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Act IThe Victim's BallA Cut-Throat GameThe Rest of My LifeThe Road to AustriaThe Dream WithinThe Lover's SongOn That First NightThe Tale of Two SculptorsThe Calm Before The StormTimor MortisSweet Victory DivineAct IIWalls of StoneThe Last CrusadeThe Friend You Were To MeWaiting and HopingNapoleon's ReturnFinaleA c t . IIt is 1796. At a decadent high society party in post-revolutionaryFrance. Madame Guillotine is mocked for the amusement of the survivingaristocracy.The Victim's BallChorus:If you should number among the eliteSentenced to die by the mob in the streetNow you need not be concerned in the leastThe Terror is over!We've all been released!A few years ago life was freeLife was funI wasn't bothering anyoneThen came that damned Revolution in whichThey jailed and assailed usBecause we're the richI lost a brotherI lost a sonI lost an uncle, my favourite one.Friends and acquaintainces all guillotined!We almost went with themThank God fate intervened!Join in the party and bid you farewellTo that sharp-minded woman we've come to know wellThose with you necksPay your final respectsSay good-bye to our queenIt's the last she'll be seenSay 'au revoir' to Madame Guillotine!Enter the DirectorsHere's the new government, rescued us allOur gracious Directors, the hosts of the ballThough they're corrupt they've got all of our votesAt least they're not peasantsWith eyes on our throats!Come to the Victim's Ball, bid your farewellTo the meanest misfortune that ever befellShe'd leave you stungWith one lash of her tongueMadame's razor-sharp witNever dulled, never quitNow, shout your 'hurrah', it's the last she'll be seen!Say 'au revoir' to Madame Guillotine!Citizeness Thérèse Tallien you are accused of having too much money.How do you plead?Thérèse:Guilty! Guilty! Gloriously guilty!Napoleon angrily walks away from the Directors having rejected his latest posting.Barras:Now, General Bonaparte,Let's talk this throughDucos:How can you refuseWhat we're offering you?Napoleon:You know the command of the army reserveIs not the promotion I clearly deserveThe Austrian army is right at our doorShow me some trust and I'll win you the warNapoleon notices Josephine.Napoleon:Lucien who is she?Lucien:Such beauty and eleganceNapoleonWho can she be?Thérèse:Rose, look there,I think you've been noticedJosephine:Thérèse, he's a boyThérèse:A boy with his prospectsIs just what you needHe's moving towards usThink of your debtsJosephine:He's gaining potential the closer he gets.Napoleon:Dance with me, madame,Do me the honourJosephine:The honour is mineThey dance. Napoleon's lack of sophistication becomes apparent.Napoleon:Madame, forgive my wretched dancingJosephine:You're forgivenNapoleon:How should I address you?Josephine:My name is RoseNapoleon:Just Rose?Josephine:Marie-Josèphe-Rose... Tascher.. de BeauharnaisNapoleon:JosephineI think that suits you better -- JosephineJosephine:A gentleman would be a bit less forwardNapoleon:Should I tell you your beauty in enchanting?Shall I say that I am spellbound by your charms?Oh, I could try to play the patient loverBut all I want to do is take you in my armsJosephine:On first encounters,One ought to keep one's distanceNapoleon:Josephine, I hope we meet againThe Directors approach Napoleon.Barras:General, perhaps you were right after allThe offer we made was insultingly smallMoulins:We're pleased to give you the promotion you seekDucos:You have it!Barras:It's yours!Moulins:You depart in a weekBarras:Go beat the AustriansMoulins:Every success!Ducos: (aside)If he should die we'll have one headache less!All:Well done, young BonaparteThis is a coup!We always believedThat you had it in youMy noble DirectorsI hope for your sakeIn trusting this manYou've not made a mistake!Now one last time bid a rousing farewellTo that lady of ladiesThe Mistress of HellNo barber could shave you so closeBut God save youHer methods were meanAnd her blade wasn't cleanAnd the price that you paid for a shave was obsceneSo say 'au revoir' to Madame Guillotine!Say 'au revoir' to Madame Guillotine![Top]The guests leave. Talleyrand, Fouché and Garrau remain.A Cut-Throat GameTalleyrand:Monsieur Fouché,Monsiur Garrau,Join me for