The Homecoming

This captivating Christmas musical based on the book by Earl Hamner, Jr., (creator of The Waltons television series) and the play by Christopher Sergel is brimming with appropriate period music and lyrics by Evelyn Swensson. The story takes place on Dec. 24, 1933, in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where Olivia and her children are preparing for Christmas and waiting for Daddy to come home. They sing as they make "Applesauce Cake" and listen to Grandpa and Grandma tell about the Depression in "Hard Times." Clay-Boy tries to be like his daddy in "My Father, Clay Spencer" and Becky, frustrated with household chores, sings and dances a flapper number, "When I Grow Up." The whole family trims the tree to a rousing polka, "Let's Have a Merry Christmas." Clay-Boy goes looking for his father at the pool hall ("Pool Hall Blues"); at Mr. Dooly's church where a Christmas pageant is in progress accompanied by a choir and children singing spirituals; and at the Staples' home where Miss Etta sings a wistful waltz about "Ashley Longworth" who once kissed her. Clay Spencer arrives home at midnight with his arms full of gifts and his heart full of love and joy for his family and friends in "Christmas Ev'ry Day of My Life." On hearing these songs for the first time, Earl Hamner said, "I had already fallen in love with the lyrics and I feel the same way about the melodies.