©2021 Judith G.

Wolf all rights reserved

In Love Alone
an opera intime

Composer
Clint Borzoni
Librettist
Dr, Judith G. wolf
From the poems of
Dr. Judith G. Wolf

With special thanks

to

John de los Santos

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 DRAMATIS PERSONAE
WOMAN - Mezzo soprano
MAN - Baritone
LOVER - Soprano

SCENE SEQUENCE
PRELUDE

I: TUESDAY

II: WEDNESDAY

III: THURSDAY

IV: FRIDAY

V: SATURDAY

VI: SUNDAY

VII: MONDAY

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PRELUDE
(Lights up on a on stage with a bed, a coat rack with a red jacket, and three chairs. There are
two people, the MAN and the LOVER, facing downstage, looking at the WOMAN who is facing
upstage, away from the audience. The MAN hums (or wordlessly sings) a sweet, longing tune.
As he does, the LOVER turns and looks at him, the WOMAN remains facing upstage but sneaks a
look at the LOVER. The LOVER looks back at the WOMAN, then exits. The MAN takes absolutely
no notice of any of this as he takes his time, and finally sits as his song finishes. The WOMAN
finally turns and faces the audience.)

PART I, TUESDAY
WOMAN:

In the night a
ghost sits on
my lap telling
stories.

MAN:
Dying.

WOMAN:
What is life a
walk in the park a
drink before
dinner.

Unblemished, undamaged, unlived.

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MAN:
Life is a long fuse
burning quicker than
expected.

Reaching nirvana is
simply living long
enough to outlast
your disapproving
friends and relatives.

Negativity is
the short
way
down
to
otherwise
stay
afloat

smile.

WOMAN:
If I hear
Anything cheerful
I will call you
right away.

5
MAN:
Merrily we roll along
roll along
roll along.
Merrily we
roll along
OOPS

WOMAN:
I will call you
right away.

I am but a dream
of might have beens
in a world without substance
in a land without pain.
I am but a dream
of imagination
expanded into song
full of wonder
with no soul
but fantasy.

WOMAN:
I will call you

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right away.

WOMAN:
Right away.

MAN:
I absolutely adore you.
If you absolutely adore me,
we can meet in the middle.

(She says nothing, so he continues, a little more melodramatically.)

I don't feel very well

but I bet if you tell me
you love me, I will recover
quickly.

WOMAN:
Fake it through
another day while
the wind blows and
the rain falls
crushing the
flowers.

LOVER: (off stage)

Each night I dream

7
of you and wonder why
we never met.

WOMAN:
I keep wondering
what persona to
wear.

MAN:
It poured
rinsing away
the pain of
impermanence
sparkling drops
foretell
tomorrow tears.

(They look at one another. He sings the same tune from the prelude. She eventually joins in with
words.)

WOMAN/MAN:
Time slips away
sliding through a day
like a snake
through the grass
not disturbing
but gone in a flash

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Can you grasp
a moment in your hand,
hold it close…

(The WOMAN stops singing, but the MAN finishes the song.)

MAN:
…before it slips
through the floor
while you stand
staring at nothing
at all.

(This time, it’s for real.)

I don't feel very well

but I bet if you tell me
you love me, I will recover
quickly.

(He moves to her and takes her hand. She is unable to look at him.)

WOMAN:
I walked
beside you
with my

9
other face.

MAN:
I know you’re
my friend. We
both hang
toilet paper
backwards.

(The WOMAN looks at him.)

The ability to laugh

At yourself is a
Useful attribute.

WOMAN:
It’s really a shame to be
taken for granted No
one pays attention when
you slide out the bottom
and run around freely.

LOVER:
You look so familiar
Did I know you
in another realm
before

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we both
tumbled
into
life

when our souls hummed

telepathic thoughts
prior to life’s pathos.

Did we reach a middle rung

or even higher
as we learned lessons
in a flash of light
drawing us back
to the source
where we meld.

Did I know you

as you formed for life
bathed in luminescence
before
forgetting
then arriving
in a ray
of light.

Do we meet again

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as I hold you in my arms
and whisper in your ear
while our souls touch
or
watch you sleep

remembering.

(The MAN removes his shirt, shoes, and socks, and gets into the bed, sits up and says)

(spoken)
Strange to think of a
world out there
without me

in it.

(The MAN cocoons himself in the sheets, which do not cover his feet.)

PART II, WEDNESDAY

(The WOMAN enters with a drink.)

WOMAN:

(spoken or sung)
Is vodka good for asthma? It seems to cure mine.

Movies about love

books with happy endings

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boy meets girl
boy loves girl
girl loves boy
play on
while I sit alone
immersed in
an illusion.

LOVER: (standing off to the side of the stage)

At night I dream
of things we
cannot share
places to go
things to do
sleep disturbed
thoughts a jumble
who are we
anyway with
no plans
but wonder.

WOMAN:
Who is this other

me who sits in the

void next to my

heart it’s

13
lonesome there

without a hand

to hold, a hug

to keep me company.

I know you’re out there

waiting for me with your

long hair and beautiful face.

When we come together

we will dance

dress alike and

hold hands for

all to see.

(She covers his feet.)

LOVER:
Do you know I talk to you all the time?
You run around in circles in my mind
like a gerbil on an endless wheel.
Talk to you about where
we are and where we are
not about the last time I
saw you and all the things
in between.

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Endless conversations.

WOMAN:
How long is a symphony?
Long enough to tell of love
torn apart by greed
and ineptitude.
…of hate festering
in families unaware
of pending death.
Long enough to tell
of poison rending love
to pieces at the cost of lives
never lived.
How long is a symphony?
Long enough to waken pathos.
Long enough
to cry.

(spoken)
I really don’t

Need music. I’ll just sit and listen

To my ears ring.

LOVER:

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If I could have anything I want
off the salad bar I would have a
large hug, a sloppy kiss and a
walk around the block holding
your hand. If I could have anything
I want on the salad bar it wouldn't
be cabbage, a carrot or even some corn-
it would be a meal for two with
you for dessert.

WOMAN:
It catches you unaware.
A moment of song
a bit of a smile.

When I live alone

every light
will blaze
and the
electrician
will drop in
regularly
for tea.

PART III, THURSDAY

(As the MAN stirs in the bed, the WOMAN sits in a chair facing away from him.)

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MAN:
I was going to write my own obituary.

Like a short
story only longer.

WOMAN:
I am a saint
putting up with
disrespect
raised voices
till I curl up
in a fetal
position
and dream.

If I had to do it all over again

would I do it differently?
Would I pick a different you?
Sometimes I wonder.
The familiar is comfortable
even when it’s not knowing
the ending.
Would I pick a different you?
No voice answers.
Not even a whisper.

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MAN and WOMAN together
If I had to do it all over again
would I pick a different you?

(The WOMAN kneels next to him and takes his hand.)

WOMAN:
Waiting for death I watch you
wither away from strong to
weak happy to sad
and onto despair.

Waiting for death we go

to the movies and out
to dinner while your
insides crumble
and your spirit
withers away.

MAN and WOMAN:

We held hands
while your/my body
chewed itself up
and we smiled
at each other
in spite of ourselves.

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Waiting for death
we walked on the
moon and
remembered
and
remembered
and
remembered.

WOMAN:
If I tell you
I love you
Tell you…
Tell you..
Tell you…
(The lights drastically change, casting shadows. The WOMAN remains kneeling by the bed as
the MAN gets up and leaves her.)
If I tell you
I...love…….

PART IV, FRIDAY

(The lights restore to a livable brightness.)

WOMAN:

I walked
beside you

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with my
other face.

You died on a Thursday

barely into the day.
Your soul walked
out the door and
left me here with
a broken pipe
broken fridge
and the pool
crying all over
the deck.
I never even
heard a sob.

Did you ever

look in
the mirror
and wonder
who’s inside?

brushing teeth
brushing hair
brushing sleep
out of an eye
that belongs to
someone else.

Did you ever

look in
the mirror

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and wonder
who is
looking back?

with wrinkled lip

lifted brow
crooked tooth
and
solemn eye
staring deeply
into your soul.

Rather disconcerting.

(spoken) )or sung)

Alone on a stair

a step into space

land on a question

mark.

PART V, SATURDAY
(From offstage, we hear another wordless tune being hummed or sung. This one is faster, with
humor and mischievous optimism. The WOMAN seems indifferent at first, but then goes to the
coat rack and puts on a red jacket. Eventually, the LOVER enters with earnest enthusiasm.)

LOVER:
I really really really

really really like her.

But I don't know if

she really really really

really really likes me

or if she really really likes me

or if she only really likes me.

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I have so many conversations
with you when you’re not
around. You have no idea what
you’re missing.

Food today
is over the top.
The next thing
you’ll see
is arugula and
grape nut
flake cereal.

The movie was

a metaphor
for life.
Everyone died.

It is so dry
here even
my ears
have
dandruff.

When I argue with

myself I always

22
win.

If I uncross my legs
can I hear better?

Wisdom suggests
where asses are
involved kissing is
the only option.

Does dying break

your lease?

(The Woman gazes at the lover.)

Want to have a sleepover?

Want me to read you a bedtime story?

WOMAN:
Where did you come from
in a swirl of grief rising from
the depth to swoop me
away on a chariot of laughter.

If you want me to seduce you you'll have to give me more to drink.

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LOVER:
Most people look better in clothes. Should we check?

WOMAN:
I never know when it's going to happen so I wear fancy pants every day just in case.

LOVER:
Are we going to have a platonic relationship or should we try fooling around and see if it works?

WOMAN:
(slowly facing the LOVER)
Should I start the foreplay now or put it on hold?

LOVER:

Let’s consummate our friendship.

