Possible spoilers if you don't know the story.
I will describe and evaluate this production the way that I saw it, because you who are reading this might see it the same way. This was more than just a musical with songs and dialogue. We also saw progress reports on the movement of a giant lighted cross through the normally sinful streets of New Orleans, with many people following (some with palm branches) and interviews with ordinary people.
I hope you get to see the interviews. Especially the one with the veteran. Other people told stories of faith.
Mostly, this production involved Tyler Perry talking to a large live audience, with singers, musicians and an energetic, joyful choir on the main stage, with most of the action taking place elsewhere and viewed on screens at the main stage. Perry did a great job and showed he had faith but was also flawed like most of us.
There's not much point in my commenting on the music, though I will say everyone involved with the music seemed talented. I consider only the organ or the piano acceptable in church, and maybe the guitar under very limited circumstances, and none of those involve anything resembling rock music. I don't consider pounding drums to be music unless they belong to Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa, or are in a marching band, or are called tympani and used in a symphony orchestra. It took me a while to realize that some of the songs were familiar and I had actually heard them. Occasionally, a song would be soft enough to almost meet my standards, and many of those were performed by Trisha Yearwood as Mary, wearing a 21st century dress. That's not to say I liked everything she did, but that's not important. The live audience loved the music, and those of us watching TV saw plenty of close-ups of individuals in the audience. Yes, there were tears at times.
The first dialogue from actors took place in a bar. Jesus spoke to his disciples there. I have never seen a Jesus like this. Jencarlos Canela had Five O'Clock shadow, but no beard. No long hair, either. He looked more like a cast member of "Grease", except his hair was sometimes a little messy. And 21st century clothes. And he was more somber, more serious than I am used to, but kind. I would even say he was "brooding", a term I saw used to describe Tom Welling's Clark Kent online. And when brought to Pilate (except when he sang) he showed genuine fear on his face. Peter dressed like fishermen dress today.
The action, if you want to call it that, moved along the streets of New Orleans. The last supper took place under Spanish moss hanging from trees, which reminded me of the magnificent Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ironically, the Garden of Gethsemane was not a garden at all, but a grassy area between two great-looking bridges. Cops showed up with blue lights flashing to take Jesus away.
Before the arrest, Chris Daughtry as Judas screamed (young people would call this singing) in what looked like an abandoned oil refinery.
After being arrested, Jesus spoke to two prisoners in orange jumpsuits in the back of a police van. One mocked him while the other humbly asked to be saved.
Peter walked through the streets. One woman yelled to him from a house. Another woman yelled to him in the street. A cop spoke to him in a cemetery. No rooster, though.
Then came the one scene with dialogue that took place on the main stage. Seal did a fine job as Pilate in a suit and tie. Not a mean character at all. And the live audience participated, yelling "Barabbas" when the time came to choose which of the prisoners in orange should be released, and yelling "Crucify him!" at the appropriate time.
We didn't see the event, symbolized by the newly arrived lighted cross, but Perry described it in explicit detail.
You won't believe the ending. I mean you won't believe it.
Actually, that wasn't the end. The New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed last. Now THAT'S music!
This production was a little short on detail, but the powerful message came through. If one enjoys the styles of music presented, it is quite an effective delivery of the story of that first Holy Week. Seeing the characters and dialogue as if it was all taking place today may help people understand the story better, and these would make it easier to be introduced to the story if they didn't know it.
It was worth seeing.
I will describe and evaluate this production the way that I saw it, because you who are reading this might see it the same way. This was more than just a musical with songs and dialogue. We also saw progress reports on the movement of a giant lighted cross through the normally sinful streets of New Orleans, with many people following (some with palm branches) and interviews with ordinary people.
I hope you get to see the interviews. Especially the one with the veteran. Other people told stories of faith.
Mostly, this production involved Tyler Perry talking to a large live audience, with singers, musicians and an energetic, joyful choir on the main stage, with most of the action taking place elsewhere and viewed on screens at the main stage. Perry did a great job and showed he had faith but was also flawed like most of us.
There's not much point in my commenting on the music, though I will say everyone involved with the music seemed talented. I consider only the organ or the piano acceptable in church, and maybe the guitar under very limited circumstances, and none of those involve anything resembling rock music. I don't consider pounding drums to be music unless they belong to Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa, or are in a marching band, or are called tympani and used in a symphony orchestra. It took me a while to realize that some of the songs were familiar and I had actually heard them. Occasionally, a song would be soft enough to almost meet my standards, and many of those were performed by Trisha Yearwood as Mary, wearing a 21st century dress. That's not to say I liked everything she did, but that's not important. The live audience loved the music, and those of us watching TV saw plenty of close-ups of individuals in the audience. Yes, there were tears at times.
The first dialogue from actors took place in a bar. Jesus spoke to his disciples there. I have never seen a Jesus like this. Jencarlos Canela had Five O'Clock shadow, but no beard. No long hair, either. He looked more like a cast member of "Grease", except his hair was sometimes a little messy. And 21st century clothes. And he was more somber, more serious than I am used to, but kind. I would even say he was "brooding", a term I saw used to describe Tom Welling's Clark Kent online. And when brought to Pilate (except when he sang) he showed genuine fear on his face. Peter dressed like fishermen dress today.
The action, if you want to call it that, moved along the streets of New Orleans. The last supper took place under Spanish moss hanging from trees, which reminded me of the magnificent Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ironically, the Garden of Gethsemane was not a garden at all, but a grassy area between two great-looking bridges. Cops showed up with blue lights flashing to take Jesus away.
Before the arrest, Chris Daughtry as Judas screamed (young people would call this singing) in what looked like an abandoned oil refinery.
After being arrested, Jesus spoke to two prisoners in orange jumpsuits in the back of a police van. One mocked him while the other humbly asked to be saved.
Peter walked through the streets. One woman yelled to him from a house. Another woman yelled to him in the street. A cop spoke to him in a cemetery. No rooster, though.
Then came the one scene with dialogue that took place on the main stage. Seal did a fine job as Pilate in a suit and tie. Not a mean character at all. And the live audience participated, yelling "Barabbas" when the time came to choose which of the prisoners in orange should be released, and yelling "Crucify him!" at the appropriate time.
We didn't see the event, symbolized by the newly arrived lighted cross, but Perry described it in explicit detail.
You won't believe the ending. I mean you won't believe it.
Actually, that wasn't the end. The New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed last. Now THAT'S music!
This production was a little short on detail, but the powerful message came through. If one enjoys the styles of music presented, it is quite an effective delivery of the story of that first Holy Week. Seeing the characters and dialogue as if it was all taking place today may help people understand the story better, and these would make it easier to be introduced to the story if they didn't know it.
It was worth seeing.