Treatment - I STRANIERI (THE FOREIGNERS) by pescif

I STRANIERI The Foreigners An Opera in Two Acts

Treatment by Frank Pesci Music and Libretto by Frank Pesci

CHARACTERS Principal Roles (6 Singers) EMMANUELLE POLIZZI (baritone) – a Sicilian immigrant in New Orleans, he is plagued by mental illness and paranoia; one of many accused for the murder of Police Chief David Hennessy. IANIA ROMA (soprano) – a Sicilian immigrant, POLIZZI’s love interest who seeks to protect and ground him in his darkest moments. FRANCESCA SCAFFIDI (Mezzo-soprano) – a Sicilian immigrant, ROMA’s confidant; her husband is also one of the accused. MAYOR SHAKESPEARE (Character Tenor) – Mayor of New Orleans WILLIAM PARKERSON (Lyric Tenor) – Wealthy New Orleanian, Henchman of Mayor Shakespeare, member of the Council of Fifty, leader of the lynch mob. ANTONIO RUGGIERO (Bass-Baritone) – aka Francis DeMaio, a spy sent by the Council of Fifty to root out a confession from the accused Sicilians. BILL O’CONNOR – acting Police Chief of New Orleans Mixed chorus THE COUNCIL OF FIFTY (Men’s chorus) – called by SHAKESPEARE to lead the investigation into the murder of Chief Hennessy, which they conduct by aggressively attacking the Sicilian immigrant community. MENS AND WOMENS CHORUS – Sicilian immigrants, Police officers, mourners at the Chief’s funeral, courtroom observers, lynch mob.

The action takes place in various locations around New Orleans in late 1890 and early 1891 – “Piccolo Palermo”, a Sicilian immigrant community on Decatur Street; at the Parish Prison; at the Funeral of David Hennessy in Metairie; at the courthouse; at the statue of Henry Clay, at the corner of Canal and Royal Streets.

ACT ONE SCENE ONE – Piccolo Palermo, October 1890 Across town, gunshots ring out as assassins cut down Police Chief David Hennessey in front of his home. At that moment, EMMANUELLE POLIZZI and IANIA ROMA are in bed together, amid the bustle and bristle of the Italian Quarter on a warm, wet October night. Theirs is a calm within a storm – they are immigrant workers living in poverty in a city that has become resentful of foreign workers, especially Sicilians. FRANCESCA SCAFIDDI enters, shouting to the community that the Chief has been attacked. SHE runs to find IANIA, and the two discuss the event’s meaning for their community. The SICILIAN CHORUS sings a lament for the Chief, and prays for his life to be saved. POLIZZI becomes agitated, raving at the others living in the quarter that the police with soon come for them, looking to scapegoat the Sicilians for any harm that comes to the ruling whites. The SICILIANS brush him off – they are used to HIS ravings. IANIA reels POLIZZI in, as she is apt to do, and leads him in prayer for the Chief, calling upon St. Joseph, patron of immigrants and workers. SHE restores HIM to calm, as FRANCESCA reflects that IANIA is POLIZZI’s guardian angel. The scene is abruptly interrupted by the appearance of the POLICE, led by BILL O’CONNOR, who storm the quarter, arresting all the men, including POLIZZI. THEY echo an order given by MAYOR SHAKESPEARE in the immediate aftermath of the Chief’s shooting: “Scour the whole neighborhood…place an officer on every street corner of every Italian neighborhood…report the coming and going of every Italian…Arrest every Italian you come across.” IANIA, FRANCESCA and the SICILIAN WOMEN rush to prevent the MEN from being taken, but are intimidated by the POLICE. As the MEN are taken away, the WOMEN, return to their lament, which becomes a prayer to St. Joseph for protection. SCENE TWO – Parish Prison The incarcerated MEN are crammed into a cramped cell. THEY all ask the GUARDS for reason, compassion, and respect. The GUARDS bring in WITNESSES who, under threat, falsely accuse the MEN for the murder of the Chief. POLIZZI is terrified and beginning to rave – he knew this would happen and knows how it will end. ANTONIO RUGGERIO sees him spinning out of control, and tries to calm him down. HE asks POLIZZI if he has an alibi, and encourages him to cooperate, so that the POLICE will go easy on him. POLIZZI recalls IANIA’s prayers to St. Joseph for protection.

