head
You’re sleeping soundly; I don’t want to wake you
This is the part where I pack my bag
I pack light, I can’t afford to take too much...
This is the part where I fold up the note
That I wrote to Yasha, I prop it on the table,
This is the part where I stop at the door,
Drop my bag and run to kiss your head ONCE MORE...
This is the part where tears come
This is the part where I turn to run
This is the part where I double over
The pain is overwhelming as the day you were born

This is the part where I split in two
Strange as it sounds, there’s no other way to say it
One of me turns, but the other scoops you up,
And you’re so light, you don’t weigh a thing...
That’s how I bring you with me

And everywhere I go
You are always there
A thousand miles from home
You are always there
We gaze at the planets,
Sleep on a park bench,
Wake to a flashlight’s glare,
You are there.
You are always there.
Scavenging to eat
You are always there
I sing you to sleep
A lullaby prayer
And you give me strength
To keep on searching
Year after wandering year
A reason to care
You are there

RAINA
Was I there?

SID
You were there

RAINA
Was I always there?

SID
You were always there

SID AND RAINA
In this life we share

RAINA
I am always there

SID
You are always...

(SID positions herself beneath the freeway, exactly as she was during the temptations sequence.)

SID (CONT’D)
This is the part where I face the truth
Admit to myself that I left you long ago

RAINA
No...

SID
The part where all illusions die
RAINA
Don’t leave me, Mama

SID
This is the moment I leave behind
All that I knew

RAINA
Oh Mama, No

SID
All that I was

RAINA
Mama, no

SID
All that I held
All that I loved
Goodbye
This is the moment I am no longer “I”...

(An earth-shaking rumble starts, low at first, then building. As RAINA watches helplessly from the edge of the stage,SID’s breathing becomes louder. On the scrim her shadow grows larger and larger until it is enormous. The music rises and rises. SID reaches out her hand and touches the earth. She speaks in a voice unlike any she has used before.)

SID (CONT’D)
As the earth bears witness to the work I’ve done over a hundred thousand lifetimes, I have the right to be free.
Track Name: You've Got a Glow Reprise: ANDY
So many years
I walked by your side
In awe of the miracle
That brought you to be my guide
My unearthly angel
My beacon of truth
And as you depend on me
I depended on you

My life's direction and course
I gave over in service to yours
But there is so much you concealed
That I no longer know what is real

You taught me the pain of clinging
And yet I held on
To an image of you that is finally gone
I'm empty inside
But now I know
Sidney, dear Sidney,
I have to go.
Track Name: Aren't You Ashamed?: REPORTERS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, would you give us a statement?

YOGIS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, are they telling the truth?

REPORTERS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, does your own daughter hate you?

YOGIS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, I am really confused.

REPORTERS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, do you have other secrets?

YOGIS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, is this some kind of test?

REPORTERS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, do you prey on their weakness?

(Indicating yogis)

DEREKH, MYRA
Mama Sid, Mama Sid, just don’t talk to the press!

REPORTER 1
Mama Sid, will you quit teaching
Now that your past has been exposed?

MYRA AND DEREKH
No!
REPORTER 2
Mama Sid, how can you justify
Being so hard, so brutal, so cold

MYRA
This is totally unfair!

DEREKH
If she were a man, nobody would care!

REPORTER 3
She left her boyfriend alone with an infant

REPORTERS
Never told anyone that she had a kid

MIKE
We thought you'd achieved earthly perfection!

(The following YOGIS’ and REPORTERS’ lines are sung simultaneously.)

REPORTERS
Aren't you ashamed of what you did?
Aren't you ashamed of what you did?
Aren't you ashamed of what you did, what you did?

YOGIS
Mama Sid, Mama Sid
Mama Sid, Mama Sid
What you did, what you did

ALL
Are you ashamed?
Track Name: This Story is Mine Final Reprise: RAINA
This story was supposed to be
A saga of revenge
I'd sweep in on my righteous steed
And that would be the end
I'd ruin your name
Witness your shame
And then flee
Finally free

Now look at this spectacle:
Hyenas swarming round
They clamor for humiliation
But still you stand your ground
They hunger for blood
But you give back... love

This story
This story
This story
Is not what I planned for...

If my opponent isn't mortified, then where's my victory?
And even if you were ashamed,
What good would it do me?
If I can't drag you back
And make you the mother I always wanted
The mother I thought I needed
The mother you will never be...
And yet you say

SID
Please stay

RAINA
You want me to stay

SID
I want you to stay

RAINA
But how can I stay
When I still don't understand
How your love for me
And your love for all the world
Go hand in hand
What can I be to you?

SID
I want to find out too
What kind of family

RAINA AND SID
We can be
Track Name: As Long As I Am Living: SID
As long as I am living
There are places yet to go
As long as I am human
I still have the chance to grow
the river forks, each time it bends
I am upended in the flow
And I go on...
I go on...

SID AND RAINA
As long as I am living

RAINA
I can always be surprised

SID AND RAINA
As long as I am human

SID
My ideas can be revised

SID AND RAINA
Our hearts can always break again
No matter how we try to hide
And we go on

SID, RAINA, YOGIS
As long as we are living
The path will twist and wind
As long as we are human
We will stumble as we climb
The more we live, the more we see
How deeply we're entwined

SID AND RAINA
And we go on...

YOGIS
Feel the joy
Feel the grief
The act of naming brings relief

SID AND RAINA
And we go on

YOGIS
Heavy, light, shallow, deep

SID AND RAINA
And on
And we go

SID, RAINA, YOGIS
On in the human experience

REPORTERS
This story

SID, RAINA, YOGIS
We go on in the human experience
REPORTERS
This story

SID, RAINA
As long as we are building

YOGIS
We are loving

REPORTERS
The truth...

SID, RAINA
As long as we are changing

YOGIS
We are laughing

REPORTERS
The truth...

SID, RAINA
As long as we are choosing

YOGIS
We are crying

REPORTERS
The truth...

SID, RAINA
As long as we are human

YOGIS
We are dying

SID, RAINA
As long as we are living

YOGIS
We are living

REPORTERS
The truth...

SID, YOGIS
We are

ALL
Living the human experience.
Track Name: Look to the Thought Reprise: SID
So let us look to the thought

ALL
For thoughts lead to words

SID AND RAINA
Look to the word

ALL
For words lead to actions
Look to the action
For actions lead to habits
Habits lead to character
And character becomes destiny
So may our thoughts be clear
May our words be kind
Our actions skillful
Our habits wise
Character be true
Destinies joyful

SID
For from the tiny seed of thought
The thicket of existence grows

ALL
From the tiny seed of thought
All existence grows
All existence, all existence, all existence
All existence grows.
Track Name: Isn't It Amazing?* (Bonus Track, Piano/Voice, Digital Only): Isn’t it Amazing?

Oh
Isn’t it amazing
How at times you awaken
Tangled up in a dream?
But when you try to hold the moment close
It streaks away from you
like a moving train
Leaving behind
Nothing but steam

Awaken
To this waking dream
Isn’t it amazing
How urgent it seems?
We fight our battles, pledge our sacred oaths
Construct our fragile, towering spires
Of hope and desire

Awaken
To this rushing stream
Everything we’ve created
Everything that we seem to be
Is just as insecure and fleeting
Mercurial as your own heart beating
Pure and strange, this too will change
Just like a dream
Slipping past like a dream
A miraculous dream
Isn't it amazing…

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