The Acts of Cain
The Acts of Cain – Libretto
words and lyrics by Catfish Bones
Composers as listed below
Performance of this work in whole or in part is expressly prohibited,
without written permission from the Author. Contact me at
catfishbones@live.com
The Songs:
Book One
1) A Furious Gale – Mozart – Turkish March
2) Yet in Darkness – Pachelbell – Canon
3) The Sea of Light – Mendelssohn – Fruhlingslied
4) Monsters of the Deep – Gossec – Gavotte
Book Two
5) Behold – Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
6) Who is Mans’ Partner – Bach – Menuett
7) For the First Time – Beethoven – Symphonie # 9
8) And I Dance – Beethoven – Fur Elise
Book Three
9) Yes, I am the Serpent – Schubert – Die Forelle
10) Come With Me – Tchaikovsky – Valse Des Fluers
11) The Fundamental Truth – Dvorak – From the New World
12) The Clouds of Summer – Schubert - Heidenroslein
13) A Brand New Path – Joplin – The Entertainer
14) And It Tumbles Around Me – Brahms – Weigenlied
15) What Have You Done – Traditional – O Du Lieber Augustin
16) Your Cheap Deception – Traditional –Battle Hymn of the Republic
17) I’m Leaving – Traditional – Aloha Oe
Book Three to Four Transition: Beethoven’s 5th (the tap dancing trees)
Book Four
18) This is Life – Flies – Wiegenlied
19) What Can I Offer – Okano – Furusato
20) What Have I Done, Brother – DigiRock (Yamaha PSR-262 selection #88)
Prologue – Part 1
A man and a woman seated in the back row, get up and try to open the exit door.
The man loudly rattles the door handle, then pounds on the door.
He stops briefly, then loudly pounds on the door again.
Woman: Help!
Man: I think they’ve locked us in.
The couple return to their seats.
Prologue – Part 2
A judges’ bench is placed on the front edge of the center stage.
A half-naked man in shackles is roughly manhandled to a chair in the orchestra pit by two guards. The judge walks in, and the prisoner is jerked to his feet by the guards. The judge sits down, and the prisoner is shoved down into his chair by the two guards.
Looking over the prisoner at the audience, the judge speaks.
Judge: And so it was, that in the 40th year of my life
On the 40th day, of the 40th year of my life,
I had become learn-ed in the way of Justice,
And had the power and wisdom to judge the lives of lesser men.
And on this day, it came to pass that a criminal was brought before me.
What was his crime? I do not know, nor care.
I am a judge, not a quibbler of legalistic minutiae.
I was given to the spirit to judge, and did so, thusly:
I held my hands clenched together over my head, and said to the criminal:
In my hands, I hold a dove.
If you say the dove is alive, and I open up my hands, and the bird flies
Free, so, will I set you free.
If you say the dove is dead, and I open up my hands, and it is so,
I shall set you in chains for seven days, and on the seventh day,
I shall release you. What say you, criminal?
Now, this accursed criminal was very clever, and he spoke thusly:
My Lord, though I hear the soft muffled notes of the dove in your hands,
If I say the dove is alive, would you not squeeze your hands together,
Choking the life from this bird, then turn to the council and proclaim:
See! This man can’t be trusted, he says the dead still live!
And if I say the bird is dead, would you not throw open your arms and
Exclaim: See how his lies take wing!
In truth, I can only say that my life is in your hands.
And so it was, that on the 40th day of the 40th year of my life,
I met a clever criminal and sentenced him to contempt of court.
And so it is truly said – that when God has delusions of grandeur,
He acts like a Federal judge.
A white rubber object drops from the judges’ hand onto the floor.
The judge exits.
Prologue – Part 3
Woman: Do they treat all their musicians that way?
Man: Well they have to, don’t they? They’re musicians.
Book One
The curtain is down. A light show is played on the curtain.
The singer is standing behind the curtain, and is not seen.
Song #1: A Furious Gale, Sung by Creator
a furious gale rips in to the deep
jagged dark crags standing up against the surging sweep
of mountainous waves that pound the very earth in to the sky
whitewater geysers wind swept to belie
a horizon in chaos, a false calm in the storm
if you stand you will be laid low for to fly here is the norm
white noise drowned out in the thunders roar
here there’s lift that is upon the wing
it is now as it has always been
now as it was in the beginning
I soared in the void o the joy it brought
as I looped and I rolled quickly upward I then shot
and forever I would climb and for ever I would race
on storm swept seas, wind upon my face
I’d skim over a formless void earth
dive from on high crashing through the surf
spinning in a magnificent arc
shedding a vortex now in to the dark
I was spirit I was power now as I soared free
now I was majestic now I flew in an eternity
I tumbled and I soared as I would laugh and I would sing
yes for ecstatic I now was living in the beginning
I tumbled and I soared as I would laugh and I would sing
yes for ecstatic I now was living in the beginning
The theater is in complete darkness.
