We open this chapter in the garret of one Frankston Pierre (John Voce), where he is making kissy face with his new love Grizabella Rossellini (Mel Eccleston). To make up for his obvious romantic inexperience, he has brought her a gift, a Silver Croissant. Grizabella considers it would be nice to leave Montmartre and start a new life together.
But! Across town, Madame De Beaujolais (Jenny Lovell) is busy preparing Le Chat Rouge for that night’s extravagant Bastille Day celebration. Her washerwoman, Dolly Doldrum (Lottie Dowling) wonders where the money for the fireworks is coming from, given that there isn’t enough to buy new sheets. Official Chat Rouge bookkeeper Clara Chang (Jessica Luu) agrees, and asks where the money has gone. Mme De Beaujolais reveals her husband George has spent all the money while away on his extended holidays. But no-one can find out!
Clair De Lune (Amy Moule) returns to her rooms to find a stranger (Rama Nicholas) there, who introduces herself only as Raven. Raven doubts Clair’s claims to be a writer, pushing Clair for tales of ever stronger, more brilliant, women, a challenge Clair is more than willing to rise to.
Henri La Trebuchet (Jason Geary) awakes hungover, and with his art students Fromage Duffie (Patrick Duffy) and Magnus Damgaard (Mike Bryant) banging on his door for their weekly lessons. They begin creating art very boisterously. Fromage draws blood from Henri’s cheek, and then uses that blood to draw.
Eloise Andolini (Brenna Dixon) and Gustav Eiffel (Rik Brown) continue to be trapped at the top of Eiffel’s collapsing tower. They cry for help, but no-one can hear them, thanks to the Bastille Day parade happening beneath them.
Back at the Chat Rouge, Monsieur Yoplait (Jaime Cerda) announces his imminent retirement from dancing. Fromage Duffie arrives to show off his new bloody artwork. Bellafonte Andolini (Tim Redmond) is determined to buy it, but loses out to his sudden enemy: Mme De Beaujolais.
Clair De Lune and Raven find Henri La Trebuchet in the streets, as he subtly tries to dispose of the 700,000 screws he removed from Eiffel’s tower. Together, they deduce that Elosie and Eiffel must still be trapped at the top of the slowly collapsing tower, and race to save them.
Magnus Damgaard gets stuck in a drain.
Backstage, M Yoplait is applying make-up with Le Chat Rouge’s star dancer Valentin The Boneless (Adam Hembree). From the corner, Dolly Doldrum is trying to catch M. Yoplait’s eye, although the fame has gone to his head, and his is positively awful to her. She leaves in tears.
Henri La Trebuchet arrives at the base of the tower. As he clambers to the top, Gustav and Eloise are dangling from the tower. Before they fall, Eloise sings a song of comfort to Gustav.
At the bar, Bellafonte has Frankston and Grizabella canoodling to the left of him, Fromage and Mme De Beaujolais sharing affections to the right. There he is, stuck in the middle by himself. He thinks of his ex-wife, and how he misses her. We see a silhouette in the door. It’s Raven. Bellafonte is stunned. But before he can say anything, Raven has flown.
Backstage, Valentin comforts Dolly, tells her that she’s a queen, and that she shouldn’t be working for free.
Gustav and Eloise land with a bump, and Henri clambers down to find them. He confesses that he took the screws, that he didn’t know they would be up there. He admits he’s jealous of Gustav, that the two of them are different sides of the same coin. They agree to put their rivalry behind them. Clair rushes in, relieved Eloise isn’t dead. She accuses Henri of murder, and in return he prompts her to admit her true love for Eloise. She does this, earnestly and proudly, which Henri uses as cover to steal pages from her notebook and escape.
Raven meets Bellafonte beneath a streetlamp. They haven’t seen each other in years. He is taller. She is deadlier. He says that when she left, she put a pencil right in his heart. She says they’re destructive to each other, and that she only came back for Eloise, her daughter, who thought she was dead.
As the Bastille celebrations get underway, Valentin sings La Marseillaise at Le Chat Rouge. Monsieur Yoplait snidely comments it wasn’t good enough. Mme De Beaujoulais and Valentin lay into him, Valentin calling him a Bourgeois Pig. He attempts to sing his own version, and is booed offstage.
Fromage meets with Mme De Beaujolais, and apologises to her for coming back. She had promised to be faithful to George. He feels creatively uninspired without her. She thinks George might be having an affair. They fall into each others’ arms.
Eloise and Clair retreat to Clair’s room to talk about their feelings. Or rather, for Clair to dance about her feelings. Eloise appreciates her love, but can’t reciprocate. Clair breaks down, and kicks Eloise out. She rips out page after page from her notebook, letting them fall like tears into the fireplace.
M. Yoplait enters backstage, but none of the dancers will make eye contact with him. Valentin oinks at him, and tells him the game is over. M. Yoplait tries to put Valentin in his place, claiming ownership of the dancers. But he doesn’t receive their support, and so walks from the company.
Clair De Lune, taking a contemplative walk, spots Grizabella Rosselllini about to leave town. She is going West, to find her true fate. Clair decides to go with her.
Eloise is in her room recovering from her fall, when in walks Raven. Raven tries to hide her identity, but Eloise works out who she is and embraces her, crying. “I thought you were dead!” “I was. It’s a long story.”
Frankston Pierre is watching the Bastille Day fireworks with everyone else, when he notices Grizabella isn’t there. He runs to their room, to find she has left him the Silver Croissant, and a note. “There are stories I must end, I must finish so I can begin.”
What will Frankston do without his new love? What fate belies Grizabella and Clair? How will Eloise cope with her mother’s return? How will Monsieur Yoplait respond to his rejection? And is the mysterious George De Beaujolais the villain his wife makes him out to be? Find out during next week’s instalment! Book now!