The scene is set in Berlin, Paris and London early in the twentieth century.

Prologue: A circus. To circus music, a ringmaster introduces the characters as animals in a fabulous menagerie.

Scene I: A painter’s studio.

Recitative. Lulu poses for her portrait while her patron. Dr. Schön. looks on. Schön’s son Alwa comes to take his father to the rehearsal of a ballet Alwa has composed.

Introduction, canon and coda. After Schön and Alwa leave the painter makes a pass at Lulu and she tries to resist.

Melodrama. Arriving to discover Lulu and the painter in a compromising position. Lulu’s husband. the aged public health officer Dr. Goll. dies of apoplectic rage.

Canzonetta. The painter leaves to find a doctor and Lulu, left alone with her husband’s corpse, considers his fate.

Recitative. The painter returns and is disturbed by Lulu’s attitude. He questions her.

Duet. Lulu has no answer to the painter’s questions about her. The painter sends her to change out of her posing costume.

Arioso. Alone with the corpse. the painter fearfully reconsiders what life with Lulu might be like. Lulu returns, asking the painter to fasten her dress because her hands are shaking.

Interlude.

Scene 2: A conservatory in the home of Lulu and the painter.

Spoken dialogue. Lulu and the painter have married and through the intervention of Dr. Schön the painter is experiencing great success. but Lulu is growing bored. When she learns that Dr. Schön is engaged to be married. Lulu is unhappy.

Duettino. The painter wants to make love to Lulu, but is interrupted by the doorbell which he answers in hope of an opportunity to sell a painting. The caller is only a beggar.

Chamber music. Lulu has the beggar come in. He is Schigolch, aged and asthmatic. It seems he has known Lulu since her childhood and that she regularly gives him money. He congratulates her on her sumptuous new surroundings. The doorbell rings again and Schigolch leaves.

Sonata. Dr. Schön arrives. recognizing the departing Schigolch and calling him Lulu’s father. Schön has come to permanently sever his relationship with Lulu so as not to compromise his planned marriage. Lulu complains of her own marriage and feels that Schön cannot sever his relationship with her. They are arguing when the painter walks in on them. Lulu leaves the men alone.

Monorhythm. Schön brutally informs the painter of facts about Lulu and the painter’s marriage. The painter goes into his studio and cuts his throat. Schön fears scandal and its affect on his planned marriage. Alwa arrives with news of revolution in Paris. Lulu considers marrying Schön herself.

Scene 3: Lulu’s dressing room in a theater.

Ragtime. Lulu is dancing in a show financed by Schön and composed by Alwa, who waits for her in her dressing room.

Andante. Lulu enters to change costumes. Alwa asks whether a certain prince is still pursuing her and reminds her of when she and Alwa first met.

English waltz. Lulu contends Schön only financed the show in order to attract a new husband for her. She returns to the stage.

Recitative. Alone, Alwa speculates that an opera could be composed about Lulu if the deaths of her husbands did not spoil the subject.

Chorale. The prince enters, intoxicated by Lulu, planning to marry her and carry her off to Africa.

Sextet. Lulu is carried into the dressing room after faking a faint onstage when she noticed Schön with his fiancé in the audience.

Sonata. Schön himself appears and demands Lulu return to the stage and complete the performance. Schön and Lulu are left alone. Exploiting all her powers of seduction and persuasion, Lulu seizes the opportunity to force Schön to write a letter breaking off his engagement.

Scene I: The living room of the home of Lulu and Dr. Schön.

Recitative. Lulu, now Frau Dr. Schön, receives callers. Schön finds the lesbian Countess Geschwitz particularly offensive. He believes all the callers are lovers of his wife and is disgusted and maddened.

Cavatina. Lulu begs Schön to stay and spend time with her. He leaves to attend to business.

Ensemble. Schigolch, an athlete, and a student all come to call on Lulu.

Canon. The callers are unanimous in their love for Lulu and their dislike for each other. They hide when Alwa arrives.

Recitative. Alwa too is smitten with Lulu and his confession is overheard by his father who has secretly returned to spy on Lulu.