The singer stands behind the curtain, unseen throughout this song.
Song #2: Yet In Darkness, Sung by Creator
yet in darkness, it is empty
it is black, and it is spare, you can’t believe only what you see
I am not cold and I am not hot
I am what I am and I won’t pretend to be what I know that I am not
is this silence? this pervasive lack
is this darkness? will it swallow me up in to the black
is this numbness? this cold that is so thin
is this timeless? this unceasing doubt, this eternity of where do I now begin
this is not blindness. I can now see
that all a round there is nothing but for this anarchy
I am alone is this to be my fate?
to be and to be forever then a refugee unable ever to create
there is a void, a darkness
I don’t know where it comes from and I do not know why it is right
to yield to this desire to rejoice in this creation
it will be must be and it is done
let there be light (and there was light)
A Note About Equipment:
A manwheel is a circus prop. It is a large wheel, that a performer straps into, standing up, and by shifting his weight, he can roll head over heels across the floor. Two manwheels are required in this scene.
A Note on Names:
In this play, Cain is both a young man and an old man. To avoid confusion, the older Cain will usually be called the Mayor of Enoch, or the Elder. There is only one Cain in this play, but he is at different stages of his life. In the Bible, Irad is Cain’s grandson.
The Mayor enters from one side of the stage strapped into a manwheel. He rolls across the stage and exits on the other side of the stage. He then rolls across the stage in the other direction. While this is going on, Irad rolls across the stage in the opposite direction. After a couple passes like this, they start rolling across the stage in unison.
If either performer can perform a penny drop, or other tricks, they do so, while the Narrator rambles on.
Narrator: It is recorded that one day, Irad asked the elder Mayor of Enoch about
Light. The Elder said – Once, I saw a powerful storm, and I watched in
Awe. In time, I realized that I would see the lightning, then hear the thunder.
So, I proudly told Adam’s God – Listen to what I have learned –
Sound is fast, but light is instantaneous.
No, He said, in every storm, there is the Gidesh, the light, then the sound.
Man cannot see the Gidesh, it is instantaneous.
Man can only see within limits.
But you are the Gidesh, and I’ve seen you, I said.
I am in the Gidesh, and of the Gidesh, and outside the Gidesh, and you have seen me like you have seen the wind.
Irad had been listening raptly to this story, and now said –
That is very profound, for I do not understand it.
Nor did I, the Elder continued, but I believe that Adam’s God sees light like a string. And in this string, He sees a record, with a beginning, a middle, and maybe, its’ end, for in this string, there are knots.
And these knots are events, moments in our lifes. So, our lifes
Are like a storm, with lightning (a knot), lightning (a knot), lightning
(a knot), then the storm passes.
Or, a child is born (a knot), a child praises God (a knot), a child murders his brother (a knot). Thus it was written.
A Note About Equipment:
The stage is to duplicate the famous Hubble telescope photo the pillars of star formation). Behind these gauze cloud-like forms are mini-tramps.
Acrobats use these trampolines to perform tricks, while the singer stands behind one of them, and performs this piece.
Song #3: The Sea of Light, Sung by Creator
from a point from a thought from inside of me
a stellar storm explodes at the speed of eternity
its’ bow wave is the boundary to unreality
there is a void and voidless a sea in seas
the sea of light and it is good
the sea of light and it is good
then separate the waters from the dark deep waters
call one abyss the other you’ll call it the sky
the light less time less abyss call it empty void of night
where there’s light call it day for it is light a wash in light
then gather up the waters com press them like sand
com press them even further form from this light a new land
in the center of this land in the cores of suns
are formed the seeds of life here’s where life’s begun
formed of light and it is so very, very good
A Note About Equipment:
Drywall stilts are available in many hardware stores. You can walk around pretty good in a couples of days. However, this scene requires two or three good (i.e. skilled) stilt walkers .
While the Narrator is talking, two or three stilt walkers come out in weirdly plumaged costumes, and stagger around like drunken ostriches.
Narrator: The honorable Mayor of Enoch once told this story about the first bird:
I was working in the field, and I came upon a boulder, which I intended to
Remove. So, I dug the ground around it.
