sassinessisthewaytogo - Tumblr blog

sassinessisthewaytogo · 2 years

Note

This is currently my favorite musical!

Hello! I’ve just listened to the Clockmaker’s daughter for the first time (and LOVED IT, I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this) and I was wondering if it was possible for you to give a quick summary of the plot for me?? I got most of it from the album but there are a few things I’m a bit lost on!! No worries if not :) x

ok, so first of all, YAY! more Clockmaker’s Daughter fans!!!!! I’m obsessed with this musical, you don’t even know.

Second, i have reblogged the concert that’s on youtube a couple times, so if you want to watch that, you’ll find that a few posts ago. (it was unlisted so you couldn’t just search for it)

Third, i can’t write things ‘quick.’ I've already written a full-on wiki size synopsis for this, so sorry that it’s so long.

Spoilers under the cut!

Act 1

The story starts in the small Irish town of Spindlewood, where a tradition, takes place on the last night of winter, which has come again. No other tradition, practice, or old wives’ warning is so firmly adhered to as The Turning of the Key. The Storyteller begins to tell the story of how it came to be. (“The Turning of the Key”).

The storyteller introduces Abraham Reed, a master clockmaker who was broken by the loss of his child. He had tried to push away every thought, every memory of his lost daughter, but he would still see her, in every place that she couldn’t be. Reed decides to bring his child back, to restore her to the world, to build her again. (“You’re Still Here”).

In town, Amelia, a young woman in town, goes to the dress-shop, the Modest Modiste to order a dress from Ma Riley, the owner of the shop. Ma Riley refuses at first but is happy to comply when she learns that Amelia has money to pay for it. After being questioned about what she desired, Amelia reveals that she needs a wedding dress, since she will soon be marrying Henry Glynn, the son of the town’s mayor. The dress begins work as Ma Riley reminisces about her deceased husband. (“A Modest Modiste”).

As that happens, Abraham Reed winds hours creation for the first time, and it begins to stir. Abraham is in disbelief. He didn’t think it would really be possible. She speaks, thinks, and asks questions. She repeats what Abraham says until she learns how to ask questions, asking about the word “why,” and everything else. She wants to go outside, but Reed is afraid that if she goes, she’ll be lost to him too. He tells her that she can never leave and calls her ‘Constance.’ (“Impossible”).

Henry Glynn enters the mayor’s office, having been given an official notice. Unfortunately, Mayor Glynn, who is Henry’s father, does not remember why he had wanted his son’s presence. They begin to speak about the preparations for the wedding, Mayor Glynn says that the town could use a happy event. Henry asks why, and Mayor Glynn reveals that the towns funds from the taxes are all gone. Mayor Glynn tells his son that “Time is the most valuable commodity a man can own,” then remembers why he had called Henry in to see him. He pulls out a pocket watch, handing it to Henry as an early wedding present. Henry refuses at first, but Mayor Glynn assures him that “not a penny from the safe went into it.” Henry accepts, asking who had made it. Mayor Glynn tells him it was Abraham Reed. Henry is surprised that Reed was working again, since he hadn’t even been seen in town since his daughter died. Mayor Glynn says it was such a tragedy, but that Abraham was smiling when he had burst in to deliver the pocket watch.

Abraham Reed is late, rushing to leave. He winds Constance before he goes, tells her that she must stay inside. He says he would be back before long, then leaves. Constance wanders around the house, talking to the clocks which are in abundance in a Clockmaker’s home. She gets bored of the endless days locked inside Reed’s house. She’s read endless stories, and now wants one of her own. Constance decides to leave, decides to break Reed’s rules and experience the world outside. She warns the clock not to tell, that it would be their “Little Secret.” (“A Story of My Own.”).

In town, the sun begins to rise, but William Riley has already been awake. The son of Ma Riley, who, unlike all the other people of the town, wants to leave. He doesn’t like how nothing changes, he wants something more. Will is dissatisfied with the simple lifestyle; he wants to experience the world outside. Constance steppes into the town, loving how welcoming it is and how kind everyone is. Will notices a new face, one he doesn’t recognize. Amelia, as she is walking after picking up her wedding dress from the Modest Modiste, runs into Constance, dropping it into the mud by the well, ruining the beautiful work. Constance runs. (“Spindlewood”).