Introduction. Schön emerges from hiding, sends his son away and hands Lulu a gun to kill herself with. Lulu refuses. Schön discovers the hidden callers, loses control of himself and accuses Lulu of many crimes.

Lulu’s song. Terrified, Lulu denies causing or committing any crimes. Schön repeats his accusations. In panic, Lulu shoots him, murdering him. He sees Geschwitz as he expires and calls her the devil.

Arietta. Lulu wants to run away but Alwa stops her and the police arrest her for murder.

Interlude.

Scene 2: The living room of the home of Lulu and Dr. Schön.

Recitative. Alwa, Geschwitz and the athlete wait for Schigolch in order to put in action a plan to free Lulu from prison where he was sent for murdering Schön. Schigolch will take Geschwitz to the hospital where she and Lulu will exchange identities in the cholera ward.

Dialogue. The idea for this scheme originated with Geschwitz and Alwa believes she deserves a reward. The athlete claims a reward.

Chamber music. The student arrives, having escaped a reformatory. with a plan of his own to free Lulu. Alwa and the athlete convince the boy that Lulu died and send him away.

Melodrama. Schigolch returns with Lulu who bears all the marks of her imprisonment and illness. Disgusted by her appearance the athlete leaves.

Hymn. Lulu regains her strength and Alwa reexperiences his love. Alwa determines to flee Germany with her even though, as she now tells him, she murdered both of his parents.

Scene I: The living room of the home of Lulu and Alwa.

Ensemble. Now in Paris, Lulu and Alwa have been rejoined by Geschwitz and the athlete, and have made new, slightly off-color acquaintances. All are gathered for a party.

Variations. Marquis Casti-Piani, a pimp and police informer, has learned of Lulu’s escape from prison. The Marquis offers Lulu the alternative of being sold by him to a brothel in Cairo or being turned in by him to the police. Lulu says she is unable to be a whore and offers to buy off the Marquis. He informs her that Alwa is bankrupt.

Ensemble. The guests, excited by the gambling stakes., pass from the gaming room into the dining room. The athlete attempts to blackmail Lulu.

Pantomime. The banker among the guests learns that a stock market speculation on which everyone’s hopes have been riding has crashed. Schigolch calls on Lulu. He too wants money from her. Lulu promises Schigolch other favors than money if he will rid her of the athlete. Schigolch agrees.

Cadence. The Marquis has learned that the athlete is also attempting to blackmail Lulu and the Marquis ridicules the athlete.

Recitative. Lulu convinces the athlete that Geschwitz is desperately in love with him. Lulu promises Geschwitz favors if Geschwitz will pretend to be in love with the athlete and, under pretext of leading him to a rendezvous. lead him to Schigolch’s place. Geschwitz agrees.

Ensemble. The guests all learn of the stock market crash and that they are wiped out.

Variations. Lulu trades clothes with a servant and flees with Alwa. The police, lead by the Marquis. arrive too late to arrest Lulu.

Interlude.

Scene 2: A garret in a London slum.

Hurdy gurdy music. Alwa and Schigolch wait in their destitute lodgings while Lulu walks the streets. They hide when Lulu returns with a client, a professor. Lulu and the professor retire to the bedroom.

Variation. Alwa and Schigolch rifle the professor’s pockets. The professor pays Lulu and leaves. Geschwitz arrives with the portrait of Lulu.

Quartet. Over Lulu’s objections, the portrait is put on the wall and venerated. A quarrel develops over whether Lulu will return to the street accompanied by Geschwitz. Lulu leaves and is pursued by Geschwitz.

Variation. Alwa informs Schigolch that he suffers from venereal disease transmitted from the Marquis by Lulu. They hide when Lulu returns with a new client, an African prince. Alwa surprises and is killed by the African. Lulu flees. Schigolch conceals the corpse. Geschwitz return and Schigolch departs.

Cavatina. Lulu returns with a client named Jack. She begs him to stay the night with her and he extorts money from her. They retire to the bedroom.

Nocturne. Geschwitz plans to abandon this life.

Variation. Jack murders Lulu and stabs Geschwitz. He cleans his hands and leaves. Geschwitz mourns Lulu and, vowing eternal devotion to her, dies.