Synopsis - Harold of Angels
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Synopsis
ACT I
On the evening of December 22, a troupe of reluctant carolers enter the pub complaining about how their boss forced them into singing the same Christmas carol for the last seven hours (Sing With Us). In the pub, Harold, a self-pitying widower, and his friends Mary and Beau are having a drink together. Mary is trying to help Harold move on from his wife's death three years ago. Beau is a homely man whose girlfriend is overseas serving in Afghanistan. After his friends leave, Harold is joined by Ray. The two have never met but Ray keeps insisting the child is not the Christ. Harold thinks Ray is a crackpot. As the carolers team up with a pianist to create their own Christmas carol (Happy Crappy Christmas) for YouTube, a drunk falls dead on the floor where only Harold and Ray can see. The two men rush over and while Harold cradles the man trying to wake him, Ray prays. Suddenly the man jumps up unaware of what just happened. Ray leaves and Harold is confused.
Across town on the morning of December 23, Joy is a reporter filming an interview with a woman named Carol who people claim is a pregnant virgin. Joy is skeptical and Carol’s evasive answers infuriate her. Joy decides to make it her mission to debunk Carol's claims that there will be signs and that pilgrims will come.
At lunch, while Harold keeps his promise to help Mary in the neighborhood soup kitchen, he tries telling her about Ray but she passes it off as another drunken episode. To encourage Harold to continue on a path to recovery she recounts the events that brought her to helping at the mission by performing a song (My Christmas Guest List) for the patrons. During the song, Baa, a homeless girl, sneaks in. Mary thinks Baa is a thief and chases her off causing the last pot of stew to spill on the floor. After Harold leaves to meet his friends at the pub the pot is suddenly full of stew again.
Back in the pub, Harold is joined by Beau, Don and Olive. Their server is Holly. After Beau complains that his girlfriend won’t be coming home on leave in February, Don tells him to ask Holly out. Beau proclaims he's too faithful to cheat which annoys Olive who berates them both – Don for having no regard for the people he deceives and Beau for professing his virtue when he couldn't attract a woman anyway because he's so homely. They respond by calling Olive judgmental. Ray enters, witnesses their argument and interrupts by offering them blessings. Olive will
be judged, Don will physically hurt anybody he deceives, and Beau will have his faithfulness tested. Harold is told he already has his blessing but Ray does not elaborate. Don dares Beau to sing a raunchy college song to Holly (Trim My Tree) which tweaks Holly’s interest in Beau. Olive storms out and Harold follows her carrying his leftovers in a doggie bag.
At the door to Carol's building, Chase, an ambitious junior aide in the mayor's office, offers Carol support. He explains that the mayor was tipped off by the news team and sent him to ensure she is safe. Carol challenges Chase's motives (The Path). A street guitarist and some homeless people join her in song. Chase eventually realizes the only way do his job is to join in Carol's cause.
When Harold catches up with Olive she admits she doesn't want to spend another Christmas alone and that she secretly loves him. At the same time back outside the pub, Holly is on a break and admits to herself she could fall for Beau. Both women express their feelings for different men (Couldn't I?) but Harold gets angry at Olive for ambushing him and storms off. A street punk, having seen Harold’s rebuke mocks Olive. She stands up to him until his friends arrive and take all of her things including a hand taser from her purse. They taunt Olive, messing up her clothes and pouring alcohol on her. They then tell her to run for 24 hours explaining every time they catch her they will tase her. Olive runs away and the punks follow.
Harold returns too late to apologize. Alone, he asks God for a sign (One Small Sign) to ease his pain. Baa appears rifling through the garbage singing the bar YouTube song with inspiring words (Jesus's Birthday). Harold offers her his doggie bag if she’ll sing the whole song. Baa agrees but afterward she finds the bag is full of money, so much money that she fears she will be killed if the other street people know she has it. Harold believes Baa's arrival is the sign he asked to see and together they leave to go buy presents for infirmed children in the hospital using the found money. After they go a star rises from the stage to fill the sky.
While working alone in a pharmaceutical laboratory, Don smugly revels in his deceptive mastering of the English language (I'm Sincere) and when one of his coworkers walks in he brushes her off with a white lie that causes her to experience debilitating pain. This elicits more coworkers who confront Don forcing him to lie and hurt them as well. Security shows up and puts Don into quarantine to prevent a perceived biohazard situation.
In the mall, it's frenzied (Mad Mall Melee). A charity worker tries to solicit money from exhausted shoppers, the mall Santa is belligerent and sarcastic, and the venders revel at the shoppers' desperation. The punks arrive and steal the charity worker's bucket of money. Harold and Baa attempt to buy gifts and are met by Mr. Jinkle, a man who cannot return exactly the right number of gifts because the store won’t let him. Frustrated, the Jinkle offers them the gifts in exchange for promise to get him a charitable tax receipt. They accept the gifts then donate the bag of money and Jinkle's business card to the charity worker who rejoices at the windfall.
In the hospital, Mary serenades the infirmed children (The Lost Sparrow) when Harold and Baa arrive with the gifts. Harold reassures Mary that Baa is not a thief.
