FOX kicks off Holy Week with 'The Passion'


"It’s so different from anything else that’s been done on television." — Tyler Perry

On Sunday night, FOX staged a live musical event, "The Passion," presented by host Tyler Perry and featuring a host of famous musicians and singers. Live from New Orleans, for two hours on Broadcast Television, the story of Jesus during Holy Week was presented.

I didn't hate the telecast, but I didn't totally buy into it. That being said, it was incredible to see a network spend money and broadcast hours essentially preaching the Gospel. Live musicals are big right now, and FOX has stolen the thunder from NBC, which kicked it off. "Grease" live was the best live musical event so far. And "The Passion" captures a lot of those production values.

In the wake of seeing the telecast, here's a look at what I thought worked and what didn't work.

What worked:
* Like "Grease" Live, this was a great production. The park in New Orleans looked good, the show got the crowd involved, and it made great use of its surroundings.

* It also featured a good cast and some great singers. That made some of the moments very powerful. The recitation of Scripture, the hosting by Tyler Perry, and the powerful declaration of faith all worked.

* The Gospel message was conveyed in a moving and beautiful way.

What didn't work:
* I know they wanted to appeal to the masses, but I was confused a bit by the modern dress/setting and tone of this production. It felt weird to see Jesus ordering from a food truck and looking like He was part of a Backstreet Boys cover band.

* The music. Some of the songs were beautiful and carried the message. The passion of the singers always worked. But using modern rock songs in the midst of this story didn't always work. Sometimes it felt a big odd, especially since not all the artists and pieces were Christian. It felt like trying to re-interpret some of these pieces for reasons that didn't work. That, to me, sometimes took me out of the moment.

In the end, "The Passion" wasn't perfect but it was engaging. It was an opportunity to preach the Good News of Jesus' death and resurrection to the world. I can only hope more opportunities like this are afforded Christians in the future, and kuddos to Tyler Perry for making this happen and sharing his faith with the world.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more