It’s hard to believe, but one guy showing his slides to people in the 60s became what I saw today. Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster PA is something to behold. The wrap around stage is gigantic, the stage sets remarkable and the talent of the performers is first rate. All of that gathered together to bring the story of Esther to life. What Sight and Sound does phenomenally well is tell a great story, while remaining very faithful to the Scripture. Of course there are times when they take liberties, because there are usually gaps in story in the Bible. To be honest, every liberty they took was extremely plausible and at the very least provided food for thought. There are also a few things that I thought might be difficult to express, theological things that were to my mind essential to the story, such as the roots of Haman’s hatred of the Jewish people. While I think they are urgent to the story, I wondered how they might flow with the story. The writers and story tellers expressed these nearly flawlessly in a way that flowed nicely.
There story of Esther is a powerful story of the power of God to protect His people and the concept of God working through His people, if they will walk with Him by faith. Sight and Sound told this story beautifully, and while I have seen them do this several times before, in my opinion this show was among their best. One of the things I walked away from this program with is the amazing power of drama and theater to touch the senses, and the emotions, while conveying God’s Word in ways that connect beyond the spoken word. I had the joy of sitting off the shoulder of a first grader. The look on her face said it all. The smiles, the awe, and the out and out joy. After the show, she confided in me, “I cried a little at the end, because I saw Jesus.” I whispered into her ear, “I cried a little too.”
This production was something to behold and if you get the chance, definitely check it out. Beyond that, how can you creativity tell the stories of God’s Word?
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