a drinkSomething in young BonaparteReally makes me think -I've had a premonitionStrange as it may soundMy flawless intuitionTells me we have foundA man we ought to watchAmbitious, unafraidA man who's going farIn politics one needs to hitchOne's wagon to a starFouché:A toast to Minister Talleyrand!Survival is his aimGarrau:A man from whom 'Duplicity'Could be a middle nameTalleyrand:Allegiance to a governmenetDoesn't mean a thingI'd be pleased with revolutionariesDelighted with a King:One has to be detatchedOne has to be devoidOf any sentimental tiesIf on'es to be employedEssentially, eventuallyAll leaders are destroyedA toast to my two deputiesMy faithful civil servantsGood health to men like you and meWho honour strict observanceOf all the trick in politicsThe secrets of the tradeFouché:DisloyaltyGarrau:DishonestyTalleyrand:One musn't be afraidTo use whatever meansTo spot the winning horseFor politicians, foresightIs a paramount resource!I always hedge my betsI always look aheadWhy stay on a sinking shipWhen one can jump instead?Oh, it's a business with no rulesThat's the nature of the gameBe the leaders, wise or foolsTo me it's all the sameI couldn't care who runs the showThe only thing I want to knowIs whom to bet uponWhen those in charge lose their appeal:I think this Bonaparte may some day prove idealFouché + Garrau:The man knows how to pick themHe's a master politician!A glass of cheer to his careerA statesman and tacticianTalleyrand:A toast to men like meFor whom endurance is the aim!Political survivalGarrau:Political survivalFouché:Political survivalAll:Is a cut-throat game![Top]It is two weeks later. As Lucien Bonaparte watches his brotherprepare to go out, he worries that they will grow apart in France.Napoleon laughingly reassure him and leaves to call on Josephine.The Rest of My LifeNapoleon:I know it's late to callBut I must speak with youForgive me, Madame BeauharnaisSeveral timess this weekI have approached your doorTonight I could not turn awayJosephine:You're right, it's very lateYou'd best get to the pointNapoleon:I leave for my command in seven daysI haven't longI'm tortured by the thought that I might lose youWhile I'm goneHow can I say thisWithout it sounding wrong?If I had words to speak my heartIf only I knew where to startI know you'd see much more in meThan an ill-mannered man through and throughOr a boy unworthy of youI'd find a way with poetryTo tell you what you've done to meI'd write a verses the universeWould recall as the best ever pennedBy a hopeful lover and friendI wake every day wanting you more and moreAnd I ache in a wayI have never beforeWas it fate that we met?From the first glance I knewThat I'd want to shareThe rest of my life with you.Napoleon: Josephine:(I'd find a way I couldn't ever love himwith poetry Imagine him and meto tell you what Two more different peopleyou've done to me There couldn't beI'd write a verse And though his honestythe universe has to be admiredwould recall His sweet naivetéas the best leaves much to be desiredever penned He's so youngby a hopeful I ought to be as honest herelover and friend) as he.And yet, he'd beA way for meAt least to findImagine SecurityA future, a life Imagine lifeWithout a care Without a careYou could see I could seeYour troubles Troubles comeCome to an end To an endIf you were If I wereMy lover and friend His lover and friendJosephine:Every word you impart is as soft as a kissNapoleon:It's absurd, but my heart never once felt like thisJosephine:Was it fate that we met?Napoleon:From the first glance I knewThat I'd want to shareJosephine:Could I shareBoth:The rest of my lifeWith you With you?The rest of my lifeWith you With you?Josephine:You leave so soonNapoleon:Then marry meJosephine:Stay the night... and we'll see.A week later, the army is departing. Napoleon says atender goodbye to his new wife.Napoleon:Your faintest whisper wakens meYour softest touch brings me to lifeAnd when I feel your beating heartI know I am alive[Top]The Road to AustriaCaptain: (shouted)Fall in!Army:For FreedomFor JusticeOur childrenOur futureFor FreedomFor JusticeOur childrenOur futureVarious soldiers during the march:Two full days of marchingI've not even broken a sweatSurely, little