Just then, IANIA and FRANCESCA enter with another group of witnesses. FRANCESCA reassures the MEN, while IANIA and POLIZZI grasp each other through the bars. IANIA vows to stand by HIM and prays that HE has faith and courage. The two women are pulled away by the POLICE as more witnesses arrive. Sensing POLIZZI’s vulnerability, RUGGERIO begins to council HIM on how to protect himself while in jail. HE recounts the horrible things that can happen to a man behind bars – food poisoning, rape and murder – and encourages him to tell all that he knows about the murder of the Chief – this is assured protection, it will not come from St. Joseph, HE says. POLIZZI retreats within himself. BILL O’CONNOR arrives to address the MEN. HE pours scorn upon them for the crime that they have brought with them from their homeland, and the havoc they have wreaked upon the city of New Orleans. HE recounts that after the shooting, HE was first to reach the Chief, who uttered the word “Dagos”. The MEN begin to pray to St. Joseph for protection. SCENE THREE – The Funeral of Chief Hennessey MAYOR SHAKESPEARE, BILL O’CONNOR, and WILLIAM PARKERSON lead the funeral procession, as the MOURNERS reverently pay their respects to the Chief. THEY sing a solemn “Requiem aeternam,” which becomes a mournful “Lacrimosa,” and settles into a menacing “Dies Irae.” SHAKESPEARE addresses the city: With profoundest grief and indignation we witnessed the death of David Hennessey, superintendant of police of this city. Grief we feel at the loss of a true friend; indignation that he should have died by the hands of despicable assassins. The circumstances of the cowardly deed show beyond doubt that he was the victim of Sicilian vengeance, wreaked upon him as chief representative of law and order. He was seeking to break up the fierce vendettas that have so often stained our streets with blood. Bold, indeed, was the stroke aimed at their first American victim. A shining mark have they selected on which to write with the assassin’s hand their own contempt for the civilization of the new world. We owe it to ourselves and to everything we hold sacred in this life to see to it that this blow is the last. We must teach these people a lesson that they will not forget for all time. The Sicilian who comes here must become an American citizen, and subject his wrongs to the remedy of the law of the land, or else there must be no place for him on the American continent Calling the COUNCIL of FIFTY… This sentiment we must see realized at any cost – at any hazard. The people look to you to take the initiative in this matter. Act! Act promptly and without fear! The COUNCIL calls out to the city’s Sicilians: We believe that the great majority among you are honest, industrious, and good citizens, and abhor crimes as much as we do. We want you to come forward and give us all the assistance and information in your power. Send us the names of every bad man, every criminal, and every suspected person of your race in the city.

We believe that we speak the unanimous sentiment of the good people of New Orleans. We intend to put vendettas to an end, peaceably and lawfully if we can, violently and summarily if we must.

Upon you and your willingness to give information depends which of these courses shall be pursued.

ACT TWO SCENE ONE – The Trial Witness after witness gives false testimony against the MEN. RUGGIERO appears on the stand, states that his name is Francis Di Maio, and says that he was hired by the COUNCIL of FIFTY to covertly extract a confession, which he did from POLIZZI. POLIZZI has a mental break. He cries to St. Joseph and, in a desperate attempt to save HIMSELF, condemns the other defendants, saying that they are the secret society – the Mafia – that SHAKESPEARE has described. From the gallery, IANIA cries out to POLIZZI as HE fights with the POLICE and tries to jump out of a window. As HE is subdued, he and IANIA sing to each other while the COURTROOM OBSERVERS condemn all Sicilians by HIS actions. SCENE TWO – SPLIT Stage Left: Piccolo Palermo – the SICILIANS rejoice at the news that the MEN have been found not guilty. The verdict coincides with the birthday of the King of Italy, and FRANCESCA leads THEM in a rousing salute to THEIR heritage, as well as their future in America. Stage Right: at the statue of Henry Clay – William Parkerson addresses a growing mob of angry New Orleanians, commanding action to avenge the Chief: People of New Orleans! Once before I stood before you for public duty. I now appear before you again, actuated by no desire for favor or prominence. Affairs have reached such a crisis that men living in an organized and civilized community, finding their laws fruitless and ineffective, are forced to protect themselves. When courts fail, the people must act! What protection, or assurance of protection is there left us, when the very head of our police department, our chief of police, is assassinated in our very midst by the Mafia Society, and his assassins are again turned loose on the community? The time has come for the people of New Orleans to say whether they are going to stand for these outrages by organized bands of assassins, for the people to say whether they shall permit them to continue. I ask you to consider this fairly. Are you going to let it continue? Will every man here follow me, and see the murder of David Hennessey vindicated? Are there men enough here to set aside the verdict of that infamous jury, every one of whom is a perjurer and scoundrel? Men and citizens of New Orleans, follow me, I will be your leader! SCENE THREE – PARISH PRISON The MEN are celebrating the verdict and the Italian King’s birthday. POLIZZI questions why they are still imprisoned, and again portends their fates. The joyousness of the scene is abruptly interrupted as the MEN hear the coming mob. A GUARD enters, opens the door to their cell, and begs them to hide. All leave, save POLIZZI. HE prays to St. Joseph, asking for him to send his protection, and spare him a violent death. HE imagines IANIA entering the cell, and together THEY sing of their calm

in the storm and the protection of God. SHE disappears as MEN with guns enter. After a moment’s hesitation, they shoot POLIZZI and drag him from the cell. Outside the prison, the LYNCH MOB howls for blood. POLIZZI, still alive, is produced to the crowds delight. HE is hanged and shot repeatedly. PARKERSON proclaims: I called you together for a duty. You have preformed that duty. Now go to your homes and if I need you, I will call you. Now, go home and God bless you. The LYNCH MOB cries: God bless you, Mr. Parkerson! and leaves the scene triumphantly. As THEY leave, the bodies of POLIZZI and the other accused MEN are left strewn across the stage. IANIA and FRANCESCA, who were hidden amongst the crowd, are left alone on stage, standing among the dead. Off stage, the SICILIANS sing to St. Joseph for protection, while the LYNCH MOB sings a drinking song: Now we have shown our Southern blood – for nowhere you will find A town that would have justice and fair play of this kind. We would not have the verdict given by them men of nerve; It seems to us as if the case had quite a crooked curve. The execution was gone through quickly, and done by gentlemen, And everybody will agree it could never be a sin.

END OF THE OPERA