Barbara Harbach
MUSICALS
MUSICALS
Booth! The Story of Edwin Booth, Vivace Press 2009
"…think no more of him now as your brother. He is dead to us now.” With these words Edwin Booth, the great American actor, would commence a tortured existence. His infamous brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. In the search for the President’s assassin the Booth family once beloved by the American public, suddenly found themselves subjected to its ire and fury. This prudent advice from Edwin to members of the Booth family was aimed at their preservation from vigilante justice. Booth! is a reflection on the life of Edwin Booth. We journey into the atelier of this maverick actor and the significant events that have marked his life from the perspective of his daughter, Edwina Booth. Engulfed in this reflection, we undertake a musical voyage into the sometimes-disturbing relationships that defined Edwin the son, the husband, the father, the brother and essentially the actor. Undoubtedly, the dastardly act of his brother John Wilkes plays a major part in shaping and influencing Edwina’s reflection on the life of Edwin Booth.
"…think no more of him now as your brother. He is dead to us now.” With these words Edwin Booth, the great American actor, would commence a tortured existence. His infamous brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. In the search for the President’s assassin the Booth family once beloved by the American public, suddenly found themselves subjected to its ire and fury. This prudent advice from Edwin to members of the Booth family was aimed at their preservation from vigilante justice. Booth! is a reflection on the life of Edwin Booth. We journey into the atelier of this maverick actor and the significant events that have marked his life from the perspective of his daughter, Edwina Booth. Engulfed in this reflection, we undertake a musical voyage into the sometimes-disturbing relationships that defined Edwin the son, the husband, the father, the brother and essentially the actor. Undoubtedly, the dastardly act of his brother John Wilkes plays a major part in shaping and influencing Edwina’s reflection on the life of Edwin Booth.
Hester – The Scarlet Letter
Somber townspeople gather in a square dominated by a platform and pillory on one side and a prison on the other. They sing of Puritan values and their sense of community in the hymn-like A Massachusetts Blessing (Song 1). A strident voice cries out scornfully, focusing the crowd on the prison in Death to Hester (Song 2). Inside, Hester embroiders and sings of the lessons learned from Every Stitch on My Letter (Song 3). Hester emerges from the prison and is met with the ridicule and contempt of the crowd in Hester, Hussy (Song 4). Her long-absent husband appears, learns of her adultery, and sings Ha! Chillingworth (Song 5).
The town elders recite the case against Hester, urge her to confess to Falsehoods of the Flesh (Song 6), and name the father of her child. Standing on their Platform of Shame (Song 7), Hester refuses to implicate the Rev. Dimmesdale. He sings Silent Shame (Song 8) which subtly reveals his dilemma and foreshadows his death. Hester, condemned to the pillory, sings philosophically of her self-reliance in Here I Stand (Song 9). The men sing Secrets of the Heart (Song 10), with the Governor, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth each admitting he is drawn to Hester.
Chillingworth establishes a wary truce with Hester in Chain of Iron (Song 11) and convinces Hester to keep his identity secret. The Man of Iron Will (Song 12) underscores Chillingworth’s determination to find Dimmesdale. Interlude: Waiting and Watching (Song 13) reinforces what’s at stake for each of the three main characters, over the passage of seven years.
Act Two opens with Pearl’s Dance (Song 14) and Pearl, Priceless Pearl (Song 15) which establish the affection of mother and daughter. They appear before the elders who are torn between seeing Pearl as a Scarlet Elf (Song 16) and a witch in Hester’s Child (Song 17). Hester rebuts the elders with a reprisal of Every Stitch (Song 18). Dimmesdale comes to her defense, suggesting that Pearl is a Blessing Born of Sin (Song 19).
A strange chemistry is brewing between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale in Rival Elements (Song 20). When Dimmesdale’s health fails, Chillingworth exults that My Victim’s on the Rack (Song 21). Dimmesdale stands at midnight on the pillory, seeking A Moment’s Peace (Song 22) from his inner torment. He is joined by Hester and Pearl as One Family Hand in Hand (Song 23).
