Lolita, My Love

Clare Quilty, a famous playwright, is having a party, celebrating a life of debauchery and sexual freedom (“Going, Going, Gone”). Humbert Humbert storms in, demanding to know where Lolita is. He accuses Quilty of stealing her “2 years, 10 months, and 4 days ago”, when she disappeared from his life. At first, Quilty protests ignorance, but cannot contain himself from laughing at Humbert. Humbert demands information from him, even threatening to shoot him, but Quilty will not budge, despite protests from his other partygoers. Finally, Humbert shoots and kills Quilty. In a monologue to the audience, he reflects that he has been a teacher for the past 18 years of his life, and seeks to answer how it is possible that he could commit murder. Upon reflection, he confesses that he has a “delirious, yet monstrous” aspect of his personality. After teaching at a girls’ school from Switzerland, and having a nervous breakdown, he decides to start a new life in America giving lectures to the Adult Education Group.

He arrives to stay at the Haze household in the fictional town of Ramsdale, Vermont. There, Charlotte Haze and her daughter Dolores, aka Lolita, have a strained relationship (“The Same Old Song”). Humbert is initially disgusted by Charlotte's faux-European taste, looking for the first opportunity to leave, until he sees Lolita. He agrees to stay without even hearing the price. He offers to help tutor Lolita, who is struggling in school; she, however, is not interested in doing any work on the weekend (“Saturday”). She finds Humbert writing in his diary and tells her that Charlotte is in love with him. He shows her a picture of a young girl that looks oddly like her. Humbert explains that she is Anabell, a young girl that he was in love with years ago (“In the Broken-Promise Land of Fifteen”). Charlotte insists that Lolita not bother Humbert, which sets off another fight, and increases Humbert's distaste for Charlotte (“The Same Old Song (Reprise)”).

Charlotte tries to spend time with Humbert and flatter him by talking about how much she and the Adult Education Group are looking forward to his lecture on poets. He explains that he will be lecturing on Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, and Edgar Allan Poe, all of whom had fixations on prepubescent girls. Charlotte invites the group over for a picnic the following weekend, where he explains to them the poets’ inspiration: nymphets (“Dante, Petrarch, and Poe”). At the picnic, Quilty arrives and is praised for his most recent television play. He asks about Lolita (whom he has never met), and finds Humbert strange. Later, Charlotte reflects on her love for France, how she has attempted to make her own version of it here in Ramsdale, and her dream for a better life (“Sur Les Quais”). While dancing with Humbert, Lolita returns home unexpectedly, and Humbert dotes on her. Charlotte decides to send Lolita away to summer camp: Camp Climax.

Humbert is devastated when Charlotte takes Lolita to camp. However, he is even more disturbed by a letter that Charlotte leaves him, confessing her love for him and asking him to either marry her or leave (“Charlotte’s Letter”). Initially, he is disgusted, but then he thinks about the prospect of being Lolita's step-father. They are married shortly thereafter. Charlotte chastises Humbert for sending Lolita candy while she is away. He imagines not only standing up to Charlotte, but also killing her because he cannot bear the thought of being stuck with her; however, he realizes that he does not have the stomach to kill her, and that his dream of being rid of her will not be (“Farewell, Little Dream”). Charlotte admits that Lolita will not be coming home, and going right to boarding school. Humbert stands up to her, and she gives in. Charlotte finds Humbert's journal, in which he has written about how much he loves Lolita, and hates Charlotte. He attempts to play it off as a draft of a novel, but she doesn't believe him, and runs out of the house. A neighbor arrives to inform Humbert that Charlotte has been hit and killed by a car. He relishes in his newfound fortune, phoning the camp to say he will collect Lolita. Then, he calls and makes a reservation at a hotel for that night. Humbert is elated as he leaves to get Lolita (“Hello, Little Dream”).

Humbert and Lolita arrive at the seedy Bed-D-By Motel, where Quilty and his entourage are also staying (“At the Bed-D-By Motel”). Lolita teases Humbert about them having to share a bed. Quilty calls their room and torments Humbert. Humbert tells Lolita that she can do anything she wants and that he will give her anything she wants (“Tell Me, Tell Me”). In the middle of the night, after they have had sex, Humbert recounts that Lolita had had sex with a boy at camp, which lessened his guilt. She calls him disgusting, and threatens to call her mother and tell her what they've done. Finally, he tells her that Charlotte is dead, and she accuses him of lying to Charlotte to get to her. Ultimately, she makes him promise that he will never leave her.

The two of them relocate to Beardsley School for Girls, where Humbert gets a teaching job and Lolita attends the 8th grade (Buckin’ for Beardsley/Beardsley School for Girls”). Lolita is angry with Humbert for not allowing her to star in the school play. The Headmistress meets with Humbert to express her concerns about Lolita: that she has not been properly educated about sex, and needs more social interaction with her peers. She presents Humbert with an ultimatum: either he and Lolita attend group therapy, or he allows Lolita to participate in the school play written by Quilty. Humbert agrees to the latter. During rehearsal, Quilty meets Lolita and becomes fascinated with her; he admits that his uncle, a dentist and friend of Charlotte's, told him she was at school. Quilty decides to break off his relationship with his partner after meeting Lolita (“March Out of My Life”). Meanwhile, Humbert has become increasingly paranoid about Lolita's absence from home, and confronts her (“The Same Old Song (Reprise)”). Lolita protests innocence, and her friend Phyllis corroborates her story, but Humbert doesn't believe her. Lolita accuses Humbert of keeping her locked up under the guise of loving her (“All You Can Do Is Tell Me You Love Me”).

Humbert realizes that the two of them have to get away. Lolita does not want them to fight anymore, and asks for them to leave that night and take a road trip, as long as she can choose the stops along the way (“How Far Is It to the Next Town?”). During this sequence, the two of them travel across the country, but are ruthlessly pursued by a mysterious red Mercedes. At each stop, Humbert grows increasingly suspicious of Lolita's disappearance and the persistence of the red car. Finally, Lolita disappears completely, leaving Humbert distraught. He searches for her for over 2 years, but finds no trace of her; he wants nothing more than to have her back (“Lolita”). Finally, he runs into Phyllis, who tells him that Lolita ran off with Quilty. He is outraged and arrives at Quilty's house (which brings us back to the beginning of Act I) and shoots him. Then, he arrives at Lolita's house to find her married and pregnant. He begs her to come with him and she refuses. He gives her $15,000 for her and her husband to relocate to Alaska. The police arrive and arrest Humbert for killing Quilty. He reflects that, above all else, he wants her to be happy, and wonders if, only now, he loves her for the first time.