Someone is Going to Come

Libretto

Opera in one act Composer: Knut Vaage Libretto: Jon Fosse* World premier at Ultima 2000: Director: Michael McCarthy Scenografer: Simon Banham Lighting design: Ace McCarron Produced by Opera Vest

*The play by Jon Fosse Someone is Going to Come was adapted into a libretto by Jon Fosse and Knut Vaage

I He and She walk alongside an old house, in a state of disrepair nearby the sea SHE

Jolly Soon we will be in our own house

HE Our own house SHE

HE SHE

SHE

A beautiful old house Far away from other houses and from other people You and I alone You and I alone together And nobody shall come here They stop, and stand looking at the house Our own house where we shall be together where you and I shall be alone together Far away from all the others The house where we shall be together Alone in each other A house of our own Our own house

HE No-one shall come Our own house

A house of our own The house where we shall be together you and I alone in each other

They continue looking at the house SHE Suddenly worried But it's so lonely here Think how far it is from others Think how quiet it's going to be Think how it will be in autumn The wind blowing right through the walls and only you and I 1

in this house So far from others HE Yes so far from others But now that we are at last alone We went away We went away from the others We went away from everybody We went away from all the others We only want to be together with each other Alone together Alone in each other We only wanted to be alone with each other Alone in each other

SHE Can we move Can we move away Can we move away from all the others

SHE But can we be alone I feel as if, as if there is someone here Despiring Someone is someone is here HE

HE Interrupting No

Continues calmly It is only us who are here He turns away from her, stands and looks down at the sea. Pauses It is only us There is nobody here And there Points the sea And no-one's going to come She goes over to him, stands by his side. She too looks down to the sea And look, the sea is beautiful We are alone And no-one comes No-one is going to No-one comes No-one is going to come No-one comes the sea Look, the waves wave after wave Out there As far as you can see It's only sea out there 2

Wave after wave, wave after wave Out there Yes She looks small and afraid Yes Slightly troubled And no-one is coming And no-one is, no-one is coming SHE

But I can sense I sense in a way that someone is going to come Someone is here, someone is here Someone is here, someone is here I'm sure that someone I'm sure that somebody is here Someone is sure that someone Someone is here, someone is here Someone is going to come I know that someone is going to come

HE no-one's coming No we are alone We are alone Finally we are alone Now we are alone alone in each other No, we are alone Alone in each other Finally now we're alone Finally now we're alone

HE Again he looks across the sea And there Points The Sea Big and strong SHE Looks across the sea But I never would have thought that it would be like this to come here The sea is so big It is not what I had thought of to come here HE But we never could stand to be where all the others are We have to live where no-one else is SHE

HE But here it's so isolated And there's in a way someone here Here it is so

Long gone Far away Far away 3

Here it's so isolated But here it's so Here it's so isolated It is

Far away Far away From all the others

HE Old houses feel that way SHE Now it is light Think when the darkness comes When autumn comes When it is dark and cold He tries to get her to waltz. She is not looking at him Someone is here, someone is HE I know that someone is here We're together at last And someone is going to come Now we can be together I know that someone's Alone at last going to come Alone together Someone is here Someone is We shall be together alone in each other Someone's going to come Only you and I She breaks away suddenly alone in each other In despair We will never Never be let alone together Someone is going to come I know it I know that I can feel it Someone is coming No-one is here Somebody doesn't No-one's going to come want us to be here alone Someone comes Someone's coming No-one's going to come HE No-one will come We have to He looks despairingly at her She doesn't look at him He is afraid Who's going to come SHE You would rather be together with others than me You would rather be together with others Someone comes 4

Someone's going to come Someone's going to come and come Someone's going to knock on the door Knock and knock on the door Someone's going to knock on the door Going to knock and knock on the door (....) HE No Comforting No-one’s going to come SHE She comes She comes and looks into your eyes I know it Someone’s going to come Someone comes Someone’s going to come and come And she is she is going to stand there with her eyes She’s going to come HE

SHE HE

No-one comes No-one’s going to come Not her Not anyone else Not her Not anyone else

Now it is only you and I You and I You and I SHE You and I SHE/HE You and I SHE Suddenly Was that steps There is someone here There it is again There, it is someone coming He walks around the outside of the house, glances about worried, listening. 5