Hester confronts Chillingworth in A Black Flower (Song 24) and reminisces about her youth in What Happened (Song 25). Meanwhile, Pearl meets a witch who suggests that all society hides behind The Cloak of Piety (Song 26). Hester and Dimmesdale meet and discuss their hopes for the future in I’ll Be Your Heart (Song 27). With The Scarlet Letter’s Gone (Song 28), they would both at long last experience relief, and even joy. Hester puts her letter back on and briefly reprises Every Stitch (Song 29).
Events quickly reach a climax in the festive New England celebration of Election Day Chorus (Song 30) which moves directly into a reprise of the initial A Massachusetts Blessing (Song 31) as they file into church. Dimmesdale preaches an enigmatic and moving Election Day sermon about The Promised Land (Song 32) that he won’t reach. Shocking everyone, he reaches out to Hester and Pearl. They stand together on the pillory and publicly reprise One Family Hand in Hand (Song 33). Chillingworth loses his victim, Dimmesdale dies, and Hester, standing with Pearl, reprises Here I Stand (Song 34).
Somber townspeople gather in a square dominated by a platform and pillory on one side and a prison on the other. They sing of Puritan values and their sense of community in the hymn-like A Massachusetts Blessing (Song 1). A strident voice cries out scornfully, focusing the crowd on the prison in Death to Hester (Song 2). Inside, Hester embroiders and sings of the lessons learned from Every Stitch on My Letter (Song 3). Hester emerges from the prison and is met with the ridicule and contempt of the crowd in Hester, Hussy (Song 4). Her long-absent husband appears, learns of her adultery, and sings Ha! Chillingworth (Song 5).
The town elders recite the case against Hester, urge her to confess to Falsehoods of the Flesh (Song 6), and name the father of her child. Standing on their Platform of Shame (Song 7), Hester refuses to implicate the Rev. Dimmesdale. He sings Silent Shame (Song 8) which subtly reveals his dilemma and foreshadows his death. Hester, condemned to the pillory, sings philosophically of her self-reliance in Here I Stand (Song 9). The men sing Secrets of the Heart (Song 10), with the Governor, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth each admitting he is drawn to Hester.
Chillingworth establishes a wary truce with Hester in Chain of Iron (Song 11) and convinces Hester to keep his identity secret. The Man of Iron Will (Song 12) underscores Chillingworth’s determination to find Dimmesdale. Interlude: Waiting and Watching (Song 13) reinforces what’s at stake for each of the three main characters, over the passage of seven years.
Act Two opens with Pearl’s Dance (Song 14) and Pearl, Priceless Pearl (Song 15) which establish the affection of mother and daughter. They appear before the elders who are torn between seeing Pearl as a Scarlet Elf (Song 16) and a witch in Hester’s Child (Song 17). Hester rebuts the elders with a reprisal of Every Stitch (Song 18). Dimmesdale comes to her defense, suggesting that Pearl is a Blessing Born of Sin (Song 19).
A strange chemistry is brewing between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale in Rival Elements (Song 20). When Dimmesdale’s health fails, Chillingworth exults that My Victim’s on the Rack (Song 21). Dimmesdale stands at midnight on the pillory, seeking A Moment’s Peace (Song 22) from his inner torment. He is joined by Hester and Pearl as One Family Hand in Hand (Song 23).
Hester confronts Chillingworth in A Black Flower (Song 24) and reminisces about her youth in What Happened (Song 25). Meanwhile, Pearl meets a witch who suggests that all society hides behind The Cloak of Piety (Song 26). Hester and Dimmesdale meet and discuss their hopes for the future in I’ll Be Your Heart (Song 27). With The Scarlet Letter’s Gone (Song 28), they would both at long last experience relief, and even joy. Hester puts her letter back on and briefly reprises Every Stitch (Song 29).