Henry Glynn enters the Modest Modiste, telling Ma Riley that Amelia is not feeling herself and desired that Henry goes to speak to Ma Riley. He asks her to fix the dress, but it was thoroughly ruined. Henry then tells her that they had no more money for another dress. He resorts to giving Ma Riley the pocket watch that Reed had made as payment for a second commission. Ma Riley reluctantly accepts.

Constance sneaks out again that night, carrying a large package in her arms. She runs into Will, who recognizes her from the square. Constance asks where Amelia lives, saying that she has a gift. Will tells her that Amelia has been very upset. Constance tells him that she made Amelia a dress, to which Will responds with disbelief that she had been able to make it in such a short time, since it was only that morning that the original one was ruined. They place the package on Amelia’s doorstep, knocking and running as to not be discovered. Amelia opens the package, completely in awe at the amazing work. She asks Henry if it was his doing, and he reveals that Ma Riley said it would take three days at least.

Will and Constance run off further after Amelia and Henry go back inside, running further out of town. Constance says that she has to go. Will protests, saying that she only just got here. They introduce themselves, then they are both quiet for a moment, looking at the beautiful scenery. Will tells Constance that he comes there every night, to get away from the town for a while. Constance says that she really has to go, else Abraham would be angry with her. Will is surprised that she lives with Abraham, to which Constance repeats that he would be angry if he knew she had gotten out. Will makes that comment that she must not get out much, and Constance reveals that she has only gotten out twice. Will isn’t able to respond coherently, and Constance says again that she has to leave, that she only meant to leave the dress. This time she does leave, and Will wanders around. He thinks about how everything seemed brighter, less boring, with Constance. Constance thinks that the world didn’t seem dark at all with him. Both think that they would be waiting, since good things come to those who wait. (“Where You’ll Be”).

Henry goes back to see Ma Riley, who insists that work had already started on the dress, and that the new one would be even better than the last. Henry tried to tell her that she didn’t need to make a new one, asking for the pocket watch back. Ma Riley refuses, saying that Amelia would have her dress, one made by Ma Riley. One of the workers in the Modest Modiste tells Ma Riley, where Henry can hear, that they didn’t have enough material, and that the dress could be started by Friday. Henry interjects, saying that he is getting married on Saturday, and since Ma Riley had said that it would take three days at least, the dress would not be ready in time. Henry asks for the watch back, once again saying that Amelia would not have another dress. Ma Riley reluctantly gives it back, and Henry gives Ma Riley a small amount of money for her kindness in taking a second commission. Will then enters the Modest Modiste. Ma Riley orders him to find the seamstress and bring her down. Will tells her that it would take a while, and Ma tells him that “it better not.”

Rumors spread through the town about Amelia’s new dress. The women of the town go to see Amelia, who shows them the dress, and they obsess about how perfect the craftmanship was. Amelia asks which one of them did it, but they reveal that none of them had. Amelia then declares that the seamstress had an invitation to the wedding, the guest of honor. Abraham returns to town, speaking to Mayor Glynn, who tells him about the dress and the mystery seamstress. Abraham storms back home. He knew immediately that it was Constance. (“Keep it to Yourself”).

Abraham gets angry with Constance, saying that he had only one rule, and she disobeyed it. Constance tries to explain, but Abraham was not listening. He tells her that the town would never understand her, that they would never love her as he did. He leaves Constance upset. She begins to talk to the clocks again. She tells them that they didn’t understand. Then Constance’s name is spoken; Constance thinks it was the clock, amazed that it had spoken out loud. The voice—actually Will who had come to see her—tells her to open the window, and she is confused. Then Will comes into the house, surprising Constance. She tells him that he couldn’t be there, telling him to leave. Will tells Constance that the whole town is talking about her, and that she was invited to the wedding, as the mystery seamstress. He asks if she would come. She asks if she would need anything. Will asks if she has a nice dress, to which Constance replies that she could make one, by herself, within three hours. Constance decides that she would once again break Abraham’s rule and leave again. (“A Story of My Own (Reprise)”).

