QUEEN ESTHER RETURNS -- Sight & Sound TV
Yay! A sliver of joy! This is the show Dave and I watched on TV when they first streamed it last year, then we traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to watch it again, live. The stage was most spectacular, but the show was so good we’ve signed up to watch it again this Friday on our TV. Last year it cost $25 to stream it to your computer. This time it’s 99 cents. Definitely worth it. Below is what I wrote last year (9/5/20).
Love, Jan
Maybe I am just biased because of all the times Dave and I have been to Sight & Sound theater productions, but I have to say that their first live performance ever to be aired on TV (in every state in America and around the world) did not disappoint me at all! I will confess that I was somewhat concerned, partly because the theater experience is indescribable (as compared to TV); but also because of all the inaccurate portrayals of Esther that surround the holiday “Purim.” I did wonder how the Sight & Sound family would interpret this book, but as usual their portrayal were as biblically accurate as it gets, and, as usual, they pointed the story of Esther to its relationship with Jesus Christ. They even admitted the word “God” was nowhere in the Book of Esther yet their hope was still to show how His hand was all through it. No, they did not disappoint me at all, and even on the TV I was mesmerized by their amazing set, costumes, and Broadway-style performances. It was wonderful!
Yes, to stream it cost $25 which I know is steep (unless you compare it to going to the movies these days, especially if you add popcorn). I don’t know if they will air their introduction and testimony in the “encore” versions (which are still available to watch today and tomorrow) but on the “live” version last night this family owned and operated group shared their story of how Sight & Sound Theater came to be, and their challenges that came to pass along the way (like their original theater burning down) and how those evil challenges turned into huge blessings. The same thing happened again with COVID which devastated them, and took them down just like many businesses have been taken down. As they said, they are not out of the woods yet, but they are at least walking in the right direction. And they give all the glory to God for what they never expected would happen during this COVID crisis— how an empty theater turned into opportunity for the entire country (and world) to watch their showing of JESUS during this time. Well, hearing their introductory story, alone, was worth the $25 for me. And their intermission show, where they took us on a tour of the Persian setting was also amazing.
And then there were all the “scripture lessons” throughout the show, which is what I like most about their productions. They chose the theme, “Be still and know” from Psalm 46:10, as their central message, for there were many moments in the story when fear could have triumphed over trust in God. “We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5) was another lesson they wanted to portray; that even in the worst of times God has a master plan; that He made us who we are, and placed us where we are “for such a time as this.” And isn’t this a good lesson for us today?
I was riveted when Haman entered the story (the guy they chose was perfect for the part), and how he revealed that compromise would work to his advantage. “It is the Hegelian Dialectic again,” I said to Dave who has heard me use that term for years. “Haman should know how well it works, since he represents the devil!” Yes, the point of Haman representing Satan wasn’t missed, for as soon as he entered the stage the narrative started that “it was as if the snake had entered the garden.”
It would be unusual if I didn’t learn something from one of their shows, and this time I learned the potential connection between Haman the Agagite and King Saul’s failure to kill all the Amalekites (Haman was a descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites). This takes us back to King Saul’s failure to obey God when he was commanded to “kill all of them.” A very interesting connection indeed, especially considering the ending of this story.
And you just had to love the focus this play kept giving to Mordecai who had taught Hadassah (Esther) the words of God and that she must “hide them in her heart.” This was a lesson that was meaningful to me after having just completed a Word study on “hidden” which revealed deep meanings about why it is so important to “hide up our treasures unto Christ.” Oh, and I also loved how the narrators hoped God would be exalted through us (believers) like He was with Esther. Yes, may He always be!
The story of Esther is a reflection of our Lord’s hand moving in the purposes for his people, even beginning with “the third year” when King Ahasuerus made a feast and wanted his beautiful queen to come. But Vashti, his queen, refused to come, just as the Lord’s people (the Jews) refused to come to the wedding banquet when their Bridegroom called them to the wedding. “And when the marriage was ready, he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come" (Matthew 22:3). To me (and obviously to the producers of Sight & Sound) Esther represents a true Jew (as defined by the apostle Paul in Romans 2:29); not only was she of the adoption (she was adopted by Mordecai, Romans 9:4), she was also “hidden” from the world, her true identity kept secret because she was “hidden in Christ with God” (Colossians 3:3). Yes, this show was very different from the versions of Purim which are celebrated to this day in Mardi Gras style fashion. I surely did enjoy it. It was beautiful, and well done, and I hope Dave and I still get to see it “live” in October. This showing of Esther is their newest show, and as I said, the family who owns and runs the theater is trying hard to recoup all their losses due to the pandemic which is why they are charging $25 per viewing. The show is not airing on regular or cable TV, but has to be streamed from a computer after you purchase it.
Special Event: Friday, October 1, 8PM ET - Sight & Sound TV (sight-sound.tv)
No comments:
Post a Comment