girlieIt's too early for a blister yetIs that the new commander?Heaven save us, he's a boy!Watching him make a botch-upIs a sight I will enjoyThree days of marchingMy boots are wearing throughEight leagues already todayBy sunset we'll have marched twenty-two!This crate is full of wine!Look, I don't believe it, Neufchatel!The officerss have it easyBut for you and me war is hellNapoleon:Captain, I recognize himWhat's the soldier's name?Do you know?Captain:Sir, that's Sergeant AntonNapoleon:Served with me three years agoSergeant AntonWe've met beforeThree years agoIn the thick of the warThe Battle of ToulonYou distinguished yourselfYou fought as a heroI saw it myselfExit NapoleonAnton:That's amazingTo think that he'd remember meOne of a thousandHow cann it be?Soldiers:Five days of marchingThere's not a part of me that doesn't acheLord, please have mercy on usThis pace is too hard to takeArmy:Eight days of marchingEight days on little to eatSoldiers:The general's leading us towards defeatThe battle's already a lossNo matter how ready we areThe Austrians out-number us by farArmy:Nine full days of marching towards the mountainsWhat happens now?Soldiers:We have to get around themBut I don't see howGeneral Bonaparte you must be madTo cross the Alps is insaneWhy risk the army?Bonaparte:The advantage is plain:The Austrians won't expect usIf we come through this wayIf Hannibal did it years agoWe can do it todaySoldiers:Have you heard the orders?We're all going to dieWe can't cross the AlpsIt's senseless to tryThere's no route through the mountainsJust a mule-track four foot wideArmy:It's madness to send an armyAlong a storm-swept mountain sideAnton:If Bonaparte says we can do itWe'll get through itYou will seeA journey with the generalAlways leads to victory!Against the odds, Napoleon and his men accomplish whatseemed impossible -- crossing the Alps on foot, draggingheavy artillery.Army:Twelve days of exhaustionHow's a battle to be won?Now the night before the battleHas finally come...[Top]Napoleon, wandering amongst the weary and dispirited men, seesAnton who as isolated himself from the rest.The Dream WithinNapoleon:Beneath this veneeer of courageUnder this brave charadeI am just the same as you areRestless and afraidI share the same existenceGoverned by mortal fearEven though I fight against itDeath is always nearI am not so differentTonight, just like you allI must face that questionThe most human one of all:Is tomorrow's battleThe one in which I'll fallWe have a dream within usA will to improve our lotIn your heart you are a GeneralDon't believe you're notLook at the world we live inMen such as we can riseThough we are of humble backgroundWe can reach the skiesAnton:Those we face tomorrowWould take away that chanceNapoleon:They'd rob you of ambitionAnton:They would not let me advanceTomorrow, when I fight themI don't just fight for FranceNapoloen: Anton:Turn to the dream within you I needn't be afraidAllow it to lead the way I know that I believeNo matter how they challenge us The dreamThey can't take it away They can't take it awayThough we may be out-numbered Anything can beWe are a mighty throng And men like you and IThe cause for which we fight Can beMakes us a thousand armies strong A thousand armies strongEvery man is equal Every man is equalEvery man stands tall Every man stands tallOur dreams and our ambitions Our dreamsHave now become our call Have now become our callIn tomorrow's battle In tomorrow's battleWe will make a difference We will make a differenceI will make a differenceEven if I fall Even if I fallThe battle beginsSoldiers: Napoleon + Anton:Trust in the dream within you We needn't be afraidAllow it to lead the wayAs long as we believe the dream No matter how they challenge usThey can't take it away They can't take it awayThough we may be outnumbered Anything can beWe are a mighty throng And men like you and IThe cause for which we fight can beMakes usAll:A thousand armies strongNapoleon:And so to gloryWe will goA better futureWe will knowAll: Napoleon:Though we may be out numbered We know we will winOnward and we will win We know we will winFollowing FollowingAll:Following the dream within[Top]The Lover's SongIn Napoleon's absense, Josephine