The Romance of the Rose was performed in a staged
reading by University Theater at the University of Chicago
on April 27 & 28, 2001 with the following cast:
Troubadour...........................................................................Sean Slayback
Violins....................................................Chang Duk Kang, Cordelia Ziraldo
Cello.......................................................................................Danielle Choi
Scholar....................................................................................Junhow Wei
Flute...................................................................................Tammy Ghattas
Piano.....................................................................................Nikki Zapanta
Noblewoman...............................................................................Julia Riley
Court Ladies.........................Gemma Cooper-Novack, Jessica Jalbrzikowski
Young Woman.........................................................................Alexa Martin
Sister of the Duke of Maience....................................................Erin Walker
Count of Luxembourg............................................................Sean Slayback
Conrad, Emperor of Germany......................................................Alex Corey
Old Woman................................................................................Sadie Stein
Jouglet, the Emperor’s favorite minstrel..................................Jared Ranere
Liénore, a beautiful and virtuous young woman.....................Anne Parsons
Mother of Liénore and Guillaume.....................................Victoria Cannizzo
Nicole, a young messenger.......................................................Junhow Wei
Retainer of Guillaume de Dole......................................................Josh Tyra
Guillaume de Dole, a knight errant...................................Nathaniel Adams
Illiterate Knight......................................................................Jared Ranere
Retainers........................................................Jared Ranere, Sean Slayback
The Emperor’s Seneschal (household steward)…...................Sean Slayback
Bystander at the Tournament..................................Gemma Cooper-Novack
Servant........................................................................................Julia Riley
Retainer with a Rusty Sword....................................................Junhow Wei
It was performed again, with some revisions, on May 30, 2001 by special request of the University of Chicago’s Medieval Studies Workshop. Deirdre Kelly replaced Danielle Choi as the cellist for that performance. The material for the Chatelaine of Dijon and her Mother was unthought of at the time of the first two performances, and unfortunately not ready in time for the third. Gemma Cooper-Novack and Sadie Stein were slated to play those roles, respectively. In the 2006 version their song takes the place of Jouglet’s song “When You Tell a Story,” which was cut on the grounds that, ironically enough, it didn’t aid one bit in the telling of the story.
Setting: The distant past, sometime before 1200 A.D., in France and Germany.
Synopsis of Scenes and Songs, 2001 version
ACT ONE
PROLOGUE
The middle of a forest in Germany, where Conrad has retreated with his entire court for feasting and revelry.
No. 1: Prologue (Troubadour and Scholar)
No. 2: The Perfect King (Full Company)
SCENE 1
The same.
No. 3: A Little Bit Like Love (Conrad and Jouglet)
No. 3A: When Flowers Die in Fall (Playoff) (Conrad and Jouglet)
SCENE 2
France; the manor house of Guillaume de Dole.
No. 4: Guillaume’s Report (Guillaume, Mother, Company)
No. 5: Chansons de Toile (Mother, Liénore, Company)
SCENE 3
Germany, Conrad’s palace.
No 6: When You Tell a Story (Jouglet)
SCENE 4
A tournament field in Saint-Trond, France, and in and around Guillaume’s tent.
No. 7: The Tournament (Bystanders)
No. 8: The Seneschal’s Story (Seneschal)
ACT TWO
No. 9: Entracte
SCENE 1
The manor house.
No. 10: There’s a Rose (Mother, Seneschal)
SCENE 2
Conrad’s palace
No. 11: A Little Bit Like Love (Reprise) (Conrad)
SCENE 3
The manor house.
No. 12: Little Miss Metaphor (Liénore)
SCENE 4
Maience (now Mainz), Germany, where Conrad holds full court.
No. 13: Trial By Water (Old Woman)
No. 14: Finale (The Perfect King: Reprise) (Liénore, Company)
The Romance of the Rose was revised and expanded between 2002 and 2006.
Sweeping changes were made which included many expanded scenes and a new subplot based around an “offstage” character from the original, the Chatelaine of Dijon. The first draft had only seven main musical numbers; in the rewriting process dialogue was slashed throughout to make room for 12 additional songs, plus a couple of reprises and much new incidental music.
