Set right before the birth of Jesus, “WAiT – it’s a musical!” is all about the Biblical meaning of Christmas, and is based on Luke & Matthew’s birth narratives (Luke 1:1-56 & Matthew 1:18-24.)
Through the song, The Wait, the narrator introduces the dismal lives of faithful Jewish people living in a land occupied by Rome and ruled by King Herod. The fearful people of Jerusalem highlight Herod’s flaws in Thanks to Our King, and his disdain for his subjects is made clear as he proclaims himself to be Their Leader.
Elizabeth, the aging wife of a priest, is not-so-quietly desperate for a child in the ballad Where Are You? Her somewhat uptight husband, Zechariah, reveals the same longing during I Want A Son, explaining to God how having a son would provide a righteous leader for the people. The angel Gabriel bursts in to the temple like an angelic James Brown, announcing to Zechariah that his dream is about to come true (You’ll Have A Son.) Zechariah’s stubborn questioning and disbelief bother the mighty angel so much that he makes Zechariah mute.
Gabriel leaves Zechariah to visit a young girl, Mary. On the way, he hears local women gossiping (The Perfect Couple) about Mary & her fiance, Joseph. Through the ballad Hail Mary, Gabriel informs the frightened Mary that God has chosen her to be the mother of His son. Mary accepts the extraordinary news, and is excited to tell Joseph, but discovers that he does not believe her. They each sing about their confusion & frustration in the duet, Unafraid. Joseph concludes that he cannot accept the story of how Mary came to be pregnant, and decides to abandon her. Mary flees to visit Elizabeth. Gabriel later appears to Joseph in a dream, and during the song Leap of Faith, informs him that the unborn child, Jesus, really is the Son of God.
In the meantime, Mary arrives at the home of Elizabeth & Zechariah where, in response to Elizabeth’s recognition of God’s hand in these mysterious events, she sings the hopeful Magnificat. Joseph comes to Mary and, acknowledging that he has misjudged her, asks her to include him in the raising of this holy child (Forgive Me.) Mary and Joespeh are reconciled, and the entire cast joins in for the exuberant The Wait – Reprise.
