Samson
2003 · Triopia High School
Samson was an original musical written, composed, and directed by Ken Bradbury for the students of Triopia High School in 2003. Taking the Old Testament strongman of Judges 13–16 as its hero, Bradbury reimagined the story on the open range, turning the ancient tale of Samson, Delilah, and the Philistines into a rollicking Western complete with cowboys, square dances, a saloon-style band, and a herd of mischievous coyotes.
The score blends Bradbury's own numbers with the flavor of the trail — from the strongman's anthem "Somethin'" and Delilah's seductive "Goin', Goin' Gone!" to crowd-pleasers like "Bring the Big Man Down" and "Makin' Hay." Running beneath it all is the recurring "Jawbone Finale," a nod to the jawbone of an ass with which Samson, in the biblical account, struck down a thousand of his enemies. As ever with Bradbury's school shows, the script was written to put as many students on stage as possible, with a sprawling cast of named cowhands, wives, fighters, and dancers.
True to the source material, the show follows Samson from his miraculous birth and boyhood through his fateful attraction to a Philistine bride, the spiraling cycle of revenge that consumes him, his betrayal by Delilah, and his final reckoning — recast here in the dust and swagger of the American frontier.
Musical Numbers
Act One
- That's Enough! — Bluegrass Trio & Ensemble
- You'll Never Grow Up — Annie, Katie, Jesse
- Somethin' — Young Samson and Samson
- Bob Cat Dance — Samson and the Bobcats
- An Old-Fashioned Weddin' — The Philly Rowdies
- Muscle In — Carrie, Polly, Shotsie & Winnie
- Hey Samson — Lash, Samson, Dalton, Chill & Wives
- Yak & the Pants — Yak & the Orchestra
- Yak vs. the Coyotes — the Orchestra
- The Hot Coyote Dance — The Coyote Dancers and the Orchestra
- Sunny Side Up — Yak, Heck & Cody
- Jawbone Finale — the Orchestra
Act Two
- Goin', Goin', Gone! — Delilah, Matty, Trudy, Prudy, Maxine, Pickles
- Jawbone Finale (reprise) — the Orchestra
- Entrance of the Mayors — the Orchestra
- Gonna Bring the Big Man Down! — Lash, Chill, Dalton, Wyatt, Buck & Wives
- Jawbone Finale (reprise) — the Orchestra
- Home on the Range — Heck, Cody, Yak & Friends
- Ride on, Delilah! — The Delilah Singers
- In the Gristmill / Samson's Reprise — Young Samson and Samson
- Makin' Hay — The Filly Rowdies
- Finale — the Orchestra, Young Samson and Ensemble
Production Notes
- Book, Music, and Lyrics: Ken Bradbury
- Directed by: Ken Bradbury
- Tech Director: Chuck West
- Vocal Director: Christine Smith
- Choreographers: Jodi Schone, Tonya Ewalt, Jessica Anderson & Ken Bradbury
- Costuming: Patty Clinton, Connie Charlesworth, Judy Armstrong & crew
The pit band, billed in the program as "Miss Delilah's Ragtag Band," featured Kurt Heller, Jerry Kirbach, Chuck West, and Jon Carls. Students filled out a small army of backstage committees — stage crew under stage manager Aaron Charlesworth, prompters led by Olivia Rahe, plus tickets, t-shirts, posters, lighting, and spots — making this, like all of Bradbury's Triopia productions, a show run largely by its own cast and crew.