Our few days away last weekend was very special. The show and our hotel etc., but for this post I am concentrating on the show
A musical telling the story from Genesis to Revelation. It was written and produced by one of our local church worship leaders who we know, and at the end I will include his story of how it came into being. Inspirational.
Report from the Brighton Argus newspaper
New stage musical Love Beyond, performed to an almost full house at
the Brighton Centre on Sunday,
received rapturous applause and cheers from the audience.
Written by Richard Haley and directed by Brighton resident Israel
Oyelumade, Love Beyond tells the story of the Bible, from God’s creation of Adam and Eve, through to the to the resurrection of Jesus Christ – the theme of love running throughout.
The musical score and lyrics were powerful and, paired with stunning
vocal performances from the ensemble cast, goose bumps were guaranteed. Love
Beyond managed to be simultaneously emotional and uplifting.
The acting was enchanting, sincere and dramatic. When Adam and Eve
surrendered to temptation and ate the apple, the atmosphere in the venue could
have been cut with a knife.
A large LED display was used throughout the show and made a big visual
impact, featuring graphics such as stars and flying birds. Other than this the
set was minimal, with just two raised areas, meaning there was no distraction
from the drama.
Standout performances included The Voice 2012 contestant J Marie Cooper,
who was mesmerising as Mary Magdalene. Jesus, played by Simon Shorten, who has
previously played Jean Valjean in the West End version of Les Misérables, and
God, played by Kevin Jones, both displayed excellent range, power and vocal
technique.
The choreography was simple but effective, executed enthusiastically and
in perfect unison.
A highlight of the evening was the appearance of baby Jesus, played by a
particularly cute baby who was welcomed with a squeal of delight from the
audience.
Far from preaching, Love Beyond successfully combined entertainment and
accessibility, telling its story simply and beautifully and ensuring that the
audience left the Brighton Centre with smiles on their faces.
I booked in March so we had great seats right in the centre in front of the steps down from the stage into the auditorium
Although the above newspaper report is excellent there was more to the show than mentioned here. It began with creation which was very cleverly done and moved onto the creation of Adam and Eve, followed by the temptation in the garden and the subsequent fall of man.
It continued with the consequences of that through to the birth of Jesus, his life, his miracles and teaching to his crucifixion and resurrection, culminating in the wedding of all time when He sees his Bride.
The acting, music and singing was exceptional, some of the cast having played lead parts in the West End in shows like Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. All the cast being Christians keen to share their faith in this way.
So a few random photos to give you a taste.
God pleased with His creation
Adam and Eve in the garden
Eve being tempted with God in the background
Satan offering the apple
Eve's distress and despair having taken it
The depiction of the Fall was electrifying
part of the chaos that ensued
and the enmity between man
Jesus is born
and grows a little
and becomes a boy
Satan tempting and sneering at the believers
the man Jesus healing the blind woman
the celebrations afterwards
Mary singing at the crucifixion
had to be seen and heard - beyond words
The crucifixion scene (although a cross was not used) was so emotional and the whipping of Jesus made me wince and gasp
This was down to a great sound team that had the acting and sound so synchronised that is seemed real
Mary Magdalene at the tomb having previously met with Jesus and distraught that Jesus is behind the stone and not her
Again an outstanding performance
the coming of the Holy Spirit depicted in the most sensitive and moving dance
Jesus sees His Bride along with His Father and The Holy Spirit
Tabitha Webb taking the production into its finale
Tabitha played Christine in Phantom and Cosette in the film of Les Miserables and has many other parts to her name. She did not take a lead part in this show as she was assistant producer
The orchestra were all professional musicians
Just a taster of a wonderful show
The three faces of Jesus
and Richard during rehearsals
Insights into the personal journeys of the Love Beyond
team
Richard
Hayley, the man behind the Love Beyond concept, has a unique blend of technical
and creative expertise. On one hand, a musician by passion – happy to
improvise. On the other, a design engineer by training – driven to seek logical
solutions to technical problems. But in Love Beyond he is finding an outlet for
these diverse disciplines.
Following a lifelong fascination with how things worked and how they might be improved,
Richard found himself, aged just 26, managing a vehicle design consultancy. By
32 he has completed many successful design programmes for clients such as Rolls
Royce, Jaguar and Ford. Several years on and Richard had joined forces with an
American company and worked on defence vehicle programmes all around the world.
Despite this success, however, another passion was stirring inside him,
competing to find expression – the desire to make and write music.
Richard had always been a fan of progressive rock and in particular the concept
albums of the 70s, such as Rick Wakeman’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth
and Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. So as soon as he was earning a wage he was
investing in the latest synths and keyboards. As a self-confessed ‘geek’ this
gave him the opportunity to tinker and make music at the same time!
Having become a Christian in the early 1980s the idea began to form that one
day Richard would pull together a musical concept piece on a similar scale to
the albums he had enjoyed in the past. One day he sat down and wrote a piece of
music that took the biblical Creation story as its theme. A friend heard it and
commented that it sounded like musical theatre. The seed of something had been
sown…
For a long time Love Beyond was just a dream. But gradually, the dream, ideas
and scraps of music-staved paper began to come together to form something of
substance.
The journey begins
A meeting with West End actress and singer Tabitha Webb nudged things forward
and the dream began to take shape. Creative Director, Israel Oyelumade
(accomplished film and TV actor turned director) added another vital dimension,
as did the addition of talented arranger/producer Robbie Webb.
Since then Richard has been amazed by the
wealth of talent that has joined forces to form the Love Beyond creative team
and cast – West End stars and world class musicians. At the time of writing the
national premiere at the Brighton Centre is just a few weeks away. And the
momentum for a national tour in 2014 continues to build. Richard’s technical
and creative skills are being put to full use as he oversees and guides this
unique project, which is sure to be a momentous event.
