''Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with a book and lyrics by

Kathie Lee Gifford Kathryn Lee Gifford (Given name, née Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress, and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted the talk show ''Live with Kelly and Mark, Live! wi ...

and music by

David Pomeranz David Pomeranz (born February 9, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. He is also an ambassador for Operation Smile, a foundation dedicated to cleft lip and palate and a member of the Churc ...

and David Friedman. The musical has had productions in 2005 at the

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

Performing Arts Center, at the Signature Theatre in 2007, in 2011 at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and in 2012 on Broadway. The musical is based on the life of

Aimee Semple McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

Overview

The musical relates events in the life of early 20th century evangelist and

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

icon

. It follows her life and career from her childhood to her controversial death in 1944, focusing on her mysterious

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

and the ensuing trial. Other highlights include her becoming the first woman to obtain a radio broadcast license in the United States, her cross-country drive unaccompanied by a man, her

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...

empire that included several newspapers, and her interactions with such contemporaries as

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered ...

and

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...

Productions

''Saving Aimee'' debuted at the White Plains Performing Arts Center in October 2005. The cast featured Carolee Carmello as Aimee and Florence Lacey. A revised production, directed by Eric Schaeffer and

choreographed Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer creates choreographies thr ...

by Christopher d'Amboise, opened on April 10, 2007 at the Signature Theatre in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

for a limited run, with Carolee Carmello again in the title role.Harris, Paul
" ''Saving Aimee'' review"
''Variety'', April 24, 2007 Four years later, the musical played at the 5th Avenue Theatre in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, from September 30 to October 29, 2011. It was directed by David Armstrong, artistic director at 5th Avenue, with choreography by Lorin Laterro, sets by Walt Spangler and costumes by Gregory A. Poplyk. Carmello again played Aimee, with

Judy Kaye Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals '' The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', an ...

as Minnie Kennedy, Roz Ryan as Emma Jo Schaffer and Ed Dixon. The musical premiered on Broadway at the

Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp ...

, with previews starting on October 13, 2012, and opening officially on November 15, 2012. Carmello stars, with

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and bass-baritone singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre. Some of his Broadway credits include Albin in '' La Cage aux Folles'', the title role in '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barb ...

playing both Aimee's father James Kennedy and a preacher Brother Bob. Ed Watts plays Aimee's husband, and Roz Ryan is again Emma Jo. Direction and choreography are again by Armstrong and Latarro, sets and costumes are again by Spangler and Poplyk, and lighting is by Natasha Katz. The new title of the musical is ''Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson.'' The producers include Foursquare Foundation and Dick DeVos, which ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted are "unusual newcomers", as Foursquare Foundation "provides grants to evangelical churches and ministries." ''Scandalous'' closed on December 9, 2012 after 29 regular performances and 31 previews. Difficulties arising from

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

were cited as a contributing factor to the closing. Carolee Carmello was nominated for a 2013

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role in A Musical and for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

as Outstanding Actress in a Musical. The cast recording was released in 2013.

