EVANGELINE THE MUSICAL - SYNOPSIS

“Evangeline” begins in the Acadian village of Grand-Pre’ in Nova Scotia.  It is the mid-eighteenth century, and the occupation of the area by British troops is a part of daily life for the French-Acadian villagers.  On this particular morning (as we are told by  Father Felician, the town priest), two children are delivered by Madame Hebert, the midwife: Gabriel Lajeunesse and Evangeline Bellefontaine.

            Their shared birthday is the first of many connected experiences the two have throughout their childhood.  Finally, when they are of age, Gabriel proposes to Evangeline, much to the dismay of her free-spirited friend, Praline.  The two set a wedding date, and on the eve of the celebration of their betrothal, the English presence in their village becomes greater and more threatening.  The fathers of the pair disagree about the intentions of the soldiers, but soon the reason for their arrival becomes all too clear.

            The Acadians are taken from their homes, which are then set ablaze, and are crowded onto ships to be distributed randomly among the American colonies in an attempt at “ethnic cleansing” by the British.  Evangeline and Gabriel are separated in the chaos, but before they are, they vow to search for one another and to remain true for as long as it takes to find each other.

            Evangeline does stay true, and her search takes her with Father Felician from the Atlantic coast of New England to the bayous of the Louisiana territory.  Once she arrives, she is reunited with several people from her village.  Many of them ridicule her for keeping her promise and not moving on with her life, but she is comforted by Madame Hebert, who tells her that only she can decide if her wait is worth what it costs.

            For years, Evangeline waits every day beneath an oak at the water’s edge in the Louisiana village of St. Martin and watches for Gabriel’s return.  One day Praline arrives, now widowed and wealthy and living in New Orleans.  She begs Evangeline to give up her wait and to come and live the high life with her in her French Quarter home, but Evangeline will hear none of it.  Finally, Evangeline sets out with Father Felician to minister and bring medical aid to the groups of Acadians still wandering homeless along the Atlantic coast.

            While they are working in a makeshift hospital near their homeland, a trapper who is dying of a fever that is sweeping through the region is brought in.  As soon as she sees him, Evangeline realizes that the dying man is Gabriel.  They are reunited and before he dies in her arms, he manages to softly tell her that he stayed true to his vow to her.

            In awe of the loss Evangeline has just suffered, Father Felician asks her, “Is it worth all you’ve given?  Is it worth your entire life?”  “Yes,” she says, “It is worth my entire life.  My entire life, and nothing less.”

Copyright 2001 by Evangeline The Musical LLC