I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I attended the media night for Samson at Sight & Sound Theatres back in early March.
I was a little nervous and extremely intimidated at the numerous media outlets already set up on the red carpet – TV stations from across the country, local radio and TV personalities, professional photographers, etc. I had never experienced a Sight & Sound production before, and this was my first time even visiting the phenomenal establishment in Lancaster. So, as any amateur photographer, I started shooting photos of anyone and anything that jumped on the red carpet.
From family members of the actors and actresses to dogs, pigs and a camel, I snapped away on my Nikon. Up until that point, the most entertaining scene was our neighboring media guests, the Maryland Theatre Guide, “interviewing” the dogs and pigs (a first, I’m sure).
After meeting the characters and production team, it was time to slip inside and try out some of the delicious food you could smell wafting through the air. I didn’t know where to begin. I ended up starting at the pasta bar (it had the shortest line), followed by a sample of sweet nuts, a drink and later a dessert, or two (a whoopie pie and a chocolate chip cookie).
Time for Samson. As we took our seats, my anxiety level started to decrease. It was time to sit back and enjoy the show.
I’ve known about the story of Samson since I was in my first Sunday School class. Samson was strong, he met bad girl Delilah, his strength was in his hair, she cut it, he died, end of story. Even the cartoon versions of the biblical tale didn’t keep my attention. But, the production staff at Sight & Sound turned a classic Bible story into one of epic proportions.
The music was fun and inspirational. The settings of each scene not only flowed perfectly but were beautifully designed. The costumes were incredible (nothing you’d see at your typical church Christmas play). I learned more about the story of Samson from this show than ever before: background information about Samson and his family, his enemies, names of biblical characters and places, etc.
They use LIVE animals, y’all! There were pigs, camels, dogs (even the dogs were good at acting; they played the part of foxes), a water buffalo and horses. The acting was above par, and the singing blew me away. One major takeaway was the scenery, once again. When they say, “Walls will fall,” they mean it. Not to give anything away (because the show runs through December), but toward the end, you may have the sudden urge to duck for cover as 12 columns (each 28 feet tall) come tumbling down. The team at Sight & Sound really knows how to “bring the house down.”