Show Synopsis:
A group of people living in an East Side tenement in 1946 gossip about the alleged affair between Mrs. Maurrant and Steve Sankey the milkman, and Mrs. Maurrant's husband Frank disapproves of their daughter Rose being out so much. Mrs. Maurrant sneaks off with Steve for awhile but gets questioned by Frank when she returns. Frank fights with his wife and his neighbors, and Sam Kaplan tries to convince the neighbors to not gossip about the Maurrant family as much, primarily because he is in love with Rose. As everyone goes to bed, Rose arrives with her boss Harry, who has walked her home to seduce her. He asks her to run away with him to be a Broadway star, but Rose does not love him, and Frank makes it known to her that he does not approve of Harry. Their neighbor Vincent begins harassing Rose, and Vincent knocks Sam unconscious when he tries to defend her. Sam and Rose kiss on the sidewalk. The next morning, Rose tries to persuade Frank to be nicer to his wife, but instead, he accuses her of having an affair. Sam and Rose discuss running away together, since Sam's mother does not approve of Rose, and then Harry returns to walk Rose to the funeral for a colleague. Mrs. Maurrant invites Steve upstairs, since she is alone, but Frank returns unexpectedly and kills his wife and Steve. Frank runs away from the tenement but is found and arrested. Shaken by the events of the last day, Rose tells Sam she still wants to leave the tenement, but without him, because she does not believe two people can truly be together forever. Sam confesses his love and Rose leaves as the neighbors begin to gossip about her.

Character:
Rose Maurrant, a sweet girl from a troubled background; strong although she does not show it.

Song Context:
Rose tells her boss that she is determined to stick to her convictions and not sacrifice her honor for the promise of stardom if she runs away with him.	

Fun Facts:
1. This opera was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Elmer Rice with the same name. 
2. Kurt Weill won the first-ever Tony Award for Best Score for this opera, and he began to use the term "Broadway opera" to describe this work and others musicals of the 1940s that were leaning towards a more operatic style and structure.