Moses (Wynton Williams) and his wife Zipporah (Darcy Tulloch) gaze at Mount Horeb. They realise they are called to marriage by Yahweh.
-Contributed photoFOUR YEARS ago Father
Ho Lung and Friends presented Jamaica with Jesus 2000.
It was an experience of a
lifetime.
In recent months, the power of religious productions has been impacting thousands of people across the globe. Mel Gibson has shown with The Passion of the Christ the thirst for truth, for spirituality, for religion in the 'Dark Ages' of modern times as millions have flocked to see the film.
This year, Father Ho Lung and Friends hope to present to you something splendid, something deeply spiritual with Moses.
"When we conceived of Moses, the first thought was, how do we part the Red Sea? Secondly, how do we place the burning bush on stage? Thirdly, how shall we have snakes in the desert? Then there was the manna falling from heaven. We haven't yet done it, but we plan to do it. It's exciting, it's coming to be, and on the 30th
of April it will be with God as the doer of all things," Father Ho Lung stated.
"Then there was Mount Horeb to be mounted on stage, the music to compose and arrange, the costumes, the hundreds of hours of practice, the talented actors and actresses to assemble and then the gigantic task of mounting a whole theatre in the Arena. Somehow we have to do it, to glorify the Lord, to make visible no, to make real the life of one of the greatest figures in the Old Testament Moses."
Father Ho Lung noted that one of the challenges faced was to bring to life an ancient tale known by everybody.
"How do we remain true to the story of one of the most splendid figures or heroes of ancient times and yet make it new? How do we present the tradition of the Old Testament yet have everyone see its relevance to our modern times and to Jamaica? Thank God for the Holy Spirit who helped me plumb the depths of the great and wonderful man Moses and seize an insight into 'I Am Who Am', the statement of identity made by Yahweh about Himself, and all those who are true to Him."
Father Ho Lung explained that the word I am is derived from the words to be, to exist, to live. Yahweh is the Giver of Life, and all those who obey Him has life. If Moses obeys Yahweh and lives in Him, and lives by His word, Moses will find himself, he will live, and all his people will live in freedom.
That appearance at the burning bush on Mount Horeb, Father Ho Lung stated, became the central or pivotal force, which anchored the whole tale of Moses.
"Once he had the discourse with Yahweh, Moses never turned back. The cruelty and the threat of death by Pharaoh, the barrier of the Red Sea, the rebelliousness of his own people did not stop Moses from moving on. There were moments of great discouragement when Moses asked Yahweh to take his life he was so weary he could not go on. But Yahweh lifted him up like a child by the hand and commanded him to go forward to the Promised Land.
SPIRIT-FILLED MUSIC
"The music I began came rather quickly but it was interrupted by open-heart surgery. For months I was laid up, but my beloved friend, Wynton Williams, came forward. Many of the songs I initiated again by the power of the Holy Spirit were carried through by Wynton Williams. I was weary, tired after the heart surgery, some songs I completed, but Wynton came in and brought forth from the beginnings of my compositions some beautiful new melodies that developed in other ways than I would. The result is beautiful!" Father Ho Lung exclaimed.
He futher explained that doing the project was difficult, frightening, exciting, challenging but "with God's workers, which all of us are and a cast led by Darcy Tulloch, Wynton Williams, Leroy Palmer, Renee Rattray and Carl Williams and a most dedicated and enthusiastic group of singers, dancers, actors and musicians, it will be a splendid opening night."
Alwin Bully again directs Moses as he did Jesus 2000, Paula Shaw, as the choreographer, has proven over and over that she is most effective in making beautiful but simple movements happen. The talented P.J. Stewart is behind the set designs and Denise Robinson, the costume designer.
