"Accused of murder and abandoned by the woman he loves, Silas flees his hometown. He becomes a reclusive weaver in a village with secrets of its own. Silas' story intersects unexpectedly with that of prominent villager Godfrey when a child forces both men to confront past ghosts and re-discover the importance of human connection. Tales of love, loss, and healing intertwine against the backdrop of pre-industrial England in this adaptation of George Eliot's beloved classic."
SYNOPSIS (The Weaver of Raveloe)
ACT ONE – WINTER (Rural England, early 1800s)
On the edge of a gloomy lake near the English village Raveloe, Silas Marner is working on an unfinished tapestry (MOONLESS NIGHT). Godfrey Cass, the well-to-do son of a squire, enters on the opposite side of the stage. A church bell chimes in the distance, resurrecting unwanted memories for both men.
As Silas stands and walks through the village, distributing his woven goods, the villagers speculate about Silas' mysterious origins, his hoard of hidden gold, and his strange episodes of suspended consciousness. Godfrey commissions a tapestry from Silas for the Squire's Christmas ball, and the weaver returns home to count his gold. His mind wanders back to the time when his childhood friend, William, became jealous of his love for a pretty young woman named Sarah and framed Silas for murder (ONCE UPON A MORNING). Godfrey recalls the wife, Molly, and the daughter, Eppie, that he abandoned upon discovering his wife's disreputable past. No one but Godfrey's brother, Dunstan, knows that he is married to Molly, and Young Godfrey bribes his brother into silence. Expelled from the town of his youth and rejected by Sarah, Young Silas leaves his old town and retreats to the outskirts of Raveloe, determined that all human love is false (THE LIFE I USED TO KNOW). The ghost of Sarah's memory follows him, holding a lighted lantern.
In the village square, Mrs. Winthrop and her eight-year-old son, Aaron, distribute herbal remedies to the villagers (MRS. WINTHROP HAS THE CURE). Mr. Bates, the local shopkeeper, attempts to woo Mrs. Winthrop and warns her not to associate with Silas. Aaron sees the Squire riding into town, and the villagers gather to witness his grand entrance (MOST IMPORTANT FELLOW). Soon, friends of the Squire's—the Lammeters—arrive from London, and Godfrey invites their daughter, Nancy, to be the guest of honor at the Squire's Christmas ball.
Meanwhile, Dunstan has lost everything gambling, and he blackmails his older brother into lending him a large sum. The two cross the frozen lake to visit Molly, and Molly sends Godfrey away before he can see Eppie (DUNSTAN AND MOLLY). Eppie converses happily with her Uncle Dunstan and gives him a cracked teacup as a parting gift. Later, when confronted by two creditors, Dunstan uses Godfrey's money to pay one and steals Silas' hidden stash to pay the other (FATE DEALS THE CARDS). He then disappears mysteriously. Silas discovers that his gold has been stolen and sinks into a depression.
On Christmas Eve, the Squire throws a lavish ball. The Lammeters introduce a shocking new dance to the guests (THE WALTZ), and Nancy and Godfrey pairoff. Meanwhile, Molly decides to reveal Godfrey as a coward and a hypocrite (REVENGE). She and Eppie make their way towards the Squire's home, but before arriving, Molly collapses in a fit of drunkenness and hysteria and dies in the snow. Silas mourns the loss of his gold while Godfrey laments the fact that he must keep his past a secret from Nancy (IF ONLY).
As the rich congregate at the Squire's, the poor have gathered in an old inn to celebrate the holiday. Mrs. Winthrop convinces the villagers that money isn't required for merriment (SING OUT, YE MERRY MEN). Alone in the night, Eppie follows the light of Sarah's lantern to Silas' fireplace where she falls asleep (LULLABY). Silas discovers her, and she leads him to her mother.
Back at the Squire's, the Lammeters inform the guests that an industrial revolution is on the horizon, and they all conjecture wildly about the future (THE SPINNING MULE). They are interrupted by the sudden arrival of Silas and Eppie. Godfrey finds Molly's body in the snow and claims not to know her or her child. Silas decides to raise Eppie as his own daughter (LULLABY - REPRISE). As the first act ends, we see Godfrey carrying Molly's body offstage. The ghost memory of Dunstan has appeared, and he exits after them, holding a lighted lantern.
ACT TWO – WINTER TURNING TO SPRING
The second act opens on a nighttime scene. The ghosts of the past have begun haunting Silas and Godfrey in dreams (THE NIGHTMARE). Eppie and Nancy comfort them, and Godfrey's romance with Nancy begins to blossom (NORTH STAR) as Silas slowly learns how to parent a headstrong little girl. Eppie makes friends with Mrs. Winthrop's son, Aaron, and Mrs. Winthrop introduces Silas to the rest of the Raveloe villagers (IT TAKES A VILLAGE).
Godfrey and Nancy marry but are unable to have children. Godfrey watches Eppie grow from a distance, tortured by a growing sense of guilt and regret (THE STRANGER). A budding romance evolves between the now-sixteen-year-old Eppie and a very awkward Aaron (THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL). Meanwhile, Godfrey continues hiding his past life from Nancy, and the two begin to drift apart (I BELIEVE). Sensing that her husband is concealing something, Nancy devotes her time to caring for the bedridden Squire. She discovers that her parents have lost all the money they invested in a London cotton mill and are now returning, destitute, to Raveloe (THE LAMMETERS ARRIVE).
As Nancy and Godfrey walk to the village square to meet the Lammeters, a terrible thunderstorm arises (THE STORM), and the villagers rush to the local inn for shelter. Godfrey becomes separated from Nancy. Through the rain and fog, he thinks he sees the ghosts of Molly and Dunstan. They back him over the edge of the lake, and he cries out for help. Silas hears Godfrey's cry and jumps in the lake after him. The rest of the villagers rush to the scene and help pull the two men back over the embankment. Godfrey is clutching a large leather satchel that once belonged to Dunstan. The storm has destroyed the dam separating the lake from the river, and Godfrey has seen his brother's skeleton in the mud at the bottom of the lakebed. A column in the Squire's home topples, tearing the tapestry in two. Molly and Dunstan disappear. Godfrey overturns Dunstan's satchel, and Silas' stolen gold spills out alongside a broken teacup. Eppie remembers giving the teacup to her Uncle Dunstan as a child and realizes, at last, that Godfrey is her true father (GODFREY AND EPPIE).
Nancy and Godfrey return home to find that the Squire has died during the storm. Eppie and Silas arrive soon afterward to confront Godfrey and demand the truth. Nancy is shocked by the revelation about Eppie, but she eventually comes to terms with the reality of the situation, and Godfrey offers to accept Eppie as his daughter. Silas is furious (RIGHT). He falls into a trance, and the ghosts of Sarah and William confront him as representations of his best and worst self (MOONLESS NIGHT - REPRISE). He ultimately determines to forgive William and Godfrey and to allow Eppie to make her own choice. She can remain with Silas and care for him in his old age or leave the village and accept a life of privilege with Godfrey. Eppie decides to stay with Silas—the only father she has ever known (TWO FACES).
Godfrey turns to Nancy for support as Silas and Eppie leave together (FINALE). Their cottage on the edge of the lake has been completely destroyed, but Silas and Eppie find comfort and stability in their reaffirmed relationship. The villagers enter and lead the father and his daughter to a new home in the village. They form a tableaux as a large tapestry depicting the scene falls to cover the stage.
DUN, DUN, DUN!!!!
Oh, wait. That's the end. I mean: ". . .and they all lived happily ever after. . ."