Events quickly reach a climax in the festive New England celebration of Election Day Chorus (Song 30) which moves directly into a reprise of the initial A Massachusetts Blessing (Song 31) as they file into church. Dimmesdale preaches an enigmatic and moving Election Day sermon about The Promised Land (Song 32) that he won’t reach. Shocking everyone, he reaches out to Hester and Pearl. They stand together on the pillory and publicly reprise One Family Hand in Hand (Song 33). Chillingworth loses his victim, Dimmesdale dies, and Hester, standing with Pearl, reprises Here I Stand (Song 34).
Tom & Sally -
A Slave to Love The Love Story of Thomas Jefferson & His Slave Sally Hemings
The musical begins on the plantation of John Wayles (Jefferson’s father-in-law), where the slaves sing When I Cross That River (Song 1), a rousing spiritual that reflects their lives of hard work and their hopes for the future. Sally is the teenage daughter of Wayles and his slave Betty Hemings. Filled with typical teenage longings, she sings Looking for an Angel (Song 2). Down Slavery’s Road (Song 3) is sung as the slaves move via wagon train to Monticello, because they have been willed to Martha Wayles Jefferson. They are welcomed at the stately Monticello (Song 4) and join a celebratory Down-Home Hoedown (Song 5).
Jefferson comforts his dying wife by singing (Happily) Never After (Song 6). The slaves of the Monticello estate share a rich culture As Old as the Hills (Song 7). Meanwhile, Jefferson’s wife dies and Jefferson mourns her loss in The River Styx (Song 8). The slaves mark her passing with the jubilant spiritual The Good Lord is Comin’ for Me (Song 9).
Tom responds to the growing American Independence movement in One Nation, Fair and Free (Song 10), along with chorus and Sally who simultaneously articulates her own vision of what it means to be free. Tom is increasingly attracted to Sally, and sings She’s a Woman (Song 11). With the independence movement coming to a climax, Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence (Song 12) which he delivers along with the Virginian delegation from the Continental Congress. During a quiet moment in the celebration, Tom and Sally sing the love duet Passage to My Heart (Song 13). Act One ends with a great celebration in Virginia’s Real (Song 14).
Act Two opens with a festive slave wedding Jump the Broom (Song 15), a celebration involving several plantations. Sally entertains the gathering with Evening Love (Song 16). After the event is over, Callender, a drunken politician, tries to rape Sally, who is saved by her brother, James. Callender brutally whips James until finally discovered by Jefferson. James sings angrily of A Human Soul (Song 17), and Callender promises Callender’s Revenge (Song 18).
A year later in Jefferson’s personal study, Sally sings A Mother’s Lullaby (Song 19) to their child Madison. They discuss his political travels and responsibilities. She sings of her love for Jefferson in A Slave to Love (Song 20).
Some years go by, and Jefferson is elected President. Slavery continues to produce numerous personal tragedies, evoked in Many Thousands Gone (Song 21). The scandal of Jefferson and Sally’s relationship is broken by Callender, and immediately makes front pages across the nation. A Yankee Doodle Scandal (Song 22) captures the eighteenth century media circus, and incorporates authentic lyrics from the lampooning ballads of the day. Sally, back at Monticello, sings Love is the Loneliest Thing (Song 23), echoed by Jefferson. Callender is found dead in a river, and Jefferson remains silent during the scandal. Jefferson returns home to great acclaim in Jefferson, the Virginian (Song 24). Since freeing Sally would be dangerous for both Tom and Sally, he frees their son Madison Hemings, who sings I’ll Head for a New Horizon (Song 25). Tom and Sally (and chorus) envision a day when slavery is ended in America, The Promised Land (Song 26).