SHE Questioning No-one He shakes his head, keeps searching, walks slowly around the corner of the house. Anything You don’t see a thing It’s nothing HE From behind No She begins to walk slowly across the garden. Then she sees a man coming around the right hand corner of the house, a quite normal looking man. She looks towards him, then she looks down. The man comes over to her, stands in front of her THE MAN Proud, somewhat bragging Is it you, who has bought the house then It’s me It’s me who has sold the house Grandmamma Yes Grandmamma she lived there But she died Yes Grandmamma died She was the last one to live in the house There are not many people here It could get lonely living here She nods Hardly anyone Hardly anyone lives around here He returns at the left hand corner of the house, looks around the corner, and just as he does so, She looks up at The Man. The Man withdraws, stands leaning up against the wall, just around the corner. But I I live not far from here not far from here The Man laughs Perhaps we Perhaps we can keep company She shakes her head. He stands uneasy, wants to come forward, stops himself And yet it's not every day That I sell a house And now I've got money Yes now I’ve got lots of money She’s a little afraid, looking into The Man’s eyes. The Man comes close to her. Flirting If you want SHE No no He is still behind the corner of the house. Becoming more and more troubled, until he 6

forces himself forward. He walks around the corner, walks into the garden, looks down at them both. She looks at him Nervous This is him who has sold the house The Man walks towards him MAN Yes it is me It is me who has sold the house He stands, staring down But I can come back some time But I can come back again, in a while The man starts to leave. Stops, looks at them Maybe I could offer you a drink tonight Offer you a drink ‘Cause I’ve got lots of money The Man laughs briefly, waves to them, then goes round the right hand corner of the house. He steps aside, leaving as much room between him and her as possible. She watches him with caution HE Turns sharply against her Was it you who asked him to look into your eyes

SHE

So he just came along and looked into your eyes For no reason he just came For no reason and looked into your eyes

No no Just stop it now Weaker Just stop it now It scares me so No you didn't do anything You didn't even look into his eyes Just stop it please It scares me so And he lives here alone A blasted, a blasted inbred get Stop it now He’ll come He is always He is always going to come You knew that someone was bound to come here You wanted for him to come over Quietly You wanted that Calm yourself down No more for now Just calm yourself down Exaggeratedly optimistic 7

Childish, confused I don’t want to live here In despair I don’t want to live here now

We must go in and look inside Comforting, a bit afraid We must go in and look inside She goes to him Come let’s go on in and look inside the house

Did you have to look into his eyes She puts her hand on his shoulder SHE

Everything will be fine He looks at her

HE Totally sincere I am so fond of you He puts his arms around her, presses up against her, looks into her eyes. She puts her arms around him, begins to rock him gently SHE

HE SHE HE SHE

You and I She kisses him on the cheek You and I You and I Someone always has to come Be calm now You and I You know that They take each other by the hand and go towards the front door of the house. He takes the key out of his pocket, unlocks the door, opens the door for her. She enters. He goes in after her, closes the door behind him, checking that it is locked, by pulling the door

II She comes into an old fashioned kitchen. He comes in after her SHE Looks enthusiastically towards him, points Look at such a lovely kitchen table We can both sit and eat there Right opposite each other sitting opposite eating We can sit there many mornings Many mornings For now we are in our own house And nobody shall come HE SHE HE

SHE

Yes only us together You and I You and I He walks over to the window, looking in all directions Encouraging Look at this lovely old stove She points. He nods And at that old funny refrigerator She points in another direction, looks about And here we shall live And nobody shall come here He looks out through the window again and She looks at him. Not quite convinced We shall be together We shall be More convinced Only you and I He's still looking through the window

HE Deflated There he is again SHE No you're joking HE I thought that I could see him 9

SHE

But he just left us She goes over to the window, stands there beside him, looks out

HE Looks despairingly at her You only want to meet him Don't you want to be together with me You only want to meet him SHE A bit afraid Stop that now will you HE

Shsh He stands listening, then looks at her Dampened Did you hear something She shakes her head. He looks out through the window again. Then there is a knock on the door. He looks at her, frightened. She looks at him with large frightened eyes. There is another knock on the door, harder this time. They stand motionless, looking at each other

