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Programme Note

Synopsis:
Carmen, a country-and-western nightclub singer, returns to the Main, a tenderloin district in Montreal, after a stint in Nashville. The tenderloin community eagerly awaits her opening at Club Rodeo, but she tells Maurice, her manager, that she won’t sing if Toothpick, who once attacked her, is in the audience. Maurice explains that he cannot defy Toothpick as the two have been partners in crime. Carmen’s act is a triumph, especially a new song about personal liberation. The audience feels a real sense of hope for the first time. But after the show, Toothpick murders Carmen and frames someone else for the crime. He promises that the club will reopen in a week with Gloria, a tired-out, faded singer doing her familiar routine.