Music & Lyrics by Andrew R. Butler
Book by Andrew Farmer
It's Spirit Week in Blessing, AL, the little ol' town that lives up to its name with sunny skies, friendly faces, and most famously, the fact that it hasn't been hit by a hurricane in 93 years. Or is it 92? We're shown around by a large cast of characters: a charming couple with a strained marriage, a bride-to-be plagued with bouts of trance-like walking, the adopted younger sister of Delouise (who was murdered five years ago this week), a snake-handling pastor, a mysterious drifter, a high school garage band, a gang of popular girls, a science teacher searching for faith, a zealous woman crippled by dark secrets, a guilt stricken town drunk, and the first hurricane in memory, forcing everyone to reckon with the things they'd rather forget and grapple with questions they'd rather not ask. Is this hurricane a punishment from God? Should we evacuate or ride out the storm? Who killed Delouise? Who will protect us? Who will forgive us? Are we really blessed?
Combining the music of the rural gulf coast and the storytelling techniques of documentary filmmakers, Blessing is an alt-country musical that brings to life more than 20 small-town characters as they grapple with religion, race, American exceptionalism, and the fragile balance of their once-certain lives.
Blessing has been developed by Playwrights Downtown at NYU, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, and the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
Materials are available!