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The
Friday Evening production of He’s Coming Back, written
and produced by Ms. Lavern Bolton, directed by Kimberley Miller,
Rachel Cooks, and Jean Williams, with their splendid music director,
Carl Fortier, is the best church production I have witnessed in
many years. This yearly musical/play was performed to an overflow
crowd of some 500-700 churchgoers and the non-church-goers alike in
the renovated theater that has been the sanctuary of the SF Christian
Center Church for over 25 years.
From the cast’s dress, the special effects, the sound system, to the
lighting, this was an outstanding production of the Bible story of
Jesus’ life on earth until his crucifixion. It was an Easter story
that the Christian Center produces each year, although this was my
first viewing of the production. If you know the story, you realize
there was nothing new in the story line, but Biblical purists may see
that certain Biblical portions of the story were not included. At two
hours and twenty minutes, the play was quite long. There had to be
some aspects that would be excluded, otherwise the production would
have being three hours and twenty minutes—unbearable for any
production.
I was impressed with the Christian Center’s gospel music,
beautifully song and arranged. The musical selections were perfect for
this production. They
were a blend of songs my mother sang in the choir—Oh Mary Don’t
You Weep, Twelve Gates to The City—to modern Christian
songs that were soft and tasteful, without the need for the ubiquitous
hip hop flavor.
The Christian Center's band is simply one of the best Jazz bands I
have heard in a church or around the San Francisco Bay Area. They had
that play and the audience jumping!
The
SF Christian Center’s He’s Coming Back is one of the
best church productions I have seen in many years. It is worth your
time and effort to get to next year’s production if you like good
singing that warms the heart and a church band that is simply one of
the best church/jazz bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. []
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