Morgan Hollingsworth
Composer & Actor-Musician
More Than All the Sky
Book and Lyrics by Lori Ada Jaroslow
Music and additional lyrics by Morgan Hollingsworth
Lenna Harris grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and now at 27 years old, is living on the street, trapped in the stranglehold of addiction. She returns to her hometown--perhaps because subconsciously she's nearing rock bottom--only to find her mother is in the throes of dementia and her adopted brother has assumed responsibility for their mom. When Lenna finally acquiesces to getting help, she begins to uncover and dismantle her childhood trauma, giving way to the hope that she can get well. Through an ambient and cinematic indie-rock score, MORE THAN ALL THE SKY reveals how a family can be ravaged by drugs and alcohol. And while recovery is a grueling process, it is possible to live a sober life beyond one's wildest dreams.
MORE THAN ALL THE SKY began as a fifteen-minute musical, which premiered at the Lonny Chapman Theater in North Hollywood as part of the New Musicals Inc's Academy for New Musical Theater. The piece has since been expanded into a full-length musical, and was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Center's 2022 National Music Theater Conference.
Photos by James T. Murray from the concert of More Than All the Sky
at The Green Room 42
FEATURING: Sydney Torin Shepherd, Karen Mason, Becca Suskauer,
Fernell Hogan, Cailen Fu, Maria Cristina Posada Slye, & Andrea Prestinario.
Music Direction by Nissa Kahle.
“Without You” - Teen Lenna, Teen Jordan, Chirpy: In Teen Lenna’s bedroom, her beloved pet macaw Chirpy gracefully dances about the room. Teen Lenna and Teen Jordan try to get homework done but find themselves drinking and making out instead. To spice things up, Teen Jordan offers some Fentora that she stole from her dad’s dresser. They snort it up and find themselves deliriously high. Everything is wonderful until Teen Lenna’s mother, Mae, bursts into the room.
"Hey, Ugly Secret" - Lenna, Chirpy, Ensemble: Lenna has been in rehab after making it through detox. She's still struggling with staying sober and committing to the recovery process. Her sponsor then tells her that one of the most impactful things that helped her becomes sober was sharing the dark, ugly secrets that she kept from herself and others. Lenna wonders: if she can acknowledge one of her worst memories, the moment that made her run away from home, maybe she can find a path to healing too.
"A Million Forms Of Fear" - Ensemble: Lenna, under peer pressure, begrudgingly goes to a meeting. The church is filled with sober alcoholics and addicts from various walks of life, all of whom are laughing and positive, and each of their stories further irritate and trigger her. Finally, having had enough, Lenna storms out.
"My Daughter" - Lenna, Mae, Ensemble: Lenna finally sits down with her mom. Mae, deep in the throes of Alzheimer’s, doesn’t recognize her own daughter and holds deep pain and remorse about losing her child. Lenna tries to apologize for her past and tells her mother how much she loves her. Somehow through their fractured conversation, the two are able to comfort each other about their agonizing pasts and find love and solace in the connection.