By: Kinsey Bushart Staff Writer
The new theater season has begun; the next two shows to be put on by Pentacle Theater are the drama “Emma’s Child” which was originally written by Kristine Thatcher, and the rock musical “Jesus Christ, Superstar” with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.
“Emma’s Child” was originally produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in April of 1995 and this year will be directed by Joe Silva.
According to The Statesman Journal, Silva said that “there was no doubt in his mind about taking it on,” while lead actress Laura Davis, who is playing Jean Farrell, has a personal connection to the plot of the drama.
As the mother of two adopted children herself, Davis had faced various difficulties in the adoption process similar to those of her character.
The story of the play “Emma’s Child” is about a woman named Jean and the attachment she grows for the child she hopes to adopt from a woman named Emma. Over the course of the birth mother’s pregnancy, the hopeful Jean faces many difficulties in her marriage as well as her friendships. This drama about family, hardship and perseverance is one to attend when looking for hope in the future.
“Jesus Christ, Superstar” is a rock musical that debuted in 1971 on Broadway. The story is of the retelling and detailing of Jesus Christ’s final days. The entire musical has no spoken dialogue, with a storyline loosely based on the Gospel’s accounts on Jesus’s final week. It’s chart-topping songs won Andrew Lloyd Webber the Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Composer. The Drama Desk Award is an annual award given in recognition of achievements in the theater among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions.
The musical’s cast has been announced and is available on Pentacle’s website, as well as its director Geri Sanders, though as of yet there is no other information from cast or crew.
“Emma’s Child” is going to be at the Pentacle Theater March 3-24, and “Jesus Christ, Superstar” will begin showing April 14 to May 6.
Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu
