As It Is in Heaven (play)

As It Is In Heaven
Written by Arlene Hutton
Characters 9 Female
Date premiered 2001
Original language English
Setting 1830s Shaker Community

As It Is In Heaven is a play by actor/director Arlene Hutton. It premiered at 78th Street Theater Lab,[1] followed by a performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and making its way to the Off-Broadway Arclight Theatre in New York City, New York, where it ran from January 11 to February 5, 2002. Hutton wrote the play after visiting the Pleasant Hills Shaker Village in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, a restored community that the Shakers occupied for more than a century, before abandoning it in 1927, after being unable to attract new converts. The title comes from the Shaker song "The Saviour's Universal Prayer (Our Father Who Art in Heaven)", a Shaker rendition of "Lord's Prayer".[2] The play is published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc..

Song List

The songs used were (as requested by the author) to be sung A cappella:

YearType of musicSong TitleAuthor(s)Shaker Village origin
1829SongI Never Did BelieveBetsy BatesNew Lebanon, New York
1835SongCome Life, Shaker LifeIssachar BatesNew Lebanon, New York
1838SongMy Carnal Life I Will Lay DownSouth Union, Kentucky
1838SongCome Dance And Sing Around The RingNew Lebanon, New York
1840sSongI Will Bow And Be SimpleMary HazardNew Lebanon, New York
1840sSongWho Will Bow And Bend Like A WillowEnfield, New Hampshire
1840sHymnO Sisters Ain't You HappyClarissa JacobsNew Lebanon, New York
1845HymnO Father Who Art In HeavenNew Lebanon, New York
1847SongHop Up And Jump UpShirley, Massachusetts
1848Song 'Tis The Gift To Be SimpleJoseph Brackett Jr.Alfred, Maine
1852HymnGlory Unto God We'll SingEnfield, New Hampshire
1864SongCome To ZionPaulina BatesNew Lebanon, New York
1869SongWelcome, Welcome Precious Gospel KindredEnfield, New Hampshire
1870SongCome The Fest Is ReadyCanterbury, New Hampshire
1870sHymnIf Ye Love Not Each Other (More Love)Canterbury, New Hampshire

Critical reception

The play was well received by critics, with Herald saying, "A moving portrayal of upheaval caused when the utopian existence of an 1830s Shaker community in Kentucky is threatened by the arrival of 'newcomers' claiming to see angels…powerful and insightful…a thought-provoking piece, the message being that often we need not look as far as heaven to see angels here on earth…". On American Theatre Web, it was said that, "Hutton, who is best known for her charming Last Train to Nibroc, once again looks into a slice of Americana and a time when things seemingly were simpler while showing that even a 'utopian' existence such as the Shakers' was not without complications…Hutton asks some universal questions about the nature of community and belief that are timeless and also prove to be good fodder for storytelling on stage…AS IT IS IN HEAVEN contains a story that deserves to be told.", and a review on TheaterMania.com stated that, "What Hutton does that is so fascinating is to show us people who appear to be the very picture of goodness and brings out their eccentricities and frailties. [She] is excellent at drawing comedy from the situation…to its satisfying and inspiring conclusion".[3]

References

  1. ↑ "www.villagevoice.com". Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "As It Is In Heaven (Play by Arlene Hutton)". www.americanmusicpreservation.com. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". www.dramatists.com. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
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