As I did so, I saw that it was a leg bone, a femur, in length almost 4 cubits,
And made of stone.
What monstrous beast was this! I exclaimed
With the help of Abel, we carried this bone and laid it before Adams’ God.
Who has seen such a creature? And who dares name it? I said boldly.
It is a bird, said He.
A Bird! It is taller than forty birds, and it is made of stone. Such a bird
Could never fly.
And it did not. But its’ descendants left the security of the earth,
And gained dominion of the skies.
Then I asked – just as Adam’s descendants left the security of Eden
To gain dominion over the lands of the earth?
But, He did not answer me.
He does not always answer me, even then.
A Note About Equipment:
The figures are dressed in all black. They carry sticks with long lightweight fabric banners, about 15 feet long by 2 feet wide. The colors are selected as Day-Glo colors and black lights are used for lighting. About 5 monsters should be used. The banners are twirled, etc as this song is performed by a singer who is offstage, unseen.
Song #4: Monsters of the Deep , Sung by Creator
there are many monsters in the deep blue sea
seething and scaly glowing eerily
wearily wiggling squids and snails
putridly pulsating pink pale tails
flailing fleeing from a hungry octopus
kicking off dust a horseshoe crab amorous
huffs and he puffs and languidly lounges
on the sponges and seashells that he scrounges
cetaceans coelenterates cranky crappy
collectives of walrus wallow and they woo
pirouetting penguins like pirates pursue
gold tangs silver tuna mother of pearl
through schools of swordfish and dolphins that whirl
from the monsters of the deep the deep blue sea
there are monsters of the deep yes they are there
and they are there just to give you a good scare
Narrator: Thus ends Book One, wherein the Heavens and the Earth are
Created, and the Earth is populated with living creatures.
Transition from Book One to Book Two
A clown walks out from one wing, holding a sign over his head, and looking at the sign, not where he is walking. His sign has the number 2 on it. Another clown walks in from the other wing. His sign has the word TWO on it. The two clowns bump into each other, and begin arguing: 2 / TWO /2 / TWO, then join in unison 2-2-2-2. A poodle walking on its hind legs, and wearing a tutu walks across the stage.
Book Two
A Note About Equipment:
The fire devil stick is a lighter weight model than the standard devil stick. This is needed in order to get a good rotational speed. The stick ends are set on fire, and the stick is spun around various axis, while it is on fire. Two hand sticks control the stick. I am going to take a moment here to boast that I am really good at this trick. This routine should include a high toss, a helicopter spin, a pizza toss, a propeller spin, a buzzsaw spin, and smooth transitions. (Hey, if I can do it, anybody can do it.)
A performer walks onto the stage and performs a fire devil stick routine, while the singer performs this song off stage, and ( you guessed it ) unseen.
Song #5: Behold, Sung by Creator
behold he stands on the mountain proclaims this overwhelms me
conceives of a universe vast cries how can it be
stretching from birth the limits of finite conception
and damned by a stubborn free will
to perpetually strive against the world
in which he was born in to live
and live free
behold in this contradiction of spirit and clay
the glory that is the enigma
that is the creation for this is a man
see in his dreams how he conquers the ocean
see how his arms seek to wrestle the sky
having just learned how to walk he is eyeing the stars
and will go
A Note About Equipment:
A cheese cloth screen is dropped and back lit, so there is a noticeable barrier between the actors and the audience. The actors pantomime the scene, only the Narrator speaks.
Narrator: It is told that one day Adam awoke from a nap and said:
Come, let us gather our children and prepare a meal.
Now, normally, the two sons would be working, but on this
Particular day, they were both at play.
The young son was hiding nearby, and when he heard this, he thought:
I shall track my father stealthily, and when he does not expect it,
I will leap out and surprise him.
Now, although Adam did not know where the young son was, he
Did know where the elder son was, because of the tremendous noise he
Was making. And so, they set out for the source of this racket.
They arrived at the foot of a cliff. In this cliff was a large cave,
And there at the entrance stood the elder son, blowing a gigantic
Horn into the cave, and listening to the discordant echoes blasting back
At him.
Adam went up to his son and shouted – You Are Very Loud!
What! Yelled the son. You Are Very loud. He said when the
Noise died down. Come, let us find your brother.
Just then, the younger son leapt out from behind a tree and said –
You will have to look for me, for I am as quiet as my brother is loud!
Surprised, Adam laughed heartily and said-
Yes, my quiet and my loud sons.
A Note About Equipment:
This is just the solo song and dance for the lead male singer.
Please don’t have him come out in a loincloth with tap shoes on. Use your imagination.
Song #6: Who is Mans’ Partner, Sung by Adam
in the study of life there will be a word
for all you’ve ever seen all that you have felt all that you have heard
but if you just recite what was writ long ago
like a parrot you talk and you squawk there is nothing that you know
like a miser you hoard that thread bare worn out rhyme
like a beggar you say that poverty’s never been a crime
the world is dormant to a man who will not rise
and the poet’s a fool when the sylvan dream is in his eyes
describe the world describe what you feel
in this there’s truth for this makes you real
man can not stay in a garden not even Eden
so sing of the passenger pigeons how they darken a noon sky
of the herds of bi son lost spirits on dust clouds they fly
sing of the mammoths stilled by the great cold
of stromatolites three and one half billion years is so old
and yet still they do not die
how did a bat in a dark cave cold and a lone learn how to fly
how do spiders weave webs in mid air
who is mans’ partner
A Note About Equipment:
Juggler clubs (Dube, Todd Smith, etc.) Optionally, the clubs can have foam fins to look more like tropical fish. Minimum 4 jugglers, with younger Cain walking through the passing pattern will simulate the undersea potion of the pantomime.
Narrator: Once, the elder son of Adam said boldly – You have commanded
My father to name all of the animals, but has he named all fish in the sea?
Has he even begun this task? Let me do what my father has not.
And Adam’s God said – you are very loud, first son, and very bold,
But in this, you are innocent. If you will name all the fish in the sea,
It will be to your glory.
And then Adam’s God took a plate of glass, and he set it in a form,
And into this form, He poured the latex of the rubber tree,
And he took a closed vase, and He breathed air into this vase,
And He did many mysterious things.
Then He said to the son – wear this and you shall be like the fish
Able to live under the ocean.
But do not swim deeper than one hundred cubits. If you disobey me,
Your blood will boil in your veins, and you will die.
Thus warned, the elder son became a fish of the sea.
He swam on the reef, and saw many wondrous things.
He saw the graceful eagle ray, and the menacing moray,
The elegant rock beauty, and the playful schools of sennent,
And so much more. He was stuck by the beauty he had not imagined,
But he knew in one lifetime, he could not describe all that he’d seen.
And so, this little wiser, he went home, and Adam saw him,
And Adam said – It is wonderful you have finished this task so soon.
Come, tell me the names of all the fish in the sea!
And Cain did smile, but the loud son was silent.
A Note About Equipment:
Boy / Girl / Beethoven
Song #7: For the First Time, Sung by Adam
I have named all of the creatures but you He has named Eve
when I look up on your features for the first time I believe
here in Eden here in this garden
here now a new world has begun
He has made a perfect world and breathed in to me a soul
but until He took a rib from me He had not made me whole
here in Eden here in this garden
here now a new world has begun
He has answered many questions and His spirit guides and soothes
but I’ve known no other answer and I seek no other truths
here in Eden here in this garden
here now a new world has begun
A Note About Equipment:
One person is able to set up and carry a hang glider, but when they are set up, they do take up space. If you can lower it from overhead, this takes care of the space problem.
A hang glider only weighs about 50 pounds. If you do not own one all ready, there are several instructional schools which have old gliders that are unflyable, but look ok. Explain that you are promoting the sport, and they may loan or give you one. Ask any pilot about “hanger flying”. That is the atmosphere to create in this scene – that they are in the hanger telling stories.
The Elder and Irad walk from outside into a hanger in this scene
Narrator: Irad once asked the Elder of Enoch about his fondest memory,
And he Elder told this story. Adam’s God said unto me – each
Animal has a place, the mammals walk on the land, the fish swim
In the sea, the birds fly in the air, and each accepts its’ place
Without questioning it. But, man questions everything.
Yes, He said. Then I said – I would like to fly.
So, He took some bamboo pole, and lashed them together
Into giant wings, and He covered these wings with skins.
Then I carried these wings to the edge of a cliff, and I felt
The breeze blow upon my face. Below me, I saw my parents.
I exclaimed – watch me now, as I run off this cliff!
But they were afraid for me, and fell to their knees and prayed.
As I left the cliff, the wind blowing up its’ slope carried me aloft,
And I was looking down at where I once stood. By staying near the
Cliff, I could fly for miles, and at this height, I could see my home,
And everywhere I had ever been in my life in one glance. No, truly.
Then a red-tailed hawk flew with me, and when I turned,
He turned with me, and when he landed, I followed, and landed also.
