Star turn

I was mildly appalled to open up our church newsletter to read an announcement of our performance of the Cotton Patch Gospel coming up at the end of the month. Actually, seeing the announcement wasn’t appalling. Reading the following end of the first paragraph, on the other hand …

Dave Hill will be starring as Matthew. No one tells a story quite like Dave!

Yes, it has slowly been dawning on me that I am, if not the star of the show, the guy with the most lines. As the narrator (the tale being based on the Gospels of Matthew and John), I am in every scene but one — and in that one, I show up in another role. Plus I get to sing. Plus …

Yes, I anticipate doing a lot of running of lines with Margie over the next three weeks. And evening rehearsals. And more line running.

My own contribution aside, it really is a fine show — sort of Jesus Christ, Superstar, but with more rednecks and fewer hippies. As with all good retellings of the Gospel, it’s a subversive tale, poking with a sharp stick politicians both civil and religious (which, given its setting in the Deep South, gives it plenty of targets). It is orthodox as far as its theology goes, but avoids being too cloying, and its attempt to update the story of Christ into a modern setting work remarkably well.

Plus the music is great. Hopefully we’ll do it justice.

For anyone out there in the Denver area who is interested, the show runs:

• Friday, 30 September, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, 1 October, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, 2 October, 3 p.m.

It’s at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, and costs $5 for adults, free for kids; for those who don’t visit our church, they can be reserved through an e-mail to cottonpatchgospel@comcast.net.

Granted, most folks I know in Denver will have something else they’re doing that Friday, and I can’t rightly question their judgment on that (I’m aiming for a matinee that afternoon, myself). But anyone who’d like to see whether desperate prayer (mine) can overcome Earthly difficulties (getting this frelling thing memorized), you’re more than welcome one of those showings.

Because (or so someone alleges), nobody tells a story quite like me. Argh.