For Unto Y'All
The Story
Dusty cowboys take the place of robed shepherds. A hapless trio of adventurers, led by a clueless Englishman, stand in for the “Wise Men.” And the Angel Gabriel looks a lot like the Lone Ranger. But underneath its Country and Western songs and cowboy trappings, For Unto Y’all is a fond and faithful re-telling of the Gospel story of the birth of Jesus, set in the Old West.
As the angel Gabriel himself puts it – “For unto y’all is born this day, right over yonder in the town of Bethlehem, a Savior who is Christ the Lord!” And that, friends, is the Truth – with or without the drawl.
What's New...
In addition to all the charm and humor of the original For Unto Y’all, here’s what’s new in this expanded version:
NEW CHARACTERS
Familiar characters, who were missing from the original version of For Unto Y’all, are now included:
- The Wise Men: An English adventurer, a New York City reporter, and a German astrologist follow a mysterious star to “Meet the King.” They are accompanied by an Irish cook (Kate), who is the only sensible one of the lot.
- Governor Tyree: An inscrutable, greedy politician, who serves as an amalgamation of Herod and Augustus from the Gospel story.
NEW SONGS
There are eight new musical numbers in the show. Including:
- A love song for Mary & Joseph (“I Do Believe”)
- A heartbreak song for Joseph (“It’s Over”)
- An hilarious romp for Governor Tyree (“Every Buck Stops Here”)
- A song for the town gossips to sing about Mary (“Such a Shame”)
In addition to the new songs, several of the original songs were extended and lyrically sharpened to better tell the story.
NEW ARRANGEMENTS
Every song in the show got a fresh coat of paint. There are additional brief “character” solos in the chorus numbers. Also, the chorus vocals were rearranged to give them the punch of a musical theater chorus.
NEW SUPPORT MATERIALS
To make your production easier to mount, we offer these optional support materials:
- All new demo recordings (to help your cast learn the show)
- CD-quality Performance Trax, recorded with first call Nashville session musicians. (The Performance Trax come to you in both the stereo instrumental format, as well as the Split Trax format.)
- Fifteen Sound Effects, mastered and assembled in show sequence to make life easier for your sound designer.
- A Running Script laid out in a true musical theater format.
- A Vocal/Rhythm Score for the conductor, plus a Vocals Only score for the cast.
- Band charts prepared two ways: With chords and with the “Nashville Number System.”
- A Production Manual, written by theater expert Deborah Craig-Claar, that includes multiple set design options, costume drawings, character insights, lighting and staging ideas, and prop lists.
The 4-1-1
- Cast requirements: 10 principal characters, with a supporting cast that could range from 8 to 25, depending on your resources. There are several opportunities to cast actors in double roles.
- Set: The show is designed to work well on a simple unit set.
- Band: Should you perform For Unto Y’all with a live band (I highly recommend it!), the score can be played by a group as small as 5. The trax were recorded with 7 musicians.
- Running time: About an hour and 45 minutes, with an optional intermission.
Performing For Unto Y’All
To Preview the script and the main musical numbers, click below!
Licensing For Unto Y’all is really easy. The price is determined by the number of seats in the venue, number of performances, and the ticket prices. You can perform For Unto Y’all using your own rhythm section or accompaniment tracks. To begin the process, or to find out more information, simply fill out the form below. I’d love to answer any questions you may have.