WOMAN:
I can't sleep at night. I'm not used to sleeping alone.

Can you feel guilt when you’re dead?

LOVER:
Tomorrow will be better than

today maybe you will smile at me or

tomorrow reach across the sky

and send a smile or drive around

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the block tooting your horn with a

banner that says you’re wonderful

maybe tomorrow will be better than

today an email with a kiss a message

with a hug or maybe you’ll even show

up at the door with a mask that says

I love you.

WOMAN:
Love is like
The ocean
Deep ends
Shallow
Ends.

LOVER:
Up
Down
in
out
twirl
in circles
love.

WOMAN:

25
A purple cloud envelopes me.
I stretch out my hand toward
the rainbow with its pot of gold full of
promises.

LOVER:
A little ray of
sunshine slipped
inside.
I sat on
its lap
embracing
its warmth.

LOVER and WOMAN:

When I think of you
the sky shines and
the mountains sing.
When I think of you
I smile.

The moment stretches into time

light from a thousand wishes showers us with NOW.

(They move in close and kiss passionately as the lights fade on all but a stark pool on the bare
coat rack.)

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PART VI, SUNDAY
(The WOMAN walks into the pool of light on the coat rack and hangs her red
jacket on it again. As the lights illuminate the rest of the stage, we see she is alone
again.)

WOMAN:
Are you really gone
or just invisible?

MAN:
(offstage)
I walked through
the gate to
everywhere.

WOMAN:
On Friday you were dead.
Last Friday too.
But Wednesday
you smiled at me
and said
Goodbye.

I never thought you

really meant it.

MAN:

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(offstage)
In a moment of truth
our lives pass before us
and we
see…

WOMAN:
What is dead ?
I feel your presence
in the prickles
down my back
or swirling
round my head
like hair blowing
in the wind
or on my hand
when I try to
take ice cream
out of the freezer
or in the car
stopping me
from speeding past a cop.
What is dead anyway?

a step
in the
sand

28
a puff of
smoke

an echo in
the night.
_________
I don’t like being
in love all alone.

LOVER:
Someone to come home to
puts a cap on the day
a twist, a twirling around
a friend to talk to.
But when there’s no
one there the cap
falls off and liquid
spills out.
An empty bottle
is not good
company.

WOMAN:

Do I love you?
Or just the idea of you?

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(spoken)
I don’t like being
in love all alone.

PART VII, MONDAY

(The MAN and LOVER enter and sit apart from each other.)

MAN/LOVER:

Women like a relationship

like they read about in books
or hear about in songs…
you know, someone
fawning over them.

WOMAN:
(The WOMAN enters and takes a seat in the third chair.)
If you want
a happy ending
read a romance novel.

LOVER:
Stay out of my day.
Don't fill my mind with
you if I am not in your
mind walking around
taking a seat just being
comfortable.

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WOMAN:
Past lives lean in to haunt
the morning filled with promises
marred by mistakes leaking down
from the past like sodden rain
teeming on a rosebush weeping
in a puddle. I spend the day
crawling up the rain spout
searching for your hug.

LOVER:
I am your own princess charming
I jumped off the page to bring you life.
Don’t throw away the book.

WOMAN:
I hate being in love alone.

MAN:
(wordless melody from the opening)
Time slips away
sliding through a day
like a snake
through the grass
not disturbing
but gone in a flash

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Can you grasp
a moment in your hand,
hold it close…

LOVER:
(Wordless melody from the opening of Part V)
Heaven must be
a great place.
no one ever
returns.

(The Man and Lover harmonize their previous verses.)

Not sure what these verses are. It makes a difference in the flow of words

WOMAN:
I HATE being in
Love alone.

LOVER:
You came into my life
through the stem of a tulip
sliding down the petals
onto a sunbeam.

Days took on the

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color of radiant roses,
rainbows smiled
shadows scampered
away leaving
hope.

WOMAN:
Your heart reached
out and wrapped
itself around my
little finger.

WOMAN/LOVER:
I met you and
the world turned
around upside
down inside
itself, sprouted
wings and
flew.

(The WOMAN/LOVER sing this section a second time, and it harmonizes with the Man’s verses.
As it builds and repeats, they move from their chairs to the same positions as the beginning of
the opera. The music gains momentum with great energy. Eventually, the MAN exits as the
other two continue. After a time, the LOVER exits as well. The WOMAN finishes her last repeat
of her verse and explores the empty space while the music builds around her. Suddenly it stops
and she looks out and speaks or sings.)

It only takes a second

33
for a day to march by
flying through time
It used to take forever but
now only a second for a
year to pass under my nose
gone in a sniffle.

(The Woman speaks)

WOMAN:
I no longer care
what you think.
of me
You died
and set
me free.

(A single instrument plays a longing refrain from the opera as the WOMAN makes the bed.
Once she has, she puts on her red jacket again and exits the same direction as the LOVER as the
lights fade to black.)

THE END

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35