street, but Annette is doubtful - the man looked too old. The Silvain children are jealous that Mariette is receiving private lessons with Petit. The Silvain family leaves and Guillaume barges in, demanding to know when Louise is coming back to him. Louise asks if she can start working at the café again the following Monday, but Guillaume wants more. Obviously in love with Louise, he accuses her of taking the Duke's money again. He tells her that the Duke is paying for Mariette's school. Furious, Louise attacks Guillaume, but his hands close around her neck. Mariette enters and stops in her tracks. A Parisian back street. Albert sits downstage. A Hurdy Gurdy man plays quietly. Louise appears and asks Albert to come home with her. To his relief, she tells him that Mariette is all right, but still Albert refuses to come back with her. At the rehearsals for Cinderella, Pauline Duvernay is fed up with the squabbling Rats. She tells Petit that unless he can get his Rats under control, she will not participate. The Rats poke fun at Mariette and she accuses them of being jealous of her. They tell her to go back where she came from. Mariette runs out in tears. Once she is gone, Alice and Marie devise a plan to get rid of Mariette once and for all. They will push her into Pauline Duvernay. Duvernay complains about Mariette to the Duke. He defends Mariette, but Duvernay will have none of it. She threatens to quit if things don't improve drastically with the Petits Rats. Duvernay storms out and Louise enters. She asks the Duke to take Albert back as the lumiére at the Opera. When the Duke refuses, Louise accuses him of being a terrible person. Louise wonders why she ever brought Mariette to Paris. Grosnier and François comfort Mariette. She is worried that the other Rats will be cruel to her again. François gives Mariette a bonbon - and a kiss - to cheer her up. The Petits Rats and Ballerinas enter. The children are going to put on a show for their parents and the Duke. As the show begins. Marie and Alice accidentally push Amélie into Duvernay instead of Mariette. Duvernay is badly injured, but Amélie insists that she was pushed. Mariette is furious. She knows the push was meant for her. Guillaume screams that Mariette is just like her mother - she must always be the centre of attention. Calling for Albert, Mariette runs out into the street. Albert is slumped on the street, dead. In his hands, he clasps Mariette's beautiful ballet shoes from Monsieur Silvain. Mariette sings to him, calling him her father. François gently takes the shoes from Albert and gives them to Mariette. The rest of the Company arrives. They all mourn Albert. Mariette pledges to dance for him. The Duke recommends that Mariette play Duvernay's part that evening. The Cinderella Ballet begins. Mariette appears after the performance with her ballet shoes in her hands. The crowd applauds wildly for her. The Duke encourages her to stay and be the new star of the ballet, but Louise tells Mariette it's time to go. Mariette hands the Duke her ballet shoes and runs into her mother's arms. Mariette and Louise leave together. PRINCIPALS: (15 male, 20 female (can be expanded)) • The Duke of Bordeaux • Madame Genevieve Silvain • Madame Grosnier • Madame Louise Dupré • Monsieur Alain Silvain • Monsieur Charles Petit • Monsieur George Albert • Monsieur Guillaume Dor • Pauline Duvernay • François Goddard • Mariette Dupré • Alice Auriol • Amelie Dor • Annette Silvain • Antoinette Goselin • Esmeraulde Copère • Jacques Pillet • Katrine Blanche • Louis Leroux • Marcel Silvain • Marie Manet • Pierre Pillet • The Count de la Mere • The Countess de la Mere • A Doctor • Hurdy Gurdy Man • Madame Fanny Pillet • Madame Goselin • Monsieur Grenville • A Nun • A Street-Seller • Arthur • Gaston • Jean • Michel • Phillipe • Pierre • Victor • Carla Ferrara • Eloise Vedy • Fanny Worth
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