SHE Quietly We will not open He shakes his head. We will just let him stand there He nods. There is another knock on the door He can just stand there waiting and knocking HE We do not have to open We will never It is our own house be with each other alone There is another knock on the door We don’t have to open We will never We will never be with each other Never We will never I think he is gone Enthusiastically And he won’t ever come back Come let's go into the next room We will never And now that he has gone get to be with each other Let’s go into the next room We will never She takes him by the arm and almost drags him through the door to the living room 10

III He and She come into an old living room. SHE With false enthusiasm Now we’ll go around and look at the things left in the parlour Look Look here in the parlour Here in the parlour

HE He’s standing, waiting

It really is quite nice here This room is fine

He stands there

She looks towards the pictures on the wall, her attention is caught by a portrait of a young woman There there over there Points Standing there waiting It must be of the woman, Standing there waiting of the grandmother He’s standing, waiting She lets go of his arm, goes over to the portrait, stands before it She must have been beautiful He’s standing, waiting She continues looking around in the living room There Looks at a wedding photo There is the wedding photo Points There’s the wedding photo There She goes over to the wedding photo. Then she turns towards him They both were so good looking She approaches him, placing herself next to him They both were beautiful Yes He stands there waiting Standing there waiting She puts her arm around his back, presses herself to his side. She looks up at him But I am so glad because we have met each other Now I have someone I can stay together with Resting with each other Alone together in each other He breaks free from her, goes over to a confirmation photo of a boy, he stops in front of it. He looks at her 11

SHE

Here is a picture of him dressed in suit and tie He goes towards the door leading to an inner room Very strange that he doesn't remove such pictures of himself at any rate when he sells the house He opens the door, looks into a bedroom He turns towards her And here is the bedroom where she Where the woman slept It smells of stale old piss All closed in and filthy The paint has started peeling Bedding left here still unmade He goes into the bedroom. She places herself in front of the confirmation photo. He calls from the room A piss pot With rotten piss under the bed That will not do She continues looking at the confirmation picture A potty full of old piss under the bed Oh yes oh yes A piss pot half full of rotten piss

HE He returns to the living room We'll have to get it emptied He looks at her. She still stands looking at the confirmation photo SHE

Absent minded A potty full of old piss under the bed He nods, goes over to a sofa, lies down on the sofa, on his back, looking straight ahead. She goes into the bedroom Oh yes oh yes No That will never do And the whole place reeks with old age And the bed is still unmade I think she probably died 12

in that bed In that bed in those old sheets She returns to the room SHE

Dampened Do you think

HE Suddenly You knew that someone was going You knew that somebody was going to come You knew that someone She goes to the window, he turns around on the sofa, his back towards her, looking at the wall. SHE

Almost as if she is bored And there we have the sea Just the sea No-one else is here Just the sea It’s so good to look at the sea She goes over to the sofa, sits down on the sofa Comforting You and I Only you and I And the sea You and I and the sea So don’t be sad no don’t be so sad I’ll comfort you I will He turns in the sofa, looks at her afraid Did you hear He is outside again He is there He is there outside the house

SHE He said he had to go He gets up, goes over to the window and back. Looks at her, hopelessly HE He is always going to come Again and again and again SHE He said he was going to go

HE He is always going to come SHE She is afraid He said he was going to go HE Accusing And now he’s here again And just in the moment that we have arrived You find a friend SHE I saw you looked Softer Despairing He can just stand out there I know I saw you He can just You looked into his eyes He can stand outside While you thought He will just have to stand there I couldn’t see anything He can just, can just stand there You stood there and looked into his eyes It was you who asked him to come back again to us Let him simply stand there He can just go on standing Now he’s already here There is a knock on the door. He looks at her, frightened In despair I cannot stand to meet him now I'll go He looks towards the bedroom I'll go to the bedroom If someone opens the door you must do it You will have to do it Questioning There is another knock on the door Shall I open it If anyone opens it'll have to be you I cannot bear to open I cannot bear to see him There is another knock on the door, harder this time Must we open it He shrugs. There is an even harder knock on the door Shall I open it Must we open it I knew that someone always had to come There is another knock on the door. She goes out. He goes into the bedroom, then back into the room again. He lies down on the sofa, with his face to the wall, with his hands clasped behind his neck, his knees drawn up