I saw my father and my mother as I was landing.
They were tearing their clothes and beating their breasts,
Pleading – God have mercy on our son!
But there was no reason for this. I landed and was grinning from
Ear to ear, but my father was very angry, and said –
A son must know his place.
A Note About Equipment:
This song is suggestive of a certain landscape, but the actress needs to suggest the setting by her actions. Having Eve standing in a shower, singing this song will ruin the effect.
This is the solo song and dance for the lead female singer.
Song #8: And I Dance, Sung by Eve
and I dance beneath the waterfall its flowing free its soaking me
then on a cool secluded mossy ledge I roll a round so playfully
behind lucent sheets of liquid walls wrapped in my veil of innocence
where over me’s a rainbow in the mist Gods’ work is rich in elegance
it is soothing to watch the stream drop on to me down from above
and if only my dear Adam weary restless relentless wanderer was here with me
then we would share a long embrace while rolling around in each others arms
in ecstasy while making love
along cliffs I run the ocean breeze its cooling me its calling me
the tall grass grows rich and luxuriant it is a live it sways with me
a red tail hawk soars in the sky his spirit calls now fly with me
and a buffalo herd a mile wide like a great storm on the prairie
it is thunder the sky turns gray the ground rumbles the sun turns brown
and if only my dear Adam weary restless relentless wanderer was here with me
then together in unison now we would rock the heavens and the earth
while getting high while getting down
Narrator: Thus ends Book Two, wherein a man is created, and with his
Partner, he sets out to live in and learn about Eden.
INTERMISSION
Book Three
A Note About Equipment:
Except for the Cain interludes, the entire scene takes place in the garden of Eden.
You will need dancing trees (to be described later) but otherwise, it is your standard garden scene, with a before and after. The entire scene is a short comic operatic piece, with two diversions.
Song #9: Yes, I am the Serpent, Sung by Snake
Yes, you will call me evil but that, it will be your mistake
but yes, I am the serpent o indeed I am the snake
had your soul been made immortal for you to lay about and rest
then my sins would crush down on me upon this weary breast
but I’m a loyal servant not just a rude obnoxious guest
and you are not the star, no, you’re here now to take the test
its Satan’s fault, the devil tricked us, for in all truth I am a fake
but my dear, I am the serpent, my friend I am the snake
A Note About Equipment:
In this scene Cain is in the afterlife. The actors and the stage crew can make things as weird as they can imagine in terms of costumes, lighting, sound effects, bizarre actions, etc – you can’t get too weird (but you can get too gross, obscene, or just plain stupid – weird and funny often go together).
Narrator: Once the Elder of Enoch came upon a plant that he had not seen before, but from its’ unusual appearance, he thought – surely this is the fruit that my mother gave my father to eat.
Curious, he took a taste of it, then he fell into a heavy slumber.
As he slept, his eyes beheld a fantastic stream of colors, slowly wrapping about in serpentine spirals that turned about his eyes.
Now the colors became strange sounds, and the temperature became transcendent words and from the empty void arose great griffins,
overhead flew wing-ed dragons
and he knew that he was in the land of Sheoul.
And a blackness enveloped and absorbed this freeform world
And the pulsing entered the fiber of this world
And the cold descended and he felt empty.
Now he saw the true face of Yehovah, and he has terrified,
But Yehovah said – Cain why do you fear me here?
Why do you fear me now?
Return to the garden of Eden scene
Song #10: Come with Me, sung by Eve
alone this morning and I remember just last night
when we were together in the night then how you did ache to hold me tight
in the blessed union when the two of us are rejoined in to just one
but now I am alone I cringe from the sun
for the shadow it casts shouts out you are very weak and you’re alone
there is no one with you you’re unknown
will it always be like this you will have a grail to find
and I will tag along behind
this can never be come with me this morning it’s not late walk
with me this distance it’s too great
come with me together it’s our life
walk with me as one as a man and wife
Song #11: The Fundamental Truth, Sung by Adam
understand why we’re here the purpose of this
you must see in Eden some thing is amiss
one answer (no answer) - challenge the abyss!
