Liberty! is a stirring retelling of the historic confrontation between Texas patriots and the Mexican army, commanded by Santa Anna. While adhering faithfully to the facts of the matter, Taylor’s presentation offers compelling portraits of the men and women, Texan, Tejano, black and white, who chose to defend liberty with their lives.
Taylor wrote, “When I had a chance to visit the Alamo, I was immediately struck by how many of the names on the walls – the defenders who chose to stay and defend the Alamo –were Hispanic, bringing home the fact that this fight for freedom was more than just an Anglo-American concern. There were also names of people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia – a real international brotherhood. The Alamo story is a real story about real people who chose to stand and fight for their freedom even though they knew that they would almost certainly die.” The show debuted in San Antonio to nightly standing ovations at the Josephine Theatre.
The studio recording of Bernard Taylor’s Liberty! features an international cast with Michael Berlet, Richard Warren, Richard Austin, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Matt Elizondo, other soloists and members of the Capital City Men’s Chorus of Austin, Texas.
The show requires a minimum cast of about 40 including the chorus. Orchestrations are available for either a pit orchestra of 16 or a symphonic orchestra.
Primary Characters
Colonel Davy Crockett
Colonel Jim Bowie
William Barrett Travis
Daniel Cloud, a young Kentucky lawyer
Captain Almeron Dickinson
Mrs. Dickinson (Susannah)
Consuela Esparza, a Tejano woman
Dr. James Grant, a land-hungry troublemaker
Joe, a slave
Micajah Autry, a poet
Santa Anna
Juan Seguin, a leading citizen of San Antonio
Secondary Characters
General Cos, Santa Anna’s military emissary
Foreigners (Foreigner’s Song:)
John McGregor
James E. Stewart
Henry Courtman
McGee
Charles Zanco
Jameson, an emissary sent to negotiate with Santa Anna
David Wilson, a Scotsman
Young Man (Act One, Scene Two)
General Burleson
Colonel Neill
2nd Man (Act One, Scene Five)
3rd Man (Act One, Scene Five)
Captain Bonham
Courier (Act Two, Scene One)
Chorus
Various soloists (Riding The Wind, Foreigner’s Song, A Place In the Sun);
Anglos and Hispanics, Townspeople and Defenders, Grant’s Group, etc.
Please see Production Information for licensing contacts. Libretto, orchestrations, midi files and backing tracks are available upon request.
CD is available on the Recordings page.