POZNANSKI

MY NAME’S POZNANSKY, FIRST NAME GUS / BOY I’M FROM POLAND, DON’T MAKE A FUSS / I’M STRAIGHT OUTTA SHTETL, AND NOW I’M HERE GOT TO THE HOLY CITY ‘BOUT A YEAR AGO / BEEN AN ASHKENAZIC HALACHIC DYNAMO / I’M PROVING MY METTLE AND I HOPE THIS YEAR / THEY’LL GIVE THIS RABBI A LIFETIME DEAL / CUZ I BRING THE THUNDER IN MY PURIM SPIEL / CHARLESTON, I LIKE YOU, AND YOU LIKE ME BACK THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS, PLAY ‘EM ALL TO A T / WHAT’S THAT SMELL? IT’S JOB SECURITY / ALL I GOTTA DO IS FOLLOW THROUGH AND STAY ON TRACK

GOT A CHARLESTON LIFE, JUST NEED A CHARLESTON WIFE AND SOME CHARLESTON KIDS / WHAT WILL THEY SAY, YEARS FROM TODAY THAT THIS CHARLESTON RABBI DID?

I’M PAYIN’ DUES / I’LL MAKE ‘EM CHOOSE

ENSEMBLE

WILL YOU BE OUR FOREVER RABBI?

POZNANSKI

I WALK THE WALK AND I TALK THE TALK

ENSEMBLE

WE’RE BUYING STOCK / HE’S OUR FOREVER RABBI /WILL WE SEE YA ON THE BIMAH / FOR THE NEXT DECADE OR THREE-YA?

POZNANSKI

IS THIS MY HOME FOR GOOD?

ENSEMBLE

HE’S PAYIN’ DUES

MAKIN’ US CHOOSE

POZNANSKI

WILL I BE YOUR FOREVER RABBI?

ENSEMBLE

FOREVER AND EVER

POZNANSKI

FOREVER RABBI

ENSEMBLE

FOREVER AND EVER

POZNANSKI

FOREVER RABBI

ENSEMBLE

FIRE BURNS, WE REBUILD WHERE THE COUNTRY’S LOW / JOY RETURNS, EARTH IS TILLED, PALMETTO TREES REGROW /OH, OUR STORY’S YET TO UNFOLD / OUR CAUSE, NOT LOST, CAN’T BE BOUGHT OR SOLD

ENSEMBLE

CONGREGATION, CONGREGATION, US VS THEM, IT’S ALL FRUSTRATION

DAVID LOPEZ

MAKES ME WANT TO EAT A LIVE CRUSTACEAN 

NATHAN HART

GOD I NEED A LONG VACATION

ENSEMBLE

IF TWO JEWS HAVE THREE OPINIONS / THEN THIS MINYAN WILL BE HERE TILL DECEMBER

SALLY LOPEZ & PENINA MOISE

WHAT SADIST HAD THE OPINION / THAT A SYNAGOGUE SHOULD EVEN HAVE MEMBERS?

ENSEMBLE

LET’S REBOOT THIS CONGREGATION

SARAH

ONCE, A MAN BECAME A FATHER

JUNIOR

AND HE HELD THE BABY TIGHT CONSIDERING THROUGH THE NIGHT

SARAH

WHAT WOULD HIS CHILD BE LIKE

JUNIOR

AS HE LOOKED INTO HIS EYES / WOULD HE BE SIMPLE OR SILENT

SARAH & JUNIOR

WICKED OR WISE? WOULD HE BREAK DOWN THE DOORS OF OPPRESSION SO TALL? WOULD HE DANCE ON THE FLOORS OF BANQUET HALLS? AND THEN AT LAST AT THE END OF IT ALL WOULD HE BE WICKED, SIMPLE, OR WISE? BUT THE BABY JUST SPOKE WITH HIS EYES

ENSEMBLE

EYES

SARAH

HERE WE GO, THE SUN IS LOW, WE’RE BACK AGAIN LIKE THE YEAR DID NOT EXIST, AT THIS TABLE / THE HUMID NIGHTS, FAMILIAR FIGHTS, AND WE DO IT TWICE, JUST LEAVE ME OFF THE LIST, I’M NOT ABLE