man is here because God asks: tell me who God is
imagine that the dark is a glow in light
unified by one law - that’s the speed of light
yes the speed of light
so I ask what is light -mass that’s energy
it travels at a speed mass can not attain
that’s the law that is truth fundamentally
imagine changing flesh to pure energy
traveling in no time across galaxies
but then when you re turn the sun will be cold
yes long dead and cold
Song # 12: The Clouds of Summer, Sung by Eve
how many angels can dance on a pin there is no answer none
this is a game you will never win while the clouds of summer roll on by
you notice the winter where does the time fly
the bloom of youth fades and you say
you were a beauty in your day
I beg you to sit down here with me don’t walk a way
Song #13: A Brand New Path, Sung by Snake
Let’s try a brand new path
let me show you the view
see him beg I was blind before
I see now you’re wise tell me more
is the fruit a trinket here to allure
is it a trap, no it’s the cure
it is the prize it will be good to eat
God will provide this is your treat
it is the answer to all of your dreams
if you know good and evil that’s the end of the quest
He dares man to be a God dear Goddess
this is where the tops of the trees start falling over, as Eve approaches them
Song #14: And It Tumbles Around Me, Sung by Eve
and it tum'les a round me
and it swells now as the sea
and I am naked
my lips now are withered pale red
now my skins gray and dry
there’s no light in my eye
and it tum'les a round me
this flesh was but it is not me
and I know about sin
and I know now its great cost
and I know what was Eden
and I know now what was lost
and it tum'les a round me
and there’s no hope for me
and it tum'les a round me
and there’s no hope for me
Song #15: What Have You Done, Sung by Adam
like the wind the ground howled afraid dear I ran dear
o what have you done woman o what have you done
storms of night billow in towers of wrath
I ran hailstones they did drive me brimstone blocked my path
I staggered in terror the ground rolled like the sea
o trees that were up rooted were tossed aimlessly
how is it the earth now battles the sun
o Eve what have you done woman o what have you done
I see now the cause I see now the reason
o Eve the forbidden fruit to eat it is treason
should say good riddance I should say so long
Eve so why do I hold this fruit when I know it’s wrong?
A Note About Equipment:
Magic shops have gimmicked straight jackets, but don’t get these, get a regular straight jacket, and leave enough slack so the escape is assured. This will still require considerable practice. Also, you probably don’t want to leave this equipment lying around your home (why give people ideas).
In this scene, the Mayor is tied up in a straightjacket by two attractive female assistants, and he is hoisted up into the air. Irad watches as he squirms free.
Narrator: Irad asked the Mayor of Enoch – if there was no one in the land of Nod,
Who were you afraid of? And the Mayor said – I had traveled a fortnight, in exile. The village was just a rumor to me, when over the hills, I saw the gray smoke of civilization.
Here, I sought food and water. It was a magnificent city. Its’ walls were alabaster, and its’ streets were paved with gold. The people were descended from angels, tall, with skin the color of lapus lazuli.
And I said unto them – I am an outsider here, let me become one of you.
And they said – Oh, you poor, pale man, the sun has addled your brain.
Then they clapped me in irons and made me a slave. And they said
when I had saved a hundred talents, then they would set me free.
And each day, they gave me a talent of silver for the work I had done, and each night, they took a talent for the food I ate, and they took a talent for the stable I slept in, and they took a talent for the guard who watched me.
And Adams’ God saw this, and He was displeased,
and He said to this arrogant people – Fools! I did not make you free to enslave others! I did not make you rich so you could rob from the poor!
I did not give you power to destroy the wills of freemen!
Because you have forgotten me, so shall the generations of man forget you
And your bones shall be the dust that blows across the desert.
When hard times befell the city, the people wandered into the wilderness, and here they died, and they were forgotten.
Return to the comic opera. By this point, Eden looks like a waste land, with the trees that are still standing broken in half, so that the branches drag on the ground.
The lights dim, and dancing wing-ed angels and red-suited horned devils appear, each carrying a full-length mirror (which they show at themselves, each other, and of course, the audience). Meanwhile, the singer performs offstage, and need I say it – unseen.
Song #16: Your Cheap Deception, Sung by Creator
does the sun race for you since this morn you arose
do you stand at the heart at the core of the cosmos
please tell me what happened before this great universe
quote it chapter and verse
you sang my praise to the heavens now you’re calling me a liar
I am lord of all creation I am god of the fire
please grab me a quark say its right here and here right now
or should I say what’s your will when should I and how
where were you that night I said yes now let there be light
tell me what’s wrong and right
you sang my praise to the heavens now you’re calling me a liar
I am lord of all creation I am god of the fire
in pain now remember your cheap deception of me
learn now this truth this know ledge no it does not come free
see now my wrath and tremble before me
for I love though you’ve forsaken me
you sang my praise to the heavens now you’re calling me a liar
I am lord of all creation I am god of the fire
Narrator: And in exile, Adam sang this song
Song # 17: I’m Leaving, Sung by Adam
why did you wait until I was leaving
why tell me now when it has no meaning
now that I am leaving this fallout zone
and you are leaving me more alone
now I stand tall on my two feet
now that I can say that I am my own man
good bye Eden no I don’t think this went according to plan
what good is it to now learn you need me
why do I drag these chains you laid on me
in the darkness I’ve shouted out to you
do you know who I am do you care
good bye my God good bye Eden
you know I don’t think I really belong here
good bye Eden it does not look like I will ever be back
Narrator: Thus ends Book Three, wherein Adam and Eve are cast from the garden
for eating the forbidden fruit.
