A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant

A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant
Poster from 2007 Philadelphia production
Music	Kyle Jarrow
Lyrics	Kyle Jarrow
Book	Kyle Jarrow
Basis	A concept by Alex Timbers
Productions	2003 – Off-Off-Broadway, Off-Broadway 2004 – Los Angeles 2006 – New York, Boston, Atlanta 2007 – Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. 2008 – Syracuse, Fort Worth, Cincinnati, Chicago, Phoenix
Awards	2004 Obie Award

A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant
Studio album by Les Freres Corbusier
Released	2 November 2004 (2004-11-02)
Recorded	New York, New York
Genre	Musical
Length	35:14
Label	Sh-K-Boom
Producer	Kurt Deutsch, Jacob Schwartz, Aaron Lemon-Strauss

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A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant is a satirical musical about Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, written by Kyle Jarrow from a concept by Alex Timbers, the show's original director. Jarrow based the story of the one-act, one-hour musical on Hubbard's writings and Church of Scientology literature. The musical follows the life of Hubbard as he develops Dianetics and then Scientology. Though the musical pokes fun at Hubbard's science fiction writing and personal beliefs, it has been called a "deadpan presentation" of his life story. Topics explored in the piece include Dianetics, the E-meter, Thetans, and the story of Xenu. The show was originally presented in 2003 in New York City by Les Freres Corbusier, an experimental theater troupe, enjoying sold-out Off-Off-Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. Later productions have included Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Early in the production of the musical, the president of the Church of Scientology in New York sent a letter to the producer pointing out the Church's history of litigation. This led Timbers and Jarrow to insert the word "Unauthorized" into the title, upon the advice of legal counsel. During the Los Angeles production, representatives of the Church of Scientology visited the production staff in the midst of rehearsals and handed out documentation of successful litigation against critics of Scientology. Parents of some of the Los Angeles cast members also received phone calls from Scientologists in the entertainment industry, asking them not to allow their children to perform in the musical.