The Rake's Progress

Act 1

Scene 1
Idyllic springtime. Anne Trulove and her fiancé Tom Rakewell sing of love and their trust in destiny. Trulove, Anne’s father, offers Tom a position as a clerk which the latter refuses in disgust. He believes in his chance and thinks that man cannot influence his destiny. Thereupon appears a stranger – Nick Shadow – who announces to Tom and the Truloves that the young man has been left a fortune by an extremely wealthy uncle. The two men leave for London in order to settle the estate as quickly as possible. All take their leave in an ambiguously joyful atmosphere.

Scene 2
Mother Goose’s brothel in London. Prostitutes and “roaring boys” sing and drink to Venus and Mars. Nick and Tom are present, and the former puts the latter through his ultimate test before embarking on a new life : to do his duty to himself, pursuing nature, beauty and pleasure. As regards love, Tom, unable to define it, seeks to avoid the question. However, Nick shows him that a life of hedonism can halt the progress of time. Tom sings the praises of that purest of loves that we are forever betraying, before throwing himself into the arms of Mother Goose, the very incarnation of lust.

Scene 3
With no news of Tom, Anne is worried and has a foreboding that he has forgotten his promises and his love. Notwithstanding the affection she feels for her father, she decides to leave him and seek out Tom, who seems so weak to her eyes.

Act 2

Scene 1
Awaking after a night of orgy, Tom reflects sadly on his new life, his inner emptiness and the excesses of the city : “I wish I were happy”, he sighs. Nick appears and advises him to marry Baba the Turk, the bearded lady and a new fairground icon. This unnatural marriage would make a hero of him. He realises that through this gratuitous act he can affirm man’s freedom over his duties and desires.

Scene 2
Anne finds Tom in his new London life. The scene is set in a cabaret where he plays opposite Baba his lawful wife. Anne observes the procession of theatrical figures that represent the labyrinth of Tom’s existence. Troubled and embarrassed at meeting Anne, he urges her to accuse and denounce him, to leave and forget him. However, she reminds him of her boundless love for him. Baba calls her husband to join her. Anne then learns the truth as Baba enters to the cheers of the crowd.

Scene 3
Baba recounts her eventful life and shows off her treasures. Tom, exhausted by her extravagance, is brutal with her. He can find no other refuge than sleep. He drifts off and dreams of a fantastic machine that could transform stones into loaves of bread and resolves all mankind’s problems. When he awakens, Nick presents him with the machine he dreamt of. An over-excited Tom already sees himself as the saviour of the world thanks to his machine. Nick proposes to introduce him to investors and subscribers in order to mass-produce the machine.

Act 3

Scene 1
The marvellous machine has caused widespread bankruptcy in the City. Tom and Nick have fled disaster. An auctioneer named Sellem has come to sell off Baba’s treasures. He sings the praises of the rich and class differences. Bidders greedy for rare and useless objects crowd around. The auction turns into a consumer sermon. Anne appears, desperately seeking Tom, followed by Baba who lets fly her fury at having lost all. The two women become partners in misfortune and each goes her own way : Anne towards her absolute love, Baba back to the theatre that awaits her. In the distance Tom and Nick’s drinking songs can be heard as they declare their “couldn’t give a damn” attitude to be their new spiritual road.

Scene 2
A cemetery. Mid-stage, a freshly-dug grave. The time has come to settle up. Nick demands his payment, Tom’s soul. But he leaves him a chance : if he can identify the three cards chosen by Nick, Tom’s life will be spared. Although terrified, Tom plays. Thinking of Anne, he chooses the Queen of Hearts – and wins. Seeing two knives, he names the two of Spades – and wins again. Against all expectations and invoking love, Tom once again chooses the Queen of Hearts and wins the match. He has at last attained his true desire, the spiritual love Anne inspired in him. Nick, beaten and furious, nevertheless condemns Tom to insanity before descending into Hell.

Scene 3
In the Bedlam insane asylum, Tom, believing himself to be Adonis, and surrounded by a cheerless chorus of madmen, awaits the visit of Venus. Venus, alias Anne, comes to visit Adonis. Adonis / Tom asks his goddess to forgive his unfaithfulness and madness. Anne cradles him and sings him to sleep. Trulove comes to fetch his daughter. The story is over. Only death will deliver its hero. Tom awakens to find Anne gone and dies. The Chorus mourn his passing.

Epilogue
In front of the curtain, with the houselights up, the five protagonists tell us that true desire is hard to achieve. They bid goodbye to the audience and leave.