Blessed Assurance - The Fanny Crosby Story
Synopsis
Blessed Assurance captures, through song and drama, the wonderful story of Fanny Crosby, the most prolific of American hymn writers. She was a strong and energetic woman and an advocate for the blind. It was not uncommon for her to write six or seven hymns each week for a total of over 9,000 in her lifetime. She lived to be nearly 95.
Blessed Assurance highlights the friendship Fanny had with her friends and family. As they reminisce the characters share stories of how many of her most famous hymns were written and how they affected people around the world. Though she sometimes also wrote the music her forte was the lyrics. She collaborated with several different talented men and in her later years often got together with them to remember the past and credit God for their inspiration. Many of her well-known hymns are sung by the cast as the story progresses.
Gloria Emmerich used some “poetic license” to tie loose ends together but the essence of the story is factual and based on historic research. The interaction between each character is extraordinary and the impact on an audience is intense. Fanny’s songs are powerful, and the lyrics give authenticity to this extraordinary story and the remarkable lives of Fanny Crosby and her friends who changed so many hearts through the hymns they composed for the glory of God.
Our story begins with one of Fanny Crosby’s most famous hymns: “Blessed Assurance” which is sung by the entire cast. She loved her friends and family and in the opening scene, Fanny is sharing with her young niece, Natty about her early childhood and how she came to be blind and write poetry.
As the story progresses, Fanny and Natty are joined by two of the men, and their wives, with whom she often collaborated. They share insightful stories about how different hymns came to be written. Their accounts are enhanced with entertaining anecdotes and chronicle the fascinating incidents that led to the writing of some of today’s most beloved hymns and anthems.
The musical is bursting with the rich arrangements and harmony of 15 of Fanny’s remarkable hymns sung by the cast of characters in Blessed Assurance. Your audience will be charmed and inspired by the beautiful story of Fanny Crosby who, though faced with almost insurmountable obstacles, became a monumental figure in the history of the Christian faith both in America and around the world. In the final scene, Fanny is asked how she came to pen what became her signature lyrics for “To God Be the Glory.”
“… My grandmother was a firm believer in prayer; and, when I was very young, she taught me to believe that our Father in heaven will always give us whatever is for our good. I have never blamed God or the traveling doctor for my blindness. If it wasn’t for my blindness I might have been distracted by the beauty and wonderment around me and not focused on the words that He so lovingly poured into my heart and let flow from my lips. Every word that He gave me I did my best to give back to Him through poetry. What Satan meant for evil…God meant it for good. For me, blindness was a treasured gift and I never once asked God to give me back my sight. But I know I will receive it when I finally go home. Ira? (IRA’S wife guides him to FANNY’S side, and she takes his hand in hers.) One day we will see our beloved Jesus’ face… our eyes will be opened, and we shall see him face to face in all His majesty and glory. (The others move in and surround FANNY.) And then, my dear friends, when we are all together once again standing at the throne of God, with our hearts overflowing, we will sing, “To God Be the Glory… great things He hath done!”
The musical concludes with a stirring and robust full cast rendition of “To God Be the Glory” – perhaps her most beloved hymn.