Is there any way to only require the "Email" field without having the "Confirm" email field show up? My client wants a very, very simple reg form with the absolute minimum number of fields.
The only way to do this would be to get in and modify the php code. Then of course, that would need done again whenever you install updates. I'd recommend leaving it as is.
Please consider making the email confirmation field a configuration parameter driven option so users can turn it on or off as they please. I personally would rather have it off too.