Footfalls [CF:141-40106]

There is no 1-Piano reduction available, but Mr. Kim has no objections to it being performed with one piano only, if a pianist can be found who can read from the score and construct an accompaniment. (Mr. Kim added that it's not too difficult a proposition, since he has done it himself!) The lighting for this opera is crucial. For further details on the story and the staging, see Beckett's play, since the opera follows it very closely. The opera:'Mother' is a relatively minor role, appearing only at the beginning, with no speaking and no acting involved. The character may be heard but not seen, or can be sung at the back of the stage in a relatively unobtrusive position, but with, for example, a small shaft of light to highlight her. 'May' is the main character, and is a fairly taxing role, since it also has spoken words, and the 'action' is that of May pacing backwards and forwards, 9 steps at a time with varying durations (hence 'Footfalls'). The text consists of a sort of monologue by May in which she remembers, or imagines she remembers, something from her childhood; Mother contradicts her 'memory' from time to time. Eventually, May sings for both herself and her mother, but she starts to mix up names, even calling herself 'Amy' (an anagram of 'May'...). The unresolved question is: is May insane or not?