History Theatre / Passion

%% * DeathBySex: [[spoiler: Fosca's demise]] -- but then again, "to die loved is to have lived."

* NoAntagonist: None of the characters are truly evil, and even their worst actions stem from deep love (Fosca's unwanted pursuit of Giorgio) or obligation (Clara's to her husband and son, the Colonel's to his cousin Fosca).

That isn't love."''

-->-- "No One Has Ever Loved Me"

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Fosca is a PlayedForDrama example.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: The entire show, essentially.

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: "No One Has Ever Loved Me" and "Loving You".

* {{Bookworm}}: Both Fosca and Giorgio.

* DeathBySex: [[spoiler: Fosca's demise]] -- but then again, "to die loved is to have lived."

* GossipyHens: Gossipy Soldiers.

* LoveHurts: And how!

* MacGuffin: Arguably the letter Fosca dictates to Giorgio [[spoiler:on her deathbed]], which is very loving although [[spoiler:he does not believe he loves her at that point. Fosca recovers, her cousin discovers the letter, and he challenges Giorgio to a duel]].

* {{Reconstruction}}: Of the archetypal love epic.
* SelfProclaimedLoveInterest: Fosca refers to Clara as her "rival", [[spoiler:which isn't far from the truth, eventually]].
* StalkerWithACrush: Fosca to Giorgio.

''Passion'' is a 1994 musical with music and lyrics by Creator/StephenSondheim and book by James Lapine. Set in 19th century Italy, it concerns a young soldier named Giorgio and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his colonel's homely, ailing cousin. It's noticeably even more serious than other Sondheim musicals -- the only humor comes in the Soldier's Gossip songs, and even those are fairly dark.

* BettyAndVeronica: Played with, with Giorgio as Richie. When we first meet Fosca, she's the Veronica to Giorgio's lover Clara. But as the show progresses, Fosca becomes less "dangerous" and Clara becomes less reliable and sweet, and they eventually swap roles. Their attire reflects this change, Fosca's starting out dark and becoming light, while Clara's does the opposite.

-->--'''[[spoiler:Giorgio]]''', "No One Has Ever Loved Me"

''Passion'' is a 1994 musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and book by James Lapine. Set in 19th century Italy, it concerns a young soldier named Giorgio and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his colonel's homely, ailing cousin. It's noticeably even more serious than other Sondheim musicals -- the only humor comes in the Soldier's Gossip songs, and even those are fairly dark.

* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: It's based on the 1869 novel ''Fosca'' by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, and the 1981 Ettore Scola film ''Passione d'Amore'', the latter of which inspired StephenSondheim to write the show.

* [[GossipyHens Gossipy Soldiers]]

* StalkerWithACrush: Fosca to Giorgio.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/murphysonddiva300_7862.jpg

''Passion'' is a 1994 musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and book by James Lapine. Set in 19th century Italy, it concerns a young soldier named Giorgio and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his Colonel's homely, ailing cousin. It's noticeably more serious and with less comedic moments than Sondheim's earlier musicals; the only humor is during the Soldier's Gossip songs, and even that is fairly dark.

* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: It's based on the 1869 novel ''Fosca'' by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, and the 1981 Ettore Scola film ''Passione d'Amore'', the latter of which is what inspired StephenSondheim to write the show.

* DarkReprise: Parts of "I Wish I Could Forget You", in which Fosca forces Giorgio to write a falsely loving letter to her [[spoiler:on her deathbed]] are repeated in the finale, when Giorgio is alone and [[spoiler:Fosca has died after their night together]].
* [[spoiler:DeathBySex]]: Fosca [[spoiler:dies after her and the Captain's first and only night together, knowing full well that she will as, "to die loved is to have lived."]]
* EpistolaryNovel: Or musical, rather. Much of the show is people reading (well, singing) letters to each other. There's the first letter, the second letter, the third letter, the fourth letter, the sunrise letter...you get the point. It was, in fact, the only epistolary musical ever written until the debut of the Literature/DaddyLongLegs musical in 2009.

* IAmNotPretty: Fosca, although it is revealed by the Colonel that she grew up thinking she was beautiful, until the death of her parents

* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Upon [[spoiler:winning the duel with the Colonel]], Giorgio lets out a scream much like Fosca due to her "nervous disposition".
* MacGuffin: Arguably the letter Fosca dictates to Giorgio [[spoiler:on her deathbed]], which is very loving although [[spoiler:he does not believe he loves her at this point]]. [[spoiler: Fosca recovers, her cousin discovers the letter and challenges Giorgio to a duel]].

* SelfProclaimedLoveInterest: [[spoiler:Fosca refers to Clara]] as her "rival", [[spoiler:which isn't far from the truth eventually]].

* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: It's based on the 1981 Ettore Scola film Passione d'Amore.

* {{Bookworm}}: Both Fosca and Georgio

* EpistolaryNovel: Or musical, rather. Much of the show is people reading (well, singing) letters to each other. There's the first letter, the second letter, the third letter, the fourth letter, the sunrise letter...you get the point. It is, in fact, the only epistolary musical ever written.

* Bookworm: Both Fosca and Georgio

* EpistolaryNovel: Or musical, rather. Much of the show is people reading (well, singing) letters to each other. There's the first letter, the second letter, the third letter, the fourth letter, the sunrise letter...you get the point.

* HollywoodHomely: Fosca has been played by Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone and Judy Kuhn, who are hardly ugly or plain women.

* BettyandVeronica: Played with, with Giorgio as Richie. When we first meet Fosca, she's the Veronica to Giorgio's lover Clara. But as the show progresses, Fosca becomes less "dangerous" and Clara becomes less reliable and sweet, and they eventually swap roles. Their attire reflects this change, Fosca's starting out dark and becoming light, while Clara's does the opposite.

''{{Passion}}'' is a 1994 musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and book by James Lapine. Set in 19th century Italy, it concerns a young soldier named Giorgio and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his Colonel's homely, ailing cousin. It's noticeably more serious and with less comedic moments than Sondheim's earlier musicals; the only humor is during the Soldier's Gossip songs, and even that is fairly dark.

* SelfProclaimedLoveInterest: [[spoiler:Fosca refers to Clara]] as her "rival", [[spoiler:which isn't far from the truth eventually]].

* MacGuffin: Arguably the letter Fosca dictates to Giorgio [[spoiler:on her deathbed]], which is very loving although [[spoiler:he does not believe he loves her at this point]]. [[spoiler: Fosca recovers and]] her cousin discovers the letter and challenges Giorgio to a duel]].

* Betty and Veronica: Played with, with Giorgio as Richie. When we first meet Fosca, she's the Veronica to Giorgio's lover Clara. But as the show progresses, Fosca becomes less "dangerous" and Clara becomes less reliable and sweet, and they eventually swap roles. Their attire reflects this change, Fosca's starting out dark and becoming light, while Clara's does the opposite.

''{{Passion}}'' is a 1994 musical with music and lyrics by {{Stephen Sondheim}} and book by James Lapine. Set in 19th century Italy, it concerns a young soldier named Giorgio and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his Colonel's homely, ailing cousin. It's noticeably more serious than Sondheim's earlier musicals; the only humor is during the Soldier's Gossip songs, and even