When I Get To Heaven

About When I Get To Heaven: The Almost True Story of Aimee Semple McPherson

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Aimee Semple McPherson was the most celebrated  evangelist and faith healer of the early 20th century. She brought comfort and the hope of salvation to thousands of Americans. But her private life was filled with scandal, family feuds and tragedy. This musical imagines Sister Aimee on her day of judgment as God and Satan vie for her eternal soul.

When Sister Aimee reaches the gates of heaven she expects to be welcomed by God and rewarded with eternal life sitting by His throne and bathing in His glory. But she is in for a surprise. God barely knows who she is, and while she is refreshing his memory, Satan appears and announces that Aimee has not led such a praiseworthy life and really belongs with him.

Aimee, after much pleading, convinces God to let her tell her side of the story. Aimee’s account includes her consecration to the Salvation Army days after her birth, her three marriages, the scandal of her unexplained disappearance, and her eventual alienation from both her mother, who had presided over her rise to fame, and her daughter, whom she had expected to succeed her.

Aimee Semple McPherson was part performer and part entertainer, so it is only fitting that her story be told in the style of vaudeville, a genre that was at its height when she was best known and revered. Throughout the story, God and Satan act as stage managers, providing Aimee with needed props. They are also a chorus, their conversations reflecting not only on the events in Aimee’s life, but also the great questions of life itself.

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Writers Inspiration: I wanted to write a musical about a powerful woman. I was also looking for someone complex and tragic. Aimee Semple McPerson certainly fit the bill.

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Lyrics and Book Written by: Paulanne Simmons