IV The Man comes into the kitchen. She follows him MAN I thought that That I Yes might as well then straight away And so I brought He is lifting a plastic bag in front of him, there is a clinking of bottles As you know Now since I have got money Never have I had so much, I’ve so much money Yes I’ve so much money And you have seen to that The man looks at her, sits down And I I know it inside out This house This house I can find my way about here I know every Every nook and cranny The man puts the plastic bag on the floor. She stands, resting her weight on her right foot, so that her hip arches gently towards him I was often Yes I was often over here was over here He takes a bottle of beer out of the plastic bag. Offers her a bottle. She shakes her head. He opens the bottle, looks at her, offers it to her. She doesn't look at him. The Man takes a sip Yes Grandmamma Yes here she sat my Grandmamma In every morning Grandmamma And now she has left us Yes yes The Man looks at her hip, She looks out of the window She lived here alone in this old house Grandmamma For many years She must have been so very lonely There are not exactly many people who live here He laughs But what have you done with What have you done with your husband She looks at him He offers her the bottle again Won’t you have a small glass of beer She shakes her head Come and sit down 15

And take a glass Lets have a chat He has another sip You two really got this house cheaply Terribly cheaply Yes You ought to thank me thank me Thank me, you ought to thank me He laughs You should be grateful to me I'm just saying I That you should be grateful to me The Man looks pleadingly at her But won’t you talk a little bit with me Just a bit Quickly Maybe we Maybe we can meet somewhere around here I live very close to here Very close to here He laughs So if you fancy some company He takes a swig So if you fancy some company Yes You know that you can come At any time when you fancy come to my house He puts down the bottle, picks up a pen and a bit of paper from his pocket Here you can ring me He writes down his number, gives it to her Here She takes it, and puts the piece of paper inside a purse You can ring me You can always ring me Whatever time it is Yes You can always ring me Yes you can always ring me He smiles at her, satisfied. She goes to the window, looks out. The Man stops up the cork, and puts the bottle back in his bag Yes you can always ring me Whatever time you can ring me Yes you can ring me Whatever time I can always come back later today Or I can come back another day 16

I’ll go I I’ll go and then I can always come back Can always come back at another time The Man leaves, stops, turns around, looks at her. She nods to him. The Man goes out. She remains standing, looking out through the window

V She enters the living room, and sits down on the edge of the sofa. He continues to lie there looking at the wall. Long pause SHE

Now he has gone Didn’t you hear me Now he has gone She puts her hand on his shoulder, shakes him a little He went Now he has gone He looks at her with dark eyes She's afraid What is the matter He stares at the wall again What is the matter Now he has gone You and I are alone She bends over him, puts her arms around him What is the matter My dearest friend What is the matter

HE Facing the wall Are you content now Are you content SHE What do you mean You make me scared HE You have got all that you wanted She takes her arms from around him, stands up, walks some way across the room. He sits up I get it completely I understand SHE Don't be like that You make me scared HE

SHE

I get it Understand What is the matter 18

Do you have to

SHE A bit angry What HE When will you SHE I'm not going to HE Why did you take it from him SHE HE

He gave it Of course And you It’s perfectly clear I get it completely

SHE What do you mean HE SHE HE

Why did you put it in your purse I didn’t do it Oh SHE How can you HE It’s just that I know it I know about such things She goes out. He remains seated, looking at the floor I knew that someone was going to come He stands up, goes over to the window, looks down at the sea Down there There we have the sea With all its waves All its waves 19

The sea is white and black with its wave after wave With the soft and the dark depths deep within it He laughs to himself And all we wanted was to be with each other He laughs out loud. He sits down again on the sofa She reappears backstage. Remains standing. He doesn’t notice her She will be back here soon And then we shall be all alone We shall always be here alone together Be here alone In each other He places his elbows on his knees, rests his head in his hands. Looks straight ahead Alone together Alone in each other He laughs. She comes further in. She sits down beside him and looks straight ahead Curtain