has returned to her extravagantlifestyle of lavish parties, expensive clothing... and a lover.Charles is lying on Josephine bed at Malmaison.Charles:All of Paris waits to seeThe cuckold coming homeI wonder if he knows, my dear,That you've not been aloneFor countless hot impassioned nightI've had his wife on loanHe clearly thinks that he's the bestBut he's been so misledHe might've won the big commandBut I've come out aheadHere in his wife's bedIt's been a joy to carry onAll this time that he's been goneI've savoured every rendez-vous;Each secret moment spent with youBut tonight will mean much moreKnowing he's next doorYou can't resist a man like meThe danger of me haunts youCome to me my JezebelCasanova wants you.Bored with his bragging, Josephine throws him his jacket. After hehas left, she is restless and discontented, thinking about her husband.Somehow, her jaded attitude toward men doesn't seem to be serving heras well as in the past.Meanwhile, the conditions in France has come to a crisis. Angry crowdscall for the overthrow of the of corrupt government which as failed toimprove the terrible living conditions in Paris.Rumours of Josephine's infidelity have reached Napoleon and there is anasty scene between them on his victorios return. Talleyrand comes toNapoleon to tell him that his popularity as "the hero of the people" notonly offers him a unique opportunity -- it has also placed him undersuspicion. If someone where to accus him of plotting a cout d'etat hewould also be arrested. Talleyrand convinces Napoleon that hisassistance is essential to Napoleon's success. The plot gains momentumuntil on the "Eighteenth of Brumaire", the Directors attempt to haveNapoleon arrested. Lucien seizes the moment and galvanizes the soldiersand the crowd in Napoleon's favour. Napoleon wins the day.[Top]Josephine sits alone on the terrace at MalmaisonOn That First NightJosephine:In the dusk I seeThat fateful nightWhen you first came to meWe shared the dying dayYou drew me nearAnd in your arms I layThere, in the fading lightYou warmed the coming nightAnd all of my defences fell awayNapoleon appears behind herI need youI cannot live withought youI see nowMy world would end without youI need you touchYour warm caressNapoleon:Hold meHold me close foreverJosephine:Tell me we'll always be togetherNapoleon:Each night without you I need you more and moreJosephine:I've been afraid to face the truthI've been denying it,Though all along I knewIt happened thereIt happened thenOn that first nightI fell in love with youNapoleon:That night beneath the starsYou broke the walls I built around my heartJosephine:There, against my planYour heated kissBegan to take commandBoth:You breathed your fire into meIt slowly took controlA burning passion now consumes my soulAnd now I knowThe flames insideWill never dieI need youI cannot live without youI see nowMy world would end without youI need your touchYour warm caressNapoleon:Hold me,Hold me close foreverJosephine:Tell me we'll always be togetherNapoleonEach night without youI need you more and moreBoth:Believe in meAs I believe in youJosephine:Look in my eye and seeBoth:That every word is trueIt happened thereIt happened thenOn that first nightI fell in love with you[Top]Two years later, Napoleon's military success and revolutionaryrhetoric have led the establishment of "A Secret Pact". Theadvisors to the royal houses of Europe plan to assassinate Napoleon.The scene changes to a vaudeville performance in honour ofNapoleon and Josephine.The Tale of Two SculptorsBarrière:Here's a tale you may not knowIt happened not that long agoBehold two sculptors of Par-eeLamenting what they'd come to beSculptors:Woe... woe... woeBarrière:They had no money -- had no foodTheir studio was cramped and crudeThen one day a man walked inHe wasn't French, but Cor-see-kinHe placed an order that fine day --'I want a statue of myself for my hall-way'Sculptor 1:A wretched statue of a scrawny little generalSculptor 2:It's the only way these days to pay our debtsSculptor 1:It used to be that sculptors were respected artistsSculptor 2:Now this demeaning work is all one gets!Sculptor 1:All the great masters had it very easyThey created while their patrons kept them