At Last
In the center of town, Pearl finds Dimmesdale and greets him, to his surprise, as her father. She tells him about her experiences in the forest and that she is now doomed to die but that she’s glad to know he’s her father because she loves him. Taking the shard of the witchglass from her, he asks her to let him be her father, choosing to die in her place. She agrees and they celebrate that they have this moment together. (At Last)
Hester and Chillingworth join them. Dimmesdale kisses Hester and announces he has taken Pearl’s penalty upon himself. He threatens to have Chillingworth executed for witchcraft, then offeres him mercy and goes up onto the platform.
Confessing that he too is a sinner deserving to wear the letter ‘A’, Dimmesdale is joined by Pearl and Hester, and, finally free from his burdens, dies in their arms as the townspeople bless him. Hester heads home, offering to finally answer all of Pearl’s questions that night. Pearl offers Chillingworth forgiveness and he accepts. He leaves to begin his life as a free man. Left alone with Dimmesdale’s body, Pearl ties up her hair as a symbol of her transformation into a woman, then makes her way home, her journey completed. (Finale - Jubliee)
Performed by Nili Bassman and Joe Cassidy
