By Alicia Roache, Staff ReporterTHERE WERE outstretched arms and taut fingers, dilated eyes and entreating looks, shrill voices and pleading songs, nodding heads and swaying bodies as performers in the 'Christian Theatre' dramatised aspects of the Scripture on Sunday at the LOJ auditorium, New Kingston.
The evening dubbed 'Powerful Ministry in the Word using the Performing Arts' was just that. Presented by the Eagles Christian Theatre Troupe, under the guidance and direction of Dawn Bennett, the programme entailed music, dance, speech and dramatisation. The first 'Evening in the Word' to be held, showed much promise for future productions.
DELIVERY WITH CONVICTION
The show employed a range of talented singers, dancers and dramatists who delivered The Word with conviction.
There was a 'holy deejay' accompanied by two back-up dancers. The deejay did a bit of dub poetry before moving into piece about 'the Revelation of Jesus Christ'. The animated performance, complete with skanking and jumping, earned him adeqaute applause and a few snickers from the audience.
Then there was a prophesying Bishop who spoke of the 'passion of Christ's suffering', crime, violence, immorality, sickness all the ills of the world, blew his trumpet and ordered his scribe to write. His performance, though well received, would have been better presented if his attire was historically appropriate.
Instead of the robes and shawl worn by his scribe, he was dressed in modern street clothes khaki pants and long sleeved button down shirt. The horn which he carried and the purple cloth taken from the cross and draped across his shoulders, highlighted this faux paux.
Christina Jordon, dressed in all black, made her presentation in the section dubbed 'Mourning into Dancing.
She gave an inspired 'lamentation' of Great is Thy Faithfulness in song, before switching to a speech about being afflicted by hardship, despair, age and ill-will, then back into a celebratory mode with Great is thy Faithfulness. Though her talent is evident, both as a singer and dramatist, her performance would have been better delivered if she had not read extensively from her script during the speech segment.
Phillip Clarke, male dancer and perhaps the best dancer in the cast, performed two dances close to the end that had the audience, of almost full capacity, enthralled. The first was well received with resounding applause, the second, done to Order My Steps a celebratory dance, engendered shouts of approval from the audience as he 'ordered his steps' to the music and to an imaginary path.
THE BEST OF THE NIGHT
Arguably the best performance of the night came from Jasmine French. They may have left the proverbial 'best for last'. French gave an exceptional interpretation of the Lord's Prayer opera style.
As her strong melodious voice resonated within the small hall, caressing and breathing life into the oft-repeated and sometimes disregarded words, the entreaties and affirmations which pervaded the other performances were appropriately silenced as the audience allowed the words and the voice to wash over them.
At the end of her performance, a "You Go girl!" would have been in order.