fedSculptor 2:Not so long ago that fellow MichelangeloMade his 'David' the way he pleasedSculptor 1:Now he's lucky to be deadBoth:He'd have to carve this kind of shit insteadBarrièe:But then he kept on coming inWith every battle, every winAnd soon our little sculptor friendsWere doing more than meeting endsSculptor 2:This General is really good for business!Sculptor 1:I've undergone a sudden change of heart!Sculptor 2:Today he placed an order for a hundred statuesSculptor 1:I could learn nto call this rubbish 'art'Both:It's a matter of basic economicsA simple question of supply and demandWe'll continue to supply 'emFor as long as he will buy 'emSculptor 1:It's not the Venus di MiloSculptor 2:But who cares when there's a pile-o'Orders in your handSculptor 1:We just chip 'emAnd ship 'em on command!Barrièe:So what's the moral of this tale?Listen, it's of some avail:Never underestimateA person who believes he's great --Short or tallFat or thinThose of foreign originLooks of classic beauty,Or a face that makes you wince,Sculptors:These fine days a common pauperCan become a prince!Barrièe:He's a prince!All:The man's a prince![Top]The evening's entertainment is drawing to a close with a tributeto Napoleon, when there is an assassination attempt. Napoleonescapes with his life, but one of the 'sculptors' is killed. In theaftermath of the attempt, Talleyrand convinces Napoleon that he musttake the crown for the good of the nation. Only the establishment ofa dynasty can protect him. Over Lucien's horrified objections,Napoleon agrees. Lucien is arrested and thrown into prison.The Calm Before the StormLucien:A blood-red sunHangs in a lifeless skyIt has begunThose in the way will dieDoes no one see?Does no one know?This is the calm before the stormSoon the cloudsWill choke the lightChange the dayInto an endless nightAnd the wind will drive the rainThere'll be no shelter,No escapeI remember when both of us were youngYou were everything to meThere's been a change in you,And now the brother that I knewSomehow is not the man I seeWhat force has claimed you?What spirit guides you?What is this devilThat has taken you from me?In the distanceThere is thunderWill no one hearMy desperate warning?This is the calmThis is the calm before the storm.Talleyrand tells Lucien he has been exiled from France.[Top]Napoleon is alone in the foreground, kneeling in the Chapel ofNotre Dame. The choir sings the service at his coronation.Timor MortisChoir:Timor mortis conturbat mequia in infernonulla est redemptioTimor mortis conturbat meMiserere mei, DeusMiserere mei, Deuset salva me!et salva me!Kyrie eleisonKyrie eleisonKyrie eleisonet salva me!et salva me!et salva me!et salva me!(The fear of death troubles me -- for in hell there is no redemption)[Top]The gates behind Napoleon open and the candlelit interior is revealed.The Pope moves to place the crown on Napoleon's head. The instant beforeit touches his head, the action freezes.Sweet Victory DivineNapoleon:I see the world spin away beneath meAs if I'm bourne up high into the airRaised beyond the reach of failureAt last, I am delivered thereUnto my goddessUnto my protector's careThere is a voiceThat I alone can hearA siren's love songEthreal and clearThough there is dangerHer beauty leads me onShe bids me closerAnd fearlessly I'm drawnI'm in her powerShe's claimed my soulOver my destinyShe has controlAmid the flames of warI have seen her faceThe smoke of battleIs her embraceThe more I want herThe stronger she becomesBy my own handHer will is doneWhen legions clashWhen cannons roarWhen Hell unleashesIts deadly stormShe comes at least to me!Sweet Victory divineTell me you are mineNone is more willingTo fulfill your grand designYour burning touchCommands my heartIf you demanded itI'd tear the world apartI know that ICan't leave your fireNow that I've kissedthe very flames of true desireDraw me closerHold me for all timeSweet VictoryBe mine!The action around Napoleon resumes. He grabs the crown from the Popeand crowns himself.