Cast of Characters, In Order of Appearance:
Troubadour
A Modern-Day Scholar
A Noblewoman
Lords and Ladies of the German Court
A Young Woman
Aélis, The Chatelaine of Dijon (a young noblewoman)
Bernard de Blois (a young nobleman, in love with Aélis)
Conrad, Emperor of Germany
Mother of the Chatelaine of Dijon
Jouglet, the Emperor’s favorite minstrel
Liénore, a beautiful and virtuous young woman
Mother of Liénore and Guillaume
Nicole, a young messenger
A Retainer of Guillaume de Dole
Guillaume de Dole, a knight errant
An Illiterate Knight
Two of Guillaume’s Retainers
The Emperor’s Seneschal (household steward)
A Squire at Conrad’s court
A Lady-in-Waiting of the Chatelaine of Dijon
A Lord and Lady, on their way to the tournament at Saint-Trond
Three Young Noblemen
Two Young Noblewomen
The Count of Blois, Bernard’s father
A Noble Cad
An Innocent Maiden
A Bystander at the Tournament
An Old Woman
A Beautiful Widow
A Wealthy Lord
A Servant at Guillaume’s Manor
Retainer with a Rusty Sword
Innkeeper
Innkeeper’s Wife
Townsman
Synopsis of Scenes and Songs, 2006 version
ACT ONE
PROLOGUE
The middle of a forest in Germany, where Conrad has retreated with his entire court for feasting and revelry.
No. 1: Prologue (Troubadour and Scholar)
No. 2: The Perfect King (Full Company)
SCENE 1
The same.
No. 3:The Ballad of Guillaume and Liénore (Jouglet and Conrad)
No. 4: A Little Bit Like Love (Conrad and Jouglet)
No. 4A: When Flowers Die in Fall (Playoff) (Conrad and Jouglet)
SCENE 2
France; the manor house of Guillaume de Dole.
No. 4B: Retort (Liénore)
No. 5: Guillaume’s Report (Guillaume, Mother, Company)
No. 6: Chansons de Toile (Mother, Liénore, Company)
No. 6A: In Your Hands (Guillaume)
No. 6B: Traveling Music (Instrumental)
SCENE 3
Germany, Conrad’s palace; also Dijon, France, the palace of the Chatelaine.
No 7: The Chatelaine of Dijon (Chatelaine, Chatelaine’s Mother)
No. 8: What the Courtly Do (Conrad, Guillaume, Jouglet)
SCENE 4
A tournament field in Saint-Trond, France, and in and around Guillaume’s tent.
No. 9: Faring Very Well: The Tournament
(Lord, Lady, Chatelaine, Chatelaine’s Mother, Noble Cad,
Innocent Maiden, Bernard, Count of Blois, Chorus)
No. 10: Bernard’s Love Song (Bernard, Seneschal, Squire)
No. 10A: Faring Very Well (Conclusion) (Bystander, Old Woman,
Beautiful Widow, Wealthy Lord, Chorus)
No. 11: If She Only Knew Me (Conrad, Guillaume)
No. 12: The Seneschal’s Story (Seneschal)
ACT TWO
No. 13: Entracte
SCENE 1
The manor house.
No. 14: There’s a Rose (Mother, Seneschal)
No. 15: Stabat Mater (Liénore’s Prayer) (Liénore, Chatelaine)
No. 16: Anything Under the Sun (Liénore, Chatelaine)
No. 16A: Crossover (Instrumental)
SCENE 2
Conrad’s palace
No. 17: In Her Hands (Guillaume, Conrad, Retainer)
No. 17A: A Little Bit Like Love (Reprise) (Conrad)
SCENE 3
The manor house.
No. 18: Trio (Retainer, Mother, Liénore)
No. 19: Little Miss Metaphor (Liénore)
SCENE 4
An inn in Maience (now Mainz), Germany.
No. 20: Gossip (Innkeeper, Innkeeper’s Wife, Nobles, Townspeople)
No. 20A: Liénore’s Entrance (Townspeople)
SCENE 5
The palace at Maience, where Conrad holds plenary court.
No. 20B: Trial By Water (Old Woman)
No. 20C: The Chatelaine of Dijon (Reprise)
(Chatelaine, Chatelaine’s Mother, Bernard)
No. 21: Discovering You (Conrad, Liénore, Bernard, Chatelaine)
No. 22: Finale (The Perfect King: Reprise) (Liénore, Company)
No. 22A: Bows and Exit Music (Instrumental)