A Slave to Love The Love Story of Thomas Jefferson & His Slave Sally Hemings
The musical begins on the plantation of John Wayles (Jefferson’s father-in-law), where the slaves sing When I Cross That River (Song 1), a rousing spiritual that reflects their lives of hard work and their hopes for the future. Sally is the teenage daughter of Wayles and his slave Betty Hemings. Filled with typical teenage longings, she sings Looking for an Angel (Song 2). Down Slavery’s Road (Song 3) is sung as the slaves move via wagon train to Monticello, because they have been willed to Martha Wayles Jefferson. They are welcomed at the stately Monticello (Song 4) and join a celebratory Down-Home Hoedown (Song 5).
Jefferson comforts his dying wife by singing (Happily) Never After (Song 6). The slaves of the Monticello estate share a rich culture As Old as the Hills (Song 7). Meanwhile, Jefferson’s wife dies and Jefferson mourns her loss in The River Styx (Song 8). The slaves mark her passing with the jubilant spiritual The Good Lord is Comin’ for Me (Song 9).
Tom responds to the growing American Independence movement in One Nation, Fair and Free (Song 10), along with chorus and Sally who simultaneously articulates her own vision of what it means to be free. Tom is increasingly attracted to Sally, and sings She’s a Woman (Song 11). With the independence movement coming to a climax, Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence (Song 12) which he delivers along with the Virginian delegation from the Continental Congress. During a quiet moment in the celebration, Tom and Sally sing the love duet Passage to My Heart (Song 13). Act One ends with a great celebration in Virginia’s Real (Song 14).
Act Two opens with a festive slave wedding Jump the Broom (Song 15), a celebration involving several plantations. Sally entertains the gathering with Evening Love (Song 16). After the event is over, Callender, a drunken politician, tries to rape Sally, who is saved by her brother, James. Callender brutally whips James until finally discovered by Jefferson. James sings angrily of A Human Soul (Song 17), and Callender promises Callender’s Revenge (Song 18).
A year later in Jefferson’s personal study, Sally sings A Mother’s Lullaby (Song 19) to their child Madison. They discuss his political travels and responsibilities. She sings of her love for Jefferson in A Slave to Love (Song 20).
Some years go by, and Jefferson is elected President. Slavery continues to produce numerous personal tragedies, evoked in Many Thousands Gone (Song 21). The scandal of Jefferson and Sally’s relationship is broken by Callender, and immediately makes front pages across the nation. A Yankee Doodle Scandal (Song 22) captures the eighteenth century media circus, and incorporates authentic lyrics from the lampooning ballads of the day. Sally, back at Monticello, sings Love is the Loneliest Thing (Song 23), echoed by Jefferson. Callender is found dead in a river, and Jefferson remains silent during the scandal. Jefferson returns home to great acclaim in Jefferson, the Virginian (Song 24). Since freeing Sally would be dangerous for both Tom and Sally, he frees their son Madison Hemings, who sings I’ll Head for a New Horizon (Song 25). Tom and Sally (and chorus) envision a day when slavery is ended in America, The Promised Land (Song 26).
A Page from the Christmas Story
(forty-minute Christmas musical for youth), Vivace Press, 1991
Find out what the journey to Bethlehem was really like as you travel with Zak, the young servant of the three Wise Men. Despite the discomforts of endless sun, sand, and travel, the caravan finally reaches the manger and witnesses the wondrous event that has taken place. Written for unison youth choir with optional two and three-part choruses. 35 minutes long. Songs include: Mystic Star, Magnet Bright; A Single-Page Disaster; A Thousand Miles from Nowhere; From Celestial Vaults sublime; A Small Step Forward; Polished Gold and Bitter Myrrh; This wondrous Place; and The Star Within.
(forty-minute Christmas musical for youth), Vivace Press, 1991
Find out what the journey to Bethlehem was really like as you travel with Zak, the young servant of the three Wise Men. Despite the discomforts of endless sun, sand, and travel, the caravan finally reaches the manger and witnesses the wondrous event that has taken place. Written for unison youth choir with optional two and three-part choruses. 35 minutes long. Songs include: Mystic Star, Magnet Bright; A Single-Page Disaster; A Thousand Miles from Nowhere; From Celestial Vaults sublime; A Small Step Forward; Polished Gold and Bitter Myrrh; This wondrous Place; and The Star Within.