- - - Curtain - - -[Top]A c t . I INapoleon's dynastic ambitions require an heir. As Josephine isunable to bear him a child, Napoleon's advisors counsel him todivorce her and marry an Austrian princess. His ambition overruleshis heart -- Josephine stands between Napoleon and his destiny. HeDivorces her.Walls of StoneJosephine:No oneAnd I mean no oneGets the satisfaction of destroying meStartingFrom this momentI'll shut the world out and I'll throw away the keyWalls of stone will rise around my heartI'll take refuge in a life apartSomewhere I can call my ownI'll build a fortress where I'll live aloneLook what happens when you let them inWhen you don't heed your own adviceSee the eangre and the pain it bringsIt's a mistake I won't make twiceWatch meJust you watch meI need no one now,I'll shut myself awayHidingFrom the sorrowI won't care what people dare to think or sayI've been openAnd I've found that it's no useLet them pity me the poor recluseLiving behind my walls of stoneWithin that fortress I'll be safe alone[Top]Some time later, Napoleon has gathered his advisors and generalsThe Last CrusadeNapoleon:Dear old friends, I bid you welcomeThe reason I've recalled you all will soon be clearThough you don't know itYou've been chosen to assist meBy the hand of a power DivineYou are more than my advisorsYou're soon to be the founders of a new frontierI've waited yearsAnd now, my friendsAt last it's timeIt's time you knew myGrand Design!Russia just broke a treaty!And so the choice to go to war has now been madeBut Russia is just the startFor something bigger will begin once we invade:Russia's the keyThe gateway to the world!The land from where I'll launch the last crusade!Imagine a quest to build an Eden for mankindA vast eternal Paradise;The Human Spirit unconfined!Our banner shall advanceAs the light of FranceIlluminates the dark oppresive nightUnto the world we shall bring the lightRussiaIndiaPersiaAsiaArabiaEgyptAlgeriaThe SudanTunisiaThe East IndiesThe West IndiesThe OrientThe Americas!Behold my Grand DesignHuman destinyThe enlightenment of man depends on meHistory will call this my greatest victoryRadet: (aside)History, i doubt, will be that kindNapoleon:What's that Radet?What did you say?Speak your mindRadet:Some may take a different viewI fear that history may well be hard on youNapoleon:Ah, Radet, what do you think they'll say?Speak up...Anyone! --What do you think they'll say?Will they call me a tyrant?Was I an opprerssor?No doubt that some will choose to see me in this light?Was I dictator?Or was I a despot?Were all my motives in the wrong and not the right?I rewrote the laws of FranceSo everyone would have the chanceTo rise above their stationI brought emancipationEquality for all!That's not oppression.Will they say I loved battle?Was war an obsession?I'm sure that some will say that's where my folly layI'd say to them clearlyI'd answer them plainlyThat in the age I lived there was no other wayTo achieve the RevolutionThere was only one solutionWe shed our blood for libertyIt was the cost of being freeTo use the means at handIs not obsession!Ah...But what of ambition?My blinding ambitionThere was no one else in history with moreI freely admit itI cannot deny itBut I would ask them,'What was my ambition for?'Every critic would have to confessIt wasn't all for selfishnessI fought to see the birthOf an Elysium on earth:A Kingdom of ReasonWhere man could be his best!Yes -- I had ambition.So let them criticize meCondemn me and despise meTheir words cannot erase the good I've doneI've served the human race far more than any one![Top]Joesphine is alone at Malmaison, tending her beloved roses. Thérèseenters but is refused admittance by the maid who informs her that Josephinewishes to see no one. Thérèse refuses to accept this and comes over tosee JosephineThe Friend You Were To MeThérèse:Is this all an act?Just some point of pride?Or have you decidedTo keep me shut outside?I've heard that things are bad --Rumours, second-handYou won't let me close to youI don't understandYo'ure trying hard to tell meYou're coping on your ownBut there are sometimes troublesWe cannot face aloneI just want you to knowIf you wished it soI would gladly beThe friend you were to meYou were always thereYou were always strongReady with the answersNo matter what went wrongWhen we were both afraidYou knew what to sayAlways chose the perfect wordsThat drove my fear awayYou could make it easyBy simply