Magdalene

Last night, Sarah and I attended a staged reading of a new musical called "Magdalene." It's written by Allison Metcalf Allen with musical assists by Michele Pillar Carlton and Chris Eaton. The reading was done by Taproot performers. It tells the story of Magdalene (fictional) as she grows up, what led her to her life as a prostitute. During the first few minutes of the story, I was beginning to feel like I was at a typical Christian church performance. Cheesy, happy, la-la-la kinda stuff. But the story soon turned dark and the realities of life through painful experiences began to be revealed. In the story, Magdalene is raped by Roman soldiers thus ruining her innocence and her life of future marriage to Nathaniel. She moves to Jerusalem and is taken in by a group of prostitutes. She later gets revenge for her rape and then meets Jesus. The story was incomplete since the second act isn't completed. We got a glimpse only of what it will become. I believe it has potential. It is supposedly headed for a tour and run on Broadway. I hope it is successful. I don't really see a musical about Magdalene lighting the world on fire but with all the interest in the "Da Vinci Code" perhaps it has a chance.