PERFORMING FORCES
Sue's Child Self: an astral projection of Sue's child self........................................Soprano
Sue: a 70-year-old woman...........................................................................................Baritone
SETTING
Sue's living room
PERFORMANCE NOTES
X MEASURES are out of time.
STEMLESS NOTEHEADS indicate declamatory sections. Sing the notated pitches in your own rhythm. You do not need to start right with the chord. e goal is to be as close to speech rhythms as possible, making dramatic choices that best suit your own voice and interpretation of the text.
AMPLIFICATION- Both singers are intended to have microphones for the cabaret nale.
Complications in Sue
e curtain slowly rises, like in an old-time melodrama.
ADULT SUE is sitting alone, inert. Perhaps a lonely TV is playing.
A shift in the light. e astral projection of SUE'S CHILD SELF, age ten, slowly drifts down from the ceiling.
Here'swhatIdon't under - -
CHILD SUE
Waiting - intheliving - room for aSan ta,q = 100
CHILD SUE
But Idon't be-lieve her. I
SUE don't be lieve - her. I don't f be lieve - her.
Butthat's not whatIdon't under - standh
SUE'S CHILD SELF moves and observes some more. Perhaps she tries to push SUE and fails.
Here'swhatIdon'tunder - -stand be cause - Iamnotreally - here. Iam
CHILD
Iamaghost,
CHILD SUE SUE don't under - -stand. WhatI don't un-derstand - is 71 I don't.
&
?
accel. & 69 ?
CHILD SUE where thetime goes. where thetime
CHILD SUE goes. Or
how itpresses - downon youso hard, likea piece ofglass enq =120
CHILD SUE tombing - a but-ter y - slow-ly but sure ly. -
CHILD SUE
school to work, tobar, to bed, Ah!
Your
lifeissounre - -markable -
Asyouare
burnwithchemi --cals as yourpockets - burnwithmasssur-veillance - tools,
CHILD SUE minutes - withyour hands
CHILD SUE
Butthat'snotwhatIdon'tunder - -stand.WhatI don't un-derstand - is 162
com ing. - Oh San-ta is com ing.San-ta San-ta CHILD SUE
Two microphones descend from the ceiling. SUE'S CHILD SELF hands ADULT SUE a microphone.
SUE accepts. An understanding. e world begins to transform into a technicolor cabaret duet of bittersweet joy.
wherethetime goes. wherethetime goes.
e years pass by you like lovers - onthestreet. You
watchthempasswithjealous, - jealous - eyes. Youputyourkeysintheigni - -tion.
CHILD SUE SUE goes. wherethetime goes. goes. wherethetime goes. be-
CHILD SUE SUE But I amal socause I amseven - -tyyears old. CHILD SUE SUE ten.
CHILD SUE
cause Santa - is com-ing.
Oh Santa - is com-ing.
cause Santa - is com-ing.
Oh Santa - is com-ing.