being youKnowing you would listenThat's what saw me throughKeep silent if you mustWe'll leave it undiscussedBut I would gladly beThe friend you were to meI only want to beThe friend you were to meJosephine:There are sometime troublesWe cannot face alone...Thérèse Josephine:I just want you to knowI can't cope on my ownIf you wished it soPlease don't let me goI would gladly beI won't forgetThe friend you were to me The friend you were to meI only want to beThe friend you were to me[Top]In Napoleon's absense, Tallyrand, Fouché and Garrau conductaffairs of state, dismissing terrible reports from the Russian campaign.Meanwhile, in the ruins of a church in Russia, a group of starvingFrench soldiers who have been separated from the rest of the army havefound shelter form the freezing cold, for the night. Haunted by a dyingman's horrific memories of the campaign, Anton is the lsat to drift off,joining the men in their final sleep as they dream of the women they leftbehind to await their return.Waiting and HopingClarise:He's getting closeI can feel itI know that he'll arriveHe'll be alongHe'll be smilingPeople like him surviveI'm telling myself 'Don't you worrySomewhere out there he's alive'Waiting and hopingSomehow I'm copingSeeing his face in my mindNo sense in grievingFirmly believingHe'd never leave me behindSome won't come homeI knowSome girls will have to make dueMine will be backYes, I'm sure,He'll be one of those lucky fewEveryday prayingNever once sayingI might have to face life aloneNo use in cryingFirmly denyingThat he may never come homeWomen:Waiting and hopingEveryday copingSeeing his face in my mindNo sense in grievingFirmly believingHe'd never leave meHe'd never leave meHe'd never leave me behindClarise:He has a daughterHe has a familyHe knows he has to take care of himselfSomehow he'll make itSomehow he'll have toHe wouldn't want me to fend for myselfWomen:No use in cryingFirmly denyingThey may neverThey may neverThey may never come homeClarise:Firmly denyingHe may never come homeThey may never come home[Top]With the failure of the Russian campaign, Napoleon's fortunes continueto decline until he is forced to abdicate. He accuses Talleyrand of betrayal,but the archpolitician is unabashed. Napoleon is exiled to Elba. Lucienreturns from exile to visit Josphine at Malmaison. He finds her at death'sdoor. Napoleon escapes from Elba. On hearing news, Talleyrand packs his bags.The crowd is once again galvanized by Napoleon.Napoleon's ReturnVictory!Once again the trumpet callCalling out to one and allThe day is won,The day is won!Victory!Everyone come raise the cryLet the banners claim the skyThe day is wonLong live Napoleon![Top]Lucien tells Napoleon of Josephine's death. There is no time to mourn. Wehear the sounds of soldiers marching to the battlefield. Women gather on ahilltop. The fighting begins; wounded are carried off the field. Napoleon isstrangely inactive, paralysed by his sense of loss. The battle is lost.FinaleAll the women except one have left the hilltop.Napoleon:Your fainest whisper wakens meYour softest touch brings me to lifeAnd when I feel your beating heartI know I am aliveThe women turns. It is Josephine.Both:Your fainest whisper wakens meYour softest touch brings me to lifeAnd when I feel your beating heartI know I am aliveWe would just destroy ourselvesIf our worlds were kept apartNapoleon: Josephine:I've torn our world apartI need youI cannot live without youJosephine forgive meI've always loved youHow could I have harmed you?I need youI cannot live without youYou cannot stay with meHold meHold me close foreverYou don't belong hereYour spirit must be freeI need youNo matter how I love youI want youWe cannot be togetherGo now to HeavenAnd leave me to this HellJust let me hold youJoephine you knowBefore you make me goBoth:I'll always loveThough you'll be far from meForever yoursNow go from me!Your soul is freeJosephine walks into the mist of the battlefield below.Napoleon is alone.Napoleon:I see the earth rise up to meet meI am falling helpless to groundThe rocks below reach up to greet meIn my ear the wind makes such a soundI fall, like Icarus in failureHow far awayThat fateful dayThe Corsican was crowned...- - - Curtain - - -