“And he saith unto them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Matthew 4:19)
From the joyful and light-hearted opening scene to the tear-filled ending and invitation, Sight & Sound Theatres’ remarkable production tells the story of Jesus like never before.
Ever since the show’s announcement, Sight & Sound fans have been eagerly awaiting its debut. No wonder opening night was sold out in no time!
There were some returning faces to the stage, such as Tricia Bridgeman who plays Mary, the mother of Jesus (it’s better to distinguish her character now because you will meet a couple of other Marys later in the show) and Michael Niederer who plays Peter (Michael also played the title role of Samson in Sight & Sound’s 2016 Samson debut).
The one word that came to mind during the interviews and photo ops was “glowing.” Everyone from the cast and crew that walked down the red carpet was glowing and beaming with joy. All seemed to touch on how inspiring the new show is to them personally, the importance of faith and their own personal relationships with Jesus.
Many stage productions share the story of Jesus’s birth and the Resurrection, but several fall short telling the story of his life between those two events. The team at Sight & Sound produced a show that shares the many miracles and wonders that Jesus performed throughout his short time on earth.
Josh Enck, president, chief creative officer and director of Sight & Sound Theatres, shares that Jesus is a story about “love that rescues,” and that love is shown in the many astonishing feats that are portrayed from the Bible to the stage, such as Jesus walking on the water, raising Lazarus from the dead and healing the blind man, just to name a few.
Audience members learned how Jesus would leave “the flock” to rescue “the one,” like when he traveled across the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes to cast out demons from one man.
The way the story is told, many of the characters are relatable in today’s culture. No one is perfect, and so many lose sight of what’s important in day-to-day tasks, but Jesus showed compassion and forgiveness to everyone, even the outcasts.
Oh, and maybe you’ve heard about the theatre’s newest addition – one of the largest LED screens ever used in a theatrical production. The new screen is 113 feet wide and almost 30 feet tall, weighing 12 tons. While it is amazing, it doesn’t take away from the story being told; it enhances the musical and takes audience members along for the journey.
Jesus is playing now through January 2019 at Sight & Sound Theatres in Lancaster. For more information and tickets, visit sight-sound.com.
