Broadway from a Christian Perspective

Every year in early May, I have to admit that I feel an excitement as the Tony Award nominations are announced (the 2007-2008 nominations announced this morning follow). I've been a theater lover all of my life and have always thought of attending Broadway shows as second nature, so when we come together once a year to recognize the best of the best, I can't help but be excited.

I remember the first time I actually got to attend the Tony Awards in person. It was like a dream come true. I annoyed the friend who went with me all night by saying, "This is so cool," about 4,000 times. The next year, now a Tony veteran, I went with a different theater loving friend who took over my "this is so cool" phrase duties.

In fact, there are a lot of Christians who love the theater. I know, because I work with a lot of them, or get calls from a lot of them asking my advice on what shows to see or produce. After some prodding from the Lord, I've decided to write regular reviews of Broadway shows from a Christian perspective. I hope you will find them helpful as regular reviews of a show: what works, what doesn't, whose performances are worth the more than $100 ticket prices on Broadway....as well as a means to be informed from a Christian perspective. Do the plots and themes reflect Christian values? Could language or other elements of the productions be offensive? Is it appropriate for the kids? Sometimes Christians have a hard time finding that kind of information in basic plot summaries or secular reviews and it's hard for them to choose shows they might like to attend while in New York, on vacation in other cities where Broadway shows are running or when the local performing arts center offers its tours of shows coming through for the Broadway season.

I hope these reviews will be of help to you. They will be carried here on the Christians in Performing Arts blog (http://christianperformers.blogspot.com/) as well at Reflections in the Light, my writing blog here: http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com.

"In the Heights," the hip-hop, salsa musical about the joys and relationships of Latino immigrants in Washington Heights led the Tony Award nominations announced this morning with 13 including Best Musical.
And the nominees are:
Best Play
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In the Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

Best Book of a Musical
Cry-Baby, Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In the Heights, Quiara Alegria Hudes
Passing Strange, Stew
Xanadu, Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score
Cry-Baby, Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
In The Heights, Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid, Music: Alan Menken and Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Passing Strange, Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald Lyrics: Stew

Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereueses
Macbeth

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park With George

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth


Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County


Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park With George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park With George

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Musical
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In the Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Anthony Ward, Macbeth

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos, In the Heights
Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Paul Tazewell, In the Heights
Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison, Macbeth
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley, In the Heights
Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid

Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Ian Dickson, Rock 'n' Roll
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Stephen Sondheim

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award
Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981)

What Do People See in Your Service?

If I were to ask what I could expect to see when attending a worship service at your church this weekend, what would you say?

This isn't a far-fetched question given the varied and changing worship styles in churches across the country. People want to know what to expect. What are some of the things you might list in giving a description of what people see in your service? Perhaps one or more of these:

·People dressed casually, lots of children; people dressed nicely, mostly older
·A platform decorated with colorful draping or a cool-looking backdrop; traditional church architecture with an altar
·Large screens for video clips, song lyrics and announcements; hymnals and bulletins
·A band including drums, electric guitar and electric base; piano and organ
·Exciting lighting effects; sun streaming through stained glass
·A team of vocalists leading the singing from the platform; a soloist
·A choir singing backup; a choir leading songs
·A pastor dressed in the latest hip, casual fashion; a pastor dressed in robes
·A dramatic sketch of some kind to lead into or reinforce the sermon; a liturgical reading

Whether these descriptions or others make up the recipe for your worship service, please be aware there's one important ingredient missing from this list: Jesus. Do people see Jesus in your worship service or is the focus on one or more of the ingredients? If you were to remove any or all of those ingredients, would folks in your church feel like they hadn't worshiped?

A good pastor friend recently commented that everything in the worship service should be for Jesus, not for us. It made me think about how the focus for so many churches has become producing a multi-sensory experience to make church interesting and stimulating and to attract large numbers. Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting church to be interesting and stimulating, but if Jesus is there, how can it help but be so?

I recently had the pleasure of visiting a church, which being contemporary protestant in nature, had all of the ingredients from the left side of the list mentioned above. The thing most noticeable, however, was not the high tech offerings, state-of-the-art facility or any other of the components. It was the presence of Jesus. He was noticeable in the church's people, in how they welcomed others, in how they treated and served one another, in how they loved their church and its leadership, in how their worship was all about Him. Everything these people did was about serving and worshiping Jesus and helping others do the same.

If I plan a worship service, I hope people meet Jesus there. I hope people leaving the service are saying things like, "I love you, Lord" and "Thank you, Lord" and not things like "Wow, that music really rocked" or "The sermon went too long." Believers can have wonderful experiences corporately worshiping our God, but the purpose of worship shouldn't be to give us a great experience. Remember, is all about Him. Seek Him and His kingdom first, and everything else will be added.

Focus on What God Has Accomplished

I've just returned from some great teaching, fellowship and reflection at the Lillenas Drama Arts Conference in Kansas City. There's nothing more exciting than being a part of a group of believers seeking to better serve their Lord through the arts!

This conference always offers some of the best Christian drama teaching available and this year was no exception, but I especially liked the fact that the focus for the four-day gathering was on God and on what He has accomplished, not on hype, glitz, namedropping or a "wow" factor. Celebrities mingled with the "common" folk; people just starting out in drama ministry felt comfortable asking questions of those more experienced: fellowship among brothers and sisters, not a sea of attendees.


Some highlights included an artist worship segment in which the attendees were able to express through different art forms their "monuments" to what God has accomplished (based on the scripture below); insight from screenwriter Henry "Chip" Arnold (right) ; compelling testimony from "Chalk Guy" Ben Glenn (left) and moving prayer requests enacted by Lin Sexton and her team, among other workshop offerings too numerous to mention. It was iron sharpening iron.

