Paul Brown

The painter Mario Cavaradossi helps a fugitive escape – and so attracts the attention of Scarpia, the sadistic Chief of Police. Scarpia captures Cavaradossi and has him tortured within earshot of his lover, the singer Tosca. Scarpia sentences Cavaradossi to death – but promises Tosca that her lover can be saved if she gives herself to Scarpia. Tosca consents but as soon as the order has been given kills Scarpia. Scarpia’s menace continues even in death: betrayed by a double-cross, Cavaradossi dies and Tosca leaps to her death.

In Rigoletto, the deformed figure of the hunchbacked jester at the Mantuan court acts as a foil to his cynical and powerful master, an unscrupulous philanderer contrasted with his cruel and unforgiving fool. Rigoletto encourages and welcomes the Duke's conquests, pitilessly mocking his victims until he discovers that the Duke has abducted the one person he genuinely loves, his own daughter. As a result, the character of the court jester is transformed into a tragic figure who, in spite of his evident immorality and malice, allows us to sense the devotion he feels for his daughter and his horror at being destroyed by the same despotic world as that which he himself has helped to create.

Lily is a twenty-something aspiring writer who receives an invitation to attend a wedding reception with Jonathan, a handsome entomologist who also happens to be the man of her dreams. The only problem is that she's in San Francisco and the wedding is in L.A. Lily is therefore forced to enlist the aid of her friend Frances, an unrepentant party girl who has the L.A. nightclub scene wired. Their plans are completely derailed when they inadvertently lose the all important wedding invitation. This sets in motion an evening full of near misses with Jonathan, and thrusts Lily and Frances into a swarm of offbeat encounters with the underground Hollywood crowd. Off they go from club to club, from party to party and from boy to boy in an effort to find the wedding reception.

Lily is a twenty-something aspiring writer who receives an invitation to attend a wedding reception with Jonathan, a handsome entomologist who also happens to be the man of her dreams. The only problem is that she's in San Francisco and the wedding is in L.A. Lily is therefore forced to enlist the aid of her friend Frances, an unrepentant party girl who has the L.A. nightclub scene wired. Their plans are completely derailed when they inadvertently lose the all important wedding invitation. This sets in motion an evening full of near misses with Jonathan, and thrusts Lily and Frances into a swarm of offbeat encounters with the underground Hollywood crowd. Off they go from club to club, from party to party and from boy to boy in an effort to find the wedding reception.

Lily is a twenty-something aspiring writer who receives an invitation to attend a wedding reception with Jonathan, a handsome entomologist who also happens to be the man of her dreams. The only problem is that she's in San Francisco and the wedding is in L.A. Lily is therefore forced to enlist the aid of her friend Frances, an unrepentant party girl who has the L.A. nightclub scene wired. Their plans are completely derailed when they inadvertently lose the all important wedding invitation. This sets in motion an evening full of near misses with Jonathan, and thrusts Lily and Frances into a swarm of offbeat encounters with the underground Hollywood crowd. Off they go from club to club, from party to party and from boy to boy in an effort to find the wedding reception.

Thirteen-year-old Jesse is a typical teenager who hates his teacher, Mrs. Fink. While visiting a vintage clothing shop, Jesse sees a doll that looks exactly like his dreaded teacher, and he convinces the shopkeeper to sell it to him. When Jesse accidentally pierces the doll's arm with a sewing needle, he is shocked to find Mrs. Fink with her arm in a sling the next day and gets spooked when a spot on the doll's face appears, exactly where Mrs. Fink has a mole.