Transition from Book Three to Book Four
A Note About Equipment:
The threes in the garden are just large enough for a small woman tap dancer to stand in, after the tops of the trees are broken in the earlier devastation. The desired effect is to see only a part of their legs, and to be dragging the tree branches on the ground whenever they try to move.
Book Four
A Note About Equipment:
It would be ok to pitch a modern tent (mine’s a Walrus Rapede, but any lightweight tent would work. Alternatively, a tee pee would be good, but it would have to be based on an authentic Native American design and decorations, not the hokey cartoonish looking things, but something livable, if not entirely comfortable. A real fire would add greatly to the ambience.
Narrator: One night, Eve saw her two children sleeping by the fire,
And she sang this song.
Song # 18: This is Life, Sung by Eve
there is no shame the shame’s gone
pain subsides that once was strong
there is a force drags you on
it is life it is my song
this is life that can’t be wrong
the night falls then comes the day
they’re both the same in some way
can’t hold your breath and just die
to say you will is just a lie
there is a force drags you on
it is life it is my song
this is life that can’t be wrong
the guilt the pain I still feel
the blood in me it is real
I bear disgrace and the pain
I bear the guilt not the shame
there is no shame the shame’s gone
the pain subsides that once was strong
A Note About Equipment:
The time has come the walrus said…
This is the climax of the play. There is no action at all, just an old man talking to his grandchild about life. That’s it. It will probably put half the audience to sleep, but I really like this passage. The Elder is in the palace, and the opulence of the palace should stand in sharp contrast with the spare existence of the last scene.
Narrator: And the Mayor remembered the long trail.
Cain: I set out east of Eden, into the land of Nod. I spent a time in a village, and
there, took a wife. But, Adam’s God commanded me to wander, so I
wandered. One day, Adam’s God commanded me to stop, so I stopped.
Here, I pitched a tent. The tent became a hut. The hut became a palace,
And the camp became this great walled city.
And I said – Truly, I do not deserve this bounty.
And my wife gave birth to a son, and I called him Enoch. And again,
I said – Truly, there is none less deserving of this blessing then me.
But my wife said – No. You are wrong. You are a great man, an Elder,
the Mayor of a prosperous city. Let us name the city after you, so that the
races of man will not forget your name. And I said – No. Let us name this city Enoch, for our son. Let us remember this blessing.
I am sure the people will long remember me.
A Note About Equipment:
In this scene, Cain is harvesting wheat, a laborious task. Each time the music stops, he gets more worked up. At first, it seems like he is going to let it drop, but he doesn’t.
He keeps going back to the same idea, over and over again, so instead of getting a little worked up and blowing off some steam, and then letting it drop, by the end of the scene he’s worked up a good head of steam – it’s the actors role to show this ( the actor will be swinging a scythe the whole time, that will help).
Song #19: What Can I Offer, Sung by Cain
under the winter sun I rooted weeds
with the rains of the spring I planted seeds
under the hot summer sun I watered the dry barren sand
and by the fall raised a crop on this land
surveyed the crop tallied what I would reap
food for the winter fodder for the sheep
and I dug a clay lined pit to keep the grain from dry rotting
at harvest time I made an offering
Adam his wife Abel will feast with me
I did not keep the greater part for me
Abel’s flock is very large and it just seems to madly grow
they consume most of the grain as you know
rodents will eat some there will be spoiling
and I will need seeds to plant in the spring
so while now this harvests rich it over flows its own coffer
yet in truth there’s little left to offer
you gave to Abel two sheep that would breed
you gave to Cain a couple sacks of seeds
I live a hard dreary life to get my family what they need
while Abel grows rich his flock breeds and feeds
and all that’s left beyond my meager needs
is a weary spirit this sack of seeds
is my sweat unworthy is my devotion not in my deeds
what can I offer but this sack of seeds
A Note About Equipment:
In general, I dislike theatre props, favoring circus props, but this scene requires a staged setting. The setting is a Halo Store. There is even a large sign: THE HALO STORE.
