In over 30 years of leading musical organizations, this is the first time Kay Dunlap has ever been part of the commissioning of a new work. “This is very exciting for In Good Company and a great help to us in getting started,” Dunlap said. “While we often create shows about people from history, this is the first time someone else has suggested that we create a show around a specific person.” It has turned out to be a fascinating project in which the whole cast has learned a lot about Boston and New England in the second half of the 19th century.

“We thought we already knew a lot about this period. We had previously presented a show about the Hutchinson Family Singers set at the end of the Civil War and the causes they supported: abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage and temperance. But None but the Best has taught us not only about an important man whose contributions and influence are still affecting New Englanders today, and also about important events such as the Great Boston Fire. We’re using vintage images to help tell the story that I think the audience will find very interesting. For example, ads from the Youths Companion tell us a lot about what life was like at that time,” Dunlap says.

Daniel Sharp Ford was the founder of the Boston Baptist Social Union and it was his generous gift to the organization when he died in 1899 that allowed them to continue to provide financial support to worthy organizations in Boston. Ford was best known as the editor of The Youth’s Companion, America’s largest family paper serving over half a million readers each week. His generosity also helped the Ruggles Baptist Church to create a family clinic which eventually became the New England Baptist Hospital. Another famous Boston organization that was founded with Ford’s fortune and still bears his name is the Ford Hall Forum which now operates under the auspices of Suffolk University.