It's always good to take some time from our busy schedules to carve out some time specifically for the Lord and to rededicate our efforts to Him and His purposes. Only by humbling ourselves and seeking His face (and not a wow experience, whether at a conference or during our worship services) will we truly be able to serve Him and make a difference through the arts.


"And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." (Josh 4:20-24 NIV)

What's Happening in Christian Arts?

Conference time is upon us! Authors Torry Martin and Martha Bolton have just returned from the first Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival in North Carolina. I head to the Lillenas Drama Arts Conference in Kansas City this week. Registration is open and speakers and workshop sessions have been posted for the Christians in Theatre Arts Conference June 10-13 in Azusa, CA. For information, click in the following space: http://cita.org.


Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed opened in movie theaters Friday. Before its release it already was generating discussion about creation/intelligent design and what is and isn't being taught in our classrooms. For more information on the movie click in the following space: http://www.expelledthemovie.com
Christianity Today offers a discussion guide here: http://biblestudies.stores.yahoo.net/exnoinal.html.

It's also Gospel Music Week which culminates tomorrow with the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Winners from 43 categories will be announced during the awards show. This year's show can be seen live across the country on the Gospel Music Channel on Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. (ET).


Max MacLean's staging of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters begins its run in Washington, DC at the Landsburgh Theater. For information, click in this space:http://www.fpatheatre.com

Some Thoughts on Tax Day

As I began to gather some profound thoughts to offer on April 15, Tax Day, here in the United States, I was led to a passage in Romans. The fresh prose of The Message shows that Paul's civic and financial counsel is as relevant today as it was for the Christians to whom he was writing in about AD 57. Pause and reflect-- and then make sure your taxes are postmarked today!

"Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible.

Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you'll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you're breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren't there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That's why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it's the right way to live.

That's also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders." (Romans 13:1-7 The Message)

Are You Qualified to Lead Worship?

In my position, I get to interact with artists all across the country and I've had the pleasure of worshiping God in many different kinds of services in churches of various sizes, styles and denominations. One common theme seems to run through conversations about how to structure a worship team, however: regardless of style, how do you determine who should be leading worship?

Most worship teams have some requirements regarding musical and vocal ability, but after that, there's a wide range of what might or might not be required of people leading worship.

Some churches require an audition process during which candidates are asked to demonstrate their ability to play an instrument, sing and interact with other members of the group. Some require church membership and/or a personal relationship with Jesus (you'd be surprised, however, at how many don't).

Some actually require participants to have an "up-front" appearance. I'm not sure who gets to judge what that looks like or why God wouldn't be able to use a person who doesn't look like a rock star or fashion model. Some other interesting requirements I have found listed include:

· Being male
· Having a college degree
· Having approval of spouse
· Having the ability to play by ear
· Being able to meet the requirements of a deacon or elder
· Speaking in tongues
· Being emotionally stable
· Being a member of a small group in the church
· Using discretion in dating relationships
· Having finances in agreement with God’s priorities
· Reading the book of Psalms every year

My personal favorite is one worship team that requires "the ability to tell the difference between "in tune" and "out of tune." I've endured enough off-key singing and straining to hit high notes during some services to attest to the fact that not all worship teams have included this requirement yet.

Churches who don't have any requirements or which allow them to be compromised usually:
· Have great musicians or vocalists who they want to use and showcase but would be limited in how they could do so by rules
· Don’t have enough skilled musicians or vocalists and want bodies on the platform

Churches where I have experienced awesome worship and poured out my love, praise and thanks to a God present in the service have been churches with one basic requirement of worship leaders: that they be worshipers. All of the other characteristics needed to be a worship leader come from that. The worshiper knows how to bow before God, how to give Him the glory due His name, how to sing Him songs of praise and how to declare His greatness, love and power to all those who gather.

If you're a worshiper, you can lead others in worship. And it really helps if you can tell "in tune from out of tune." Approach your leadership on the worship team from that reference point and you'll see your team members and congregation respond with a desire to follow your example and to worship with excellence.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24 NIV)

He Uses the Foolish-- Even Me!

It seems somehow appropriate that our one-year anniversary for this blog coincides with April Fool's Day. I've always embraced computer technology and the Internet and was receiving training in HTML programming probably before you even had heard there was such a thing, so it came as a complete surprise to me some years ago when I read an article in the New York Times about blogging.

I actually thought the copy editor had missed a glaring error and that the article was supposed to be about the "logging" industry. As I read, however, I discovered that "blog" was indeed a word that had nothing to do with harvesting trees. A whole communication world that I never had heard of existed somewhere on the Internet. It was sort of like waking up one morning to discover that the United States had added a 51st state a while ago, but I'd somehow failed to hear about it. I felt rather foolish.

Last year blogging became a natural progression of Masterworks' ministry to Christians in the performing arts. We spend a lot of time answering questions, providing resources and training and mentoring those who use their talents in music, drama and performance arts to serve the Lord in the regular course of our ministry. Our blog is just a weekly extension of that. It is read by people from all around the United States (we've had visitors from almost all of the 51, er, 50 states) and the world and it has been a great way to network.

We're committed to serving Him through every means possible so that everyone may Hear His message of hope and salvation. It's OK to feel foolish because we don't know everything, whether it comes to blogs or to the perfect answers to questions people might have about our faith or the bible. Christ is able to use us in our foolishness and weakness and provides the knowledge and wisdom we need to complete His work. This must be true, or today, instead of reading this blog from me, you'd be learning about how to harvest tress...

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1Cor. 1:25 NIV)