The Story
"Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
Those five simple words from “The Lord’s Prayer” were never intended to be a boast, and yet Hadleyburg painted them on their Town Hall to announce to the world that they were an honest and incorruptible town.
Hadleyburg did, indeed, have a reputation as the most honest and upright town in all the region, and was so proud of it, and so anxious to ensure its perpetuation, that it began to teach the principles of honest dealing to its children throughout their formative years. The neighboring towns were jealous of this honorable reputation, but all the same they were obliged to acknowledge that Hadleyburg was in reality an incorruptible town; and if pressed they would also acknowledge that the mere fact that a young man hailed from Hadleyburg was all the recommendation he needed when he went forth from his natal town to seek employment.
But the passing years had bred a festering intolerance. When a young man became a victim of that intolerance, he was forced into exile. After thinking long and hard about it, an inspiration came to him. He would return to Hadleyburg with a plan that would test the town’s reputation for incorruptibility with something that had been missing for a long time… Temptation!
From Short Story to the Musical Stage
As we developed our project from “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” it was decided that a central character was needed. The short story has a shared focus. Of course, the Stranger sets the story in motion but is absent until the dramatic climax at the town hall meeting. The Richards are the focus as the story moves forward from the Stranger’s sack, but in a generally passive way.
Our solution was a new combination character. We combined the characters of the Stranger and Reverend Burgess. A new Reverend Burgess would drive the story forward from beginning to end.
It almost seemed Mr. Twain invited this. For the great storyteller didn’t provide a single clue as to what the town had done to offend the Stranger or what Reverend Burgess had allegedly done to offend the town. We were free to answer those questions with our own new, proactive Burgess.
Of course, it’s almost mandatory that musical comedy central characters have a romantic interest. So, we created the character of Amanda Harkness. This also provide Reverend Burgess with his primary motivation. Hadleyburg had turned on him and separated him from Amanda, the woman he loves.
As for the Richards, we didn’t want the grim fate Twain had assigned them. Instead, we gave the couple a more healing and reflective moment after the town hall climax while retaining the spirit of the quandary Twain had placed them in.
Finally, we need to explain our opening number. Having the curtain rise on a funeral is a great way to grab the audience, but it also enables us to introduce the character of Barclay Goodson. Though deceased, his character is a pivotal one. His death provides the all-important premise that someone else could claim the gold. Furthermore, commentary about him at his funeral provides insight into Hadleyburg as a whole.