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:
| Year | Type of music | Song Title | Author(s) | Shaker Village origin | |
| 1829 | Song | I Never Did Believe | Betsy Bates | New Lebanon, New York | |
| 1835 | Song | Come Life, Shaker Life | Issachar Bates | New Lebanon, New York | |
| 1838 | Song | My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down | South Union, Kentucky | ||
| 1838 | Song | Come Dance And Sing Around The Ring | New Lebanon, New York | ||
| 1840s | Song | I Will Bow And Be Simple | Mary Hazard | New Lebanon, New York | |
| 1840s | Song | Who Will Bow And Bend Like A Willow | Enfield, New Hampshire | ||
| 1840s | Hymn | O Sisters Ain't You Happy | Clarissa Jacobs | New Lebanon, New York | |
| 1845 | Hymn | O Father Who Art In Heaven | New Lebanon, New York | ||
| 1847 | Song | Hop Up And Jump Up | Shirley, Massachusetts | ||
| 1848 | Song | 'Tis The Gift To Be Simple | Joseph Brackett Jr. | Alfred, Maine | |
| 1852 | Hymn | Glory Unto God We'll Sing | Enfield, New Hampshire | ||
| 1864 | Song | Come To Zion | Paulina Bates | New Lebanon, New York | |
| 1869 | Song | Welcome, Welcome Precious Gospel Kindred | Enfield, New Hampshire | ||
| 1870 | Song | Come The Fest Is Ready | Canterbury, New Hampshire | ||
| 1870s | Hymn | If 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]