One of the children says she will be going to heaven to be with her dog but this starts them arguing. To settle their differences, Harold explains that he used to raise goats and when a buckling died his mother reassured him with a song (I Wanted a Goat). Mary, Baa and the children join in the song by singing about their lost pets going to heaven until one boy named Henry is upset because he is not ready to go to heaven and bemoans his failing health. Harold is disheartened and leaves before the presents are opened. Mary follows him out leaving Baa alone with the children. They decide to open the presents and are upset to find all the boxes contain dance shoes. The children complain so Baa offers to show them some steps she learned busking. As each child puts on shoes and starts dancing he or she is healed. When Mary and the other nurses return the children have hair, are walking, running and dancing. The act ends with the children rejoicing.
ACT II
The eleven o'clock news is covering the events of the day. First they interview Jinkle who they believe gave thirty-five thousand dollars to a bell ringer at the mall. This revelation makes Jinkle’s wife livid so he ends the interview abruptly. The next news story is an interview with a nurse about the shoes the children were wearing when they were miraculously healed. This leads the news team back to Jinkle's house which infuriates his wife even more.
Finally the broadcast goes to Joy who is reporting live on the street near Carol's home where the appearance of a new Christmas star and revelation of a pregnant virgin due on Christmas Eve has inspired pilgrims to join the vigil to Carol's side. Chase is leading the pilgrims in song (That Star!) while Harold is telling them "the child is not the Christ". No one wants to listen to Harold. Joy likes that Harold in a non-believer and asks him to participate in a televised discussion panel at the studio tomorrow. Harold agrees and leaves. Olive enters and asks the pilgrims for help but they ignore her pleas because they believe she is just another dirty beggar. Olive runs from the punks who stop to ridicule the pilgrims.
On the morning of December 24, Christmas Eve, the mayor is anxious because Chase has not reported back to him. The Governor and President visit and ask the mayor how he will "spin" the current situation. The three leaders agree to become modern kings bearing contemporary gifts for the heavenly child (Western Kings). Instead of gold, frankincense (a spice) and myrrh (an oil) they decide to bring a running medallion, oil stocks and a college fund which the president says is “sage”.
Beau eats his lunch alone in the pub when Don shows up wearing just a coat, his boots, a medical smock and a lanyard. Don barely finishes explaining his problems at work when Holly starts performing for Beau her special Christmas song (Open Me). Olive tries to enter the pub during the song but the other servers prevent her from entering. She cowers outside. After Holly’s song, Don asks the servers to turn on the television so they can watch Harold's interview.
The participants in Joy's interview are a scientist, a rabbi, a priest and Harold. The other three panelists berate Harold so severely for his ignorance that he is humiliated and begins doubting his purpose. After the interview, Harold in the studio, Don and Beau in the pub and Olive in the alley simultaneously reflect on their situations (Regrets) and realize they were all proud, arrogant and self-absorbed.
The punks find Olive outside the pub and the ensuing commotion causes Don, Beau and Holly to rush outside, see Olive and run to her aide. Beau is knocked unconscious and Holly is accosted by the punks. Don, dressed like a medical experiment, lies to the punks. The pain of his lies subdues them (I Believe in Santa Claus) until the police arrive.
Harold returns to the hospital to visit the children and understand the miracle that occurred there. He meets Mary and Baa who are also visiting the children and now acting like best friends. Mary tells Harold she wants to foster Baa. Baa admits she likes the offer. The other children enter excited to see Baa and perform the song Harold taught them that afternoon (Jesus's Birthday – reprise).
In his apartment on Christmas Eve, Holly suggestively teases Beau in the other room for being bashful. Don walks into the room talking to a woman on the laptop computer he is carrying. He places the laptop on the table and leaves with Holly. Beau jumps into the room wearing just a gift box and sings to the woman on the laptop (Open Me – reprise). The woman online is his girlfriend in Afghanistan and he explains his blessing to her.
Harold visits Olive in the hospital. She pushes him away but he counters with affection and tells her he has found peace again. Harold asks Olive for a second chance (Couldn't I? – reprise). Don and Holly enter, hand in hand. Holly explains she has found the perfect man – one who can never lie to her. Harold leaves to address the pilgrims one more time.
On the street outside Carol's home it's midnight. Chase is leading the pilgrims in song (Blessed Child) when the politicians enter as kings bearing gifts (Western Kings – reprise). Chase belittles them and quits his job. Harold enters and Chase attempts to discourage him from telling the pilgrims the child is not the Christ. Harold explains that is not why he is here. Instead, Harold tells everyone that Christmas is about God shouting out to us when we otherwise do not hear his whispers (God Shouts). Homeless folk enter and surround Harold. Chase is frustrated at the loss of control. Carol then surprises Chase by joining Harold's group causing half of the pilgrims to follow.
Oblivious to Chase's protests, the homeless folk drop their coats to reveal angel wings. Carol drops her housecoat to reveal she is also an angel and was never pregnant. The entire scene breaks into jubilation. Ray enters (Plow the Soil) and tells Harold that he also has a blessing – he gets to write the book. Harold asks what his blessing was and Ray tells him he made all the miracles happen. The star gets brighter then goes out and then the stage goes dark. When the streetlights come on the homeless folk are back in their coats, Carol is gone and the show closes (They'll Say).
All photos are the property of Ellen Seguin.