Musical Numbers

The musical numbers from the 2012 Broadway production are: ; Act I * "Stand Up" – Aimee & Ensemble * "Minnie's Prayer" – Minnie * "Why Can't I?" – Aimee * "He Will Be My Home" – Robert & Aimee * "Come Whatever May" – Robert & Aimee * "He Will Be My Home" (Reprise) – Robert, Aimee, James & Minnie * "That Sweet Lass From Cork" – Ensemble * "Come Whatever May" (Reprise) – Robert, Aimee & Ensemble * "How Could You?" – Aimee * "You Have a Fire" - Aimee & James * "Minnie's Prayer" (Reprise) – Minnie * "Follow Me" (Part 1) – Aimee & Ensemble * "A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do" – Emma Jo & Girls * "Follow Me" (Part 2) - Aimee & Ensemble * "For Such a Time as This" - Aimee & Ensemble ; Act II * "Hollywood Aimee" – Reporters * "Adam and Eve" – Aimee, David & Eve * "Foursquare March" – Aimee & Ensemble * "Samson and Delilha" – Aimee, David & Ensemble * "Hollywood Aimee" (Reprise) – Reports * "Moses and Pharaoh" – Aimee, David, Emma Jo & Ensemble * "It's Just You" – Kenneth & David * "The Coconut Grove" - The Lovely Coconuts, Louella & Reports * "No Other Choice" – Minnie * "Hollywood Aimee" (Reprise) - Ensemble * "Lost or Found?" - Aimee, Asa & Ensemble * "What Does It Profit?" - Aimee * "I Have a Fire" - Aimee & Ensemble The musical numbers from the 2011 Seattle production are: ; Act I * "Prelude" - Orchestra * "Stand Up" – Aimee & Ensemble * "For Such A Time As This" (Part 1) - Minnie * "Why Can't I?" – Aimee * "He Will Be My Home" – Robert & Aimee * "He Will Be My Home" (Reprise) – Robert, Aimee, James & Minnie * "Oh, the Power" - Robert, Aimee & Ensemble * "That Sweet Lass From Cork" – Ensemble * "Come Whatever May" – Robert, Aimee & Ensemble * "You'll Be Safe Here With Me" - Mac (Harold Stewart McPherson) & Aimee * "Follow Me" – Aimee & Ensemble * "A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do" – Emma Jo & Girls * "Follow Me" (Reprise) - Aimee & Ensemble * "For Such a Time as This" (Part 2) - Aimee & Ensemble ; Act II * "Hollywood Aimee" (Part 1) – Reporters * "Adam and Eve" – Aimee, David & Eve * "Foursquare March/Hollywood Aimee" (Part 2) – Aimee & Ensemble * "Samson and Delilha" – Aimee, David & Ensemble * "Hollywood Aimee" (Part 3) – Reports * "Moses and Pharaoh" – Aimee, David, Emma Jo & Ensemble * "Hollywood Aimee (Part 4) - Reporters * "It's Just You" – Kenneth * "This Time I'll Blame It On Love" – Aimee & David * "Lost or Found?/The Trial" - Full Company * "He'll Be My Home" (Reprise) - Aimee * "Oh, the Power" (Reprise) - Aimee & Ensemble * "I Have a Fire" - Aimee & Ensemble The musical numbers from the 2007 Virginia production are: ; Act I * "Stand Up" – Aimee & Ensemble * "For Such a Time as This" - Minnie * "Why Can't I?" – Aimee * "He Will Be My Home" – Robert & Aimee * "That Sweet Lass From Cork" – Ensemble * "Come Whatever May" – Robert & Aimee * "I Will Love You That Way" - Mac (Harold Stewart McPherson) & Aimee * "Follow Me!" – Aimee & Ensemble * "A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do" – Emma Jo & Girls * "Why Can't I Just Be a Woman" - Aimee ; Act II * "God Will Provide" - Emma Jo * "Adam and Eve" – Aimee, David & Eve * "Samson and Delilha" – Aimee, David & Ensemble * "Let My People Go!" – Aimee, David, Emma Jo & Ensemble * "Saving Aimee" – Minnie * "The Silent, Sorrowful Shadows" - Aimee * "Demon in a Dress" - Brother Bob * "Emma Jo's Lament" - Emma Jo * "Lost or Found?" - Aimee, Asa & Ensemble * "Paying The Price" - Aimee * "I Had Fire" - Aimee & Ensemble Songs cut from earlier versions of the production: * "The Silent, Sorrowful Shadows" - Aimee * "God Will Provide" - Emma Jo * "Emma Jo's Lament" - Emma Jo * "A Letter From Home" - James * "Demon in a Dress" - Brother Bob * "Saving Aimee" - Minnie

Critical reception

In its review of the Signature Theatre production, ''Variety'' wrote: "All is contained in Gifford's exceedingly thorough book, ripping nonstop from one crisis to another under Schaeffer's free-flowing direction. Pomeranz and Friedman break up the action with an enjoyable blend of tunes that opens with the spirited "Stand Up!"; highlights include an Irish jig, a rousing spiritual, some big ensemble numbers, and Aimee's signature tune, "Why Can't I Just Be a Woman?" " The ''theatremania'' reviewer of the same production wrote that the musical is a "rousing experience, thanks to a group of tour-de-force performances, especially from ... Carmello in the title role, and songs ... that add layers of emotional shading missing from the dialogue played out between them. Director Eric Schaeffer's deft hand maximizes the show's strengths, fusing performers, songs, and story into an entertaining blend."Toscano, Michael
"''Saving Aimee'' review"
''TheaterMania.com'', April 24, 2007

References

External links