Inside, people are trying on halos, and a chorus line forms in the middle of the scene, with all the people who are trying on crosses all get in line and start dancing for no good reason. This is all going on in the forefront of the scene, while tucked away in the rear of
the stage are three tombstones. As the scene goes on, Cain lies down in front of the various tombstones, and brushes aside the proprietor, who is trying to get him to try on halos and crosses.
The Elder Cain: Now winters cold settles in my bones and the fire of the hearth
no longer revives my flesh, and people say to me – Cain,
you have lived a hundred years, you have walked with God, you have
have built a great city, Set down the sum of this knowledge before you
pass on, so that we may live by this wisdom.
And I have thought much on this question, and I will leave them this,
And they will not be happy:
I wish I had something to tell you
Something noble and deep and true,
But I am an old man, as I’ve told you
I’ve told too many lies to now start anew.
Ask an old man about hard work and strife.
Ask a young man the meaning of life.
And when I see Adam’s God one last time,
And He says to me –
Cain, now that it is over, what did you learn?
And I will walk up to Him proudly
And I will say to Him loudly:
Not one damn thing.
A Note About Equipment:
Abel’s spirit stands next to the dead body of Abel in the sand. At the other end of the stage is Cain. The lighting is dark red. The less junk there is on the stage, the better.
Song # 20: What Have I Done, Brother, Sung by Cain, Abel, Creator
Cain: What have I done brother
You should have run brother
You can’t trust me when I …don’t trust you
This was so plain that I…thought you knew
This was so wrong brother
Do I go on brother
I did not understand what I …was to do
Until it was all through
Cain (softly): What have I done brother
Abel: I see and I hear…can’t understand
Cain (softly): you should have run brother
Abel: it slips through my fingers, bloody sand
Cain (softly): You can’t trust me when I …don’t trust you
Abel: This is my blood that now soaks the ground
Cain (softly): This was so plain that I…thought you knew
Abel: I call to you brother, hear this sound
Cain (softly): This was so wrong brother
Abel: Can’t you hear me brother, feel my pain
Cain (softly): Do I go on brother
Abel: Can’t you help me brother, help me Cain
Cain (softly): I did not understand what I …was to do
Abel: I thought that I knew you, you were a friend
Cain (softly): Until it was all through
Abel: But I see the sand’s red, my life will end
Creator: Cain!…where…is young Abel
Abel (softly): I see and I hear…can’t understand
Cain: Have you checked down by the stable
Abel (softly): it slips through my fingers, bloody sand
Creator: Cain!...where…is your brother
Abel (softly): This is my blood that now soaks the ground
Cain: Ask his father, ask his mother
Abel (softly): I call to you brother, hear this sound
Creator: Cain! You must stop this stalling
Abel (softly): Can’t you hear me brother, feel my pain
Cain: I don’t know, have you tried calling
Abel (softly): Can’t you help me brother, help me Cain
Cain: Why don’t you page him on his beeper
Abel (softly): I thought that I knew you, you were a friend
Cain: What am I? My brothers keeper?
Abel (softly): But I see the sand’s red, my life will end
Cain: How can I ask you to forgive me
Cain: When you know what I have done?
END OF PLAY
A Note About Equipment:
After a circus show at least, there is an amazing amount of garbage that needs to be cleaned up. A wide push broom is excellent for this purpose. Plan on starting at the top and pushing the garbage downhill, collecting it at the floor.
Appendix – settings for Yamaha PSR 262
1. song #8 / tempo 200
2. song # 17 / tempo 80
3. song #21 / tempo 110
4. song #14 / tempo 85 / voice 58/ transpose (-12)
5. song #12 / tempo 50
6. song #7 / tempo 100 / voice 18
7. song #13 / tempo 120 / voice 20 / transpose(-5)
8. song #6 / tempo 85
9. song #27 / tempo 130 / voice 7 / transpose (-6) / tune (-25)
10. song #25 / tempo 95
11. song #20 / no change
12. song #18 / tempo 105 / voice 39
13. song #75 / tempo 110
14. song #35 / voice 88 / transpose (-7)
15. song #55 / voice 88
16. song # 70 / tempo 80
17. song # 46 / no change
18. song #33 / tempo 95 / voice 19 / transpose (-3)
19. song #58 / no change
20. song #88 / tempo 50 / (bump up volume at bar 17)
Performance of this work in whole or in part is expressly
prohibited without written permission from the Author.
Contact me at catfishbones@live.net