Teaming the Shrew -
A Mate for Kate Teaming the Shrew is the wonderful retelling of Shakespeare’s Taming the Shrew. Join the Party in Padua (Song 1) chorus A Single Glance (Song 2) Lucentio Bianca, Bellissima (Song 3) suitors & chorus Petruchio, the Rock (Song 4) Petruchio & servants Papa’s Pampered Pet (Song 5) Katherine, Bianca, and Baptista I’ll Out-Kate My Little Kat (Song 6) Petruchio Who Knows Love (Song 7) Katherine SOL, You are the Sun (Song 8) Hortensio (as music teacher) Ardor in the Arbor (Song 9) Lucentio (as scholar) Awfully, Lawfully Wed (Song 10) chorus Reprise: Join the Party in Padua (Song 11) chorus .
Drink Up, and Carpe Diem!
(Song 12) servants to Petruchio
Reprise: I’ll Out-Kate My Little Kat (Song 13)
Petruchio The Art of Love (Song 14)
Lucentio and Bianca It Surely Shall Be So (Song 15)
Katherine and Petruchio Merry May Day (Song 16)
chorus The World’s a Stage (Song 17)
Katherine Reprise: Join the Party in Padua (Song 18) chorus
A Mate for Kate Teaming the Shrew is the wonderful retelling of Shakespeare’s Taming the Shrew. Join the Party in Padua (Song 1) chorus A Single Glance (Song 2) Lucentio Bianca, Bellissima (Song 3) suitors & chorus Petruchio, the Rock (Song 4) Petruchio & servants Papa’s Pampered Pet (Song 5) Katherine, Bianca, and Baptista I’ll Out-Kate My Little Kat (Song 6) Petruchio Who Knows Love (Song 7) Katherine SOL, You are the Sun (Song 8) Hortensio (as music teacher) Ardor in the Arbor (Song 9) Lucentio (as scholar) Awfully, Lawfully Wed (Song 10) chorus Reprise: Join the Party in Padua (Song 11) chorus .
Drink Up, and Carpe Diem!
(Song 12) servants to Petruchio
Reprise: I’ll Out-Kate My Little Kat (Song 13)
Petruchio The Art of Love (Song 14)
Lucentio and Bianca It Surely Shall Be So (Song 15)
Katherine and Petruchio Merry May Day (Song 16)
chorus The World’s a Stage (Song 17)
Katherine Reprise: Join the Party in Padua (Song 18) chorus
Daniel and the Beastly Night (thirty-minute musical for youth), Vivace Press, 1991
Experience this timeless Biblical drama of the prophet Daniel who faces death because of his commitment to prayer. Incorporating humor and a variety of musical styles, this exciting story of intrigue and attempted assassination has captured the imagination of audiences and choirs throughout the country. Daniel and the Beastly Night is written for unison or two-part choir. 35 minutes long, it promises to be an educational and entertaining addition to any worship service or special event. Songs include: Daniel the Lion-Hearted; The Cause of Jealousy; The King of High Fashion; Daniel’s Prayer; The Beastly Night; Praise the Lord of Miracles; and Praise God! Raise a Clatter!
Experience this timeless Biblical drama of the prophet Daniel who faces death because of his commitment to prayer. Incorporating humor and a variety of musical styles, this exciting story of intrigue and attempted assassination has captured the imagination of audiences and choirs throughout the country. Daniel and the Beastly Night is written for unison or two-part choir. 35 minutes long, it promises to be an educational and entertaining addition to any worship service or special event. Songs include: Daniel the Lion-Hearted; The Cause of Jealousy; The King of High Fashion; Daniel’s Prayer; The Beastly Night; Praise the Lord of Miracles; and Praise God! Raise a Clatter!
