HYDERABAD: Keeping alive the Christmas spirit while simultaneously communicating religious teachings in a musical theatre form, a cast of 50 wowed audiences with their performance of the musical play Cantata, performed at the 12-acre New Life Assembly of God church at Kompally for an audience of around 5,000.
The 55-minute play is set in the year 45 AD, based on the Gospel of Luke, a disciple of Jesus, who is giving a report on the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus based on his careful investigation. He is speaking to Mother Mary, an older woman, now with the play starting with her narration about her pregnancy at the age of 14.
Mary narrates her experiences of family conflicts, confrontation during her pregnancy, her visit of Elizabeth, the wife of Zachariah, and her trip to Bethlehem to give birth.
Sharat King, the director of the play, said the actors put in two months of hard work through long hours to perfect the act. “The hard work for this 55-minute play is evident by gauging the response of the audiences, which was overwhelming,” he said.
A scene novel to city audiences was a Jewish wedding that takes place in the play, with the church, built in 1983, known for beautiful wedding ceremonies. With the church in full-fledged decoration, visitors were spotted clicking pictures during their visit to watch the play.
Rev. Younus Samuel, associate pastor of the church, said: “We have experiences for the congregation for the entire Christmas season, doing so to deliver the best for a long time. This year, the season started with carolling on first Sunday, children’s special on second Sunday, followed by the recently-performed Cantata. Christmas service will be held and also a candlelight watch night service on December 31, where promising messages will be delivered.”
Afsha Khan, who played the Young Mary, said, “It was a wonderful experience. Besides honing my acting skills, this play gave me more insight about the life of Mary.”
Mark Prasad, who played Luke, said: “In one scene where Mary is speaking to me, I was really touched when she was describing her fear and risk to obey the will of God to bear her child without being married. Even now, our society talks poorly of a woman who gets pregnant without being married. Thinking back to those times, it was so brave.”
Henerita Decruz, who played the part of Old Mary, said: “Getting in character was not difficult, but to understand her deeper journey took a while. This character projects more about the emotional and personal life of Mary. This character gave me lot of recognition.”