Mayor Glynn gives his speech at the wedding, introducing the newly wedded bride and groom. Amelia’s dress is truly a wonder. Henry and Amelia wish that everyone had the happiness that they were feeling. Constance enters the wedding, wearing the dress that she had made only hours before. The women in town immediately see the similarities between Amelia’s dress and Constance’s, realizing quickly that she is the seamstress. Amelia thanks Constance, marveling in how Constance had been able to capture all of her dreams in a single dress. They bond, becoming friends quickly. Abraham decided that he cannot keep Constance locked away. He would let her go, but he warns that he is not responsible for what would come to her. Ma Riley immediately dislikes Constance. Ma Riley is angry that because of Constance, she was robbed of a job. The town continues to celebrate the happy event that had taken place. (“Finale Act I - Raise a Glass”).

Act 2

Much time has passed. It’s no longer a normal day in Spindlewood, it’s a special day. It’s market day. Over time, Constance has left a dress on the door of most every woman in Spindlewood. The town is finally prospering, there is money to use, and even Mayor Glynn’s assistant, Mab, can get paid. Ma Riley continues to despise Constance, firing the women who wear something that Constance has made. Moll, one of the few women in town who does not have a dress yet, goes to Constance with her savings to order a dress. Constance and Amelia then ask Moll if she had checked her porch that morning, as a dress had been left there. Henry introduces a man to Constance, Mr. Reece, who had come to Spindlewood to offer Constance a job in the city. She runs off to tell Abraham. (“Market Day”).

Constance tells Abraham the news, to which he responds that he would not let her go. She tries to protest, but once again, Abraham wasn’t listening. He knows that the people in the city would find out that she was different, and then she would have to stay in Spindlewood. Constance asks him to wind her, but he refuses, since he knows that it was only so that Constance could go out again.]

Even without being wound, Constance leaves again, going to the place that Will had taken her when they first met. Will finds her there, where he tells that Amelia had told him the news. Constance says that she would not be taking the job in the city because Abraham wouldn’t let her. Will tries to tell her that it doesn’t matter what Abraham says, that she should make her own choices. When she still says that she can’t, Will knows that she is hiding something. He begs her to tell him, which she doesn’t. They both think about what would happen if the other were to know how they felt, and eventually Will tells her that she can’t just sit around, waiting for something, because she would never get a better opportunity than this. He advises her that she has to use the time she’s given, otherwise she might as well just be a clock. Something that just counted down the minutes until it stops. He begins to tell her something else, he tries to confess his love to her, but she leaves before he can say. (“If You Could See My Heart”).

Will goes dejectedly to his mother’s dress shop, where the workers are gossiping about Constance and how impossible the things she was doing were. One mentions that they could know someone who was helping her, and that’s when they notice Will, who they were talking about. Ma Riley orders the girls back to work and begins to speak to Will, asking about the ‘rumors’ she had heard about his love for Constance. She tells him that Constance will ‘expire,’ and that she would not have Will drag down her good name with Constance. Will tells Ma Riley that she can’t just stop him from seeing Constance, to which Ma Riley responds that she can, and she will. Someone bursts into the shop, saying that Ma Riley and Will had better come.

In the square, Constance stands, frozen mid-run. The townspeople say that she had been cursed. Abraham comes, see’s Constance, pulls out the key and winds her. Constance moves again, charging forward. She makes eye contact with Will then runs away. Abraham tells the gathered people that Constance isn’t who they think she is, then he leaves after her.

Constance confronts Abraham back in their house. She tells him that the town did care, as much as Abraham says that they didn’t. Abraham reminds her that the town would never understand, he was the only one. He reveals that he found a way to keep them together, forever. Abraham uncovers a partially built body, winding it, and showing that it works as Constance does. Abraham tells her that Will won’t last, that he will grow old and die. Constance says that she loves him, and that him dying doesn’t change a thing. She says that she loves him. Abraham, as he picks up a picture of his daughter, the one he had lost long ago, asks Constance to love him again. Constance responds that she is not ‘her,’ the person he tried to bring back.

The town has locked itself away. They have decided that Constance is a work of devilry. Ma Riley announces that there will be a town meeting the next night and enlists Will’s help to hang flyers around the town. Will feels betrayed; he knows that Constance lied to him. He wonders what she was, if anything that she showed him was true. He runs to the place that he had shown Constance, once again getting away from the town to think. (“Fear & Whispers”).

Amelia finds Will in the place that he had shown Constance and, confronts him about his changed thinking about Constance. She asks him if he knew how he worked. Will points out that Abraham built Constance, but Amelia refutes that, pointing out that Will was built, just differently. Amelia tells Will that he should go to Constance, take the key and take her far away. Amelia tells him that Constance loves him, and that she was his ticket out of Spindlewood. She leaves, saying that she was going to the meeting to try and convince the town that Constance was good. After some thought, Will realizes that Amelia was right. His feelings towards Constance were unchanged. He decides to take Amelia’s advice and run away with Constance. (“If You Could See My Heart (Reprise)”). Before going to Constance, he goes back home, where Ma Riley confronts him. She brings out a gun and tells him that the next time Constance stepped outside, she would shoot. Ma Riley accidentally fires the gun, the bullet hitting Will in the side. He stumbles out, Ma Riley saying it was an accident.

At the meeting, Mayor Glynn struggles to keep control of the terrified and angry town. They want to hunt Constance down, but Amelia bursts in, convincing the town that Constance was good, that she never did anything to harm anyone. It seems that the town has calmed down, that they understand that Constance is good, but then Ma Riley comes in, screaming that Constance had shot Will. That drives the town back into the decision to hunt Constance down. (“A Town Meeting”).

Will ran to Abraham’s house, yelling out Constance’s name. He declares his love, saying that they should run away together, but Constance notices that he’s hurt. Abraham comes in. He asks Abraham for the key, and when he doesn’t comply, Will points out that the town would come for Constance, and that he and Constance were going to run, and that he was going to take the key. Abraham and Constance ask what had happened when Will nearly collapses. Will brushes it off as unimportant, that it was his Ma and that she was mad, but it didn’t matter. Will was determined to leave with Constance. Constance says that they would, after Will takes a minute to feel better. Will apologizes to her, then he dies from his wound. (“Where You’ll Be (Reprise)”).

Abraham tells Constance that Will is gone, and Constance replies that she knows. She knows he is gone, and she doesn’t want to keep going. She tells Abraham that she can be clockwork, nothing but clockwork, since that was all that Abraham could see. Abraham tried to protest that there was more to her than that, but Constance interrupts him. She talks of all the things that Abraham gave her, all useless with the orders he gave her. As the town pounds at the door, Constance tells Abraham that the love he talked about was not what he showed. She said how love was brave, kind and selfless, not like Abraham’s love. She says to let the town come for her. She doesn’t care anymore. She became who she wanted, the girl who took on the world. Ma Riley fires the gun a second time, and Constance is dead. (“Clockwork”).

Abraham yells at the town, asking what crime Constance ever committed. When Ma Riley replies that she had shot Will, with the gun in her hands, Abraham stumps her by saying that Will was there, in the house, and that Ma Riley was the one with the gun. He explained that Will had run off to save Constance. Ma Riley eventually admits that she had shot Will, that it was an accident. Abraham thinks to himself that it was his fault. He wishes that it was him killed instead of Constance. He had tried to bring back what he had lost, but Constance was more than a memory. He now sees that. The Storyteller comes in again, telling that Abraham had tried to repair Constance, all throughout the rest of his life, but never succeeded. After Abraham died, the town placed Constance in the square. Every year they would come and try to bring her back, Thus, The Turning of the Key had begun. One of the townspeople winds Constance, and when she doesn’t move, the Storyteller dismisses them. One of them asks why Constance is broken, to which the Storyteller replies that things break when there is nothing to keep them together. Another townsperson says that their Grandmother had told them all about Constance, swearing that she was real. The townsperson pulls out the pocket watch, saying that her grandmother left it to her, in her will. It had belonged to her great-grandfather. She points out the initials A.R., for Abraham Reed, saying that it was him who had made Constance. The townsperson ends with saying that things like that don’t happen in real life, then she leaves. The Storyteller is now alone with Constance’s statue. The Storyteller is revealed to be William Riley, who pulls the key out of his pocket, saying that even though Abraham hadn’t been able to save Constance, Reed had been able to save Will, who then pushes the key into his chest, winding himself. Abraham had been able to save Will, turning him into something like Constance, giving him time. Since then, Will had become the Storyteller, waiting for Constance to come back. He had been waiting and will be for however long it takes. (“Finale Act II - The Turning of the Key (Reprise)”).

(Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes)

57 notes · View notes