NOW EVERYONE’S PRETENDING LIKE THERE’S NO FORK IN THE ROAD / I’M FEELING TENSE, I’VE GOT A SENSE THAT SOMETHING HERE’S ABOUT TO EXPLODE

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THE WAR CAME HOME TO YOU / HARD TO SWALLOW BUT WOULD YOU FOLLOW ME / WHAT WOULD YOU DO, WOULD YOU STAND FOR SOMETHING NEW / HARD TO SWALLOW BUT WOULD YOU FOLLOW ME / INTO THE NIGHT, THIS DIFFERENT NIGHT

POZNANSKI 

THIS SYNAGOGUE IS OUR TEMPLE / THIS CITY, OUR JERUSALEM / THIS HAPPY LAND, OUR PALESTINE / AND AS OUR FATHERS DEFENDED WITH THEIR LIVES / THAT TEMPLE, THAT CITY, AND THAT LAND / SO WILL THEIR SONS DEFEND THIS TEMPLE, THIS CITY AND THIS HAPPY LAND!

GRACE

EVEN WHEN THE GOOD OLE BOYS ARE UP TO NO GOOD, JUST SMILE BACK, IT FEELS LIKE A WIN / SEE THE TREND, WE’RE GETTING TREATED LIKE WE KNOW WE SHOULD, HERE IN CHARLESTON AND OVER THERE IN BERLIN!

ENSEMBLE

OVER THERE IN BERLIN! / IN BERLIN, WE’RE SO IN!

ENSEMBLE

WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN?

GRACE

WHEN YOUR HOME IS HERE IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO

ENSEMBLE

WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN?

GRACE

OUR FATE ASSIMILATE INTO THIS SOUTHERN STEW

ENSEMBLE

WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN?

GRACE

NO MORE TREATED LIKE THE OTHER UP AGAINST THE WALL

ENSEMBLE

WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN?

GRACE

AND TO LIVE THE SOUTHERN LIFE YOU MUST ACCEPT IT ALL

ENSEMBLE

WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN? WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN? WHAT’S MORE AMERICAN?

GRACE

THAN THAT?

ENSEMBLE

THERE’S A PLACE WE ALL LOVE WHERE THE COUNTRY’S LOW

POZNANSKI

NO STANDING APART, NOW WE STAND TOGETHER / ONE LAND, ONE HEART, THROUGH THE SHIFTING WEATHER / WEAR THEIR CLOTHES AND CUSTOMS, BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER / WE MAY BE CHOSEN BUT HERE THINGS ARE BETTER / WE MAY BE CHOSEN BUT HERE THINGS ARE BETTER…

HETTY

I REMEMBER THE FEELING, DISTANT AND FLEETING SITTING IN SHUL WITH MY DAD / THE MELODIES HE’D HUM AND THE WORDS HE WAS READING, THE WORLD THEY CONTAINED FELT SO GLAD / AND I KNEW THAT I KNEW THE SOLUTION / THOUGH I BARELY KNEW THE EQUATION / AND THE DARK SKY SHONE BRIGHT WITH THE LIGHT OF A THOUSAND GENERATIONS 

SARAH

I SANG ALL THE SONGS, SITTING IN CIRCLES IN THE DARK OF THE SUMMER TREES / I PRETENDED TO KNOW ALL THE WORDS WHEN I DIDN’T, IN THE HUMID AUGUST BREEZE / ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT I WAS WRAPPED IN THE WORDS OF OUR ANCESTOR’S REVELATIONS

ENSEMBLE

AND THE DARK SKY SHONE BRIGHT WITH THE LIGHT OF A THOUSAND GENERATIONS

ENSEMBLE

OH GIVE ME ONE MORE DAY IN THE EYE TO CATCH MY WEARY BREATH / TIL I’M RUNNING, RUNNING, RUNNING FROM THE ROAR / OH GIVE ME ONE MORE NIGHT IN THE CALM, WHERE I KNOW IT’S A MATTER OF MOMENTS TIL I’M RUNNING, RUNNING, RUNNING SOME MORE

THERE’S ANOTHER HURRICANE AND WE DON’T DARE TO LOOK AWAY…