Jesus musical at Forest National

If the world sometimes appears to be quite mad a new musical show coming to Brussels may provide the reassurance you need about the innate goodness of humanity.

With Easter just around the corner, this show is particularly timely and topical in reminding us of the true meaning of this Holy month. The story of Jesus is something that most of us, to varying degrees, will be familiar with. It is, of course, an ancient story going back thousands of years.

But the underlining message is very modern, dealing, as it does, with turbulent times and the search for hope, truth and justice.

In a world where violence and misery reign supreme (sound familiar?) one man stands up to embody hope. He alone defends the weak against their oppressors, he alone denounces injustice and hypocrisy and he alone advocates love and truth.

But is the man they call Jesus really the Messiah or a cheap fake?

Accompanied by an immense crowd of followers, why is he heading to Jerusalem? To bring peace or “war”? It is a question that seriously worries the powerful who will do everything to put an end to the aura surrounding the so-called Jesus.

These is the narrative in “Jesus de Nazareh à Jérusalem, a new musical being performed at Forest National next month.

Inspired by the great Hollywood traditions, the show is set to music by Pascal Obispo and staged by Christophe Barratier. This visual extravaganza plunges the audience into the world of historical sets and costumes in what is, of course, one of the greatest stories ever told, Jesus and his twelve Apostles, Mary and Mary Magdalene, Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate are the main characters of this show.

Pascal Obispo, one of the greatest of French melodists, composed the original music for the show by mixing traditional instruments and sounds of the Orient.

The show is staged by Christophe Barratier, author of the libretto and director, who called upon his success as a filmmaker to highlight the conflicts and passions between these biblical characters.

Here he is widely acclaimed to have faithfully reproduced the grandeur and power of the original story.

The texts are by Didier Golemanas and Pierre-Yves Lebert and, as well as the one Brussels appearance, the musical will tour France and Switzerland in 2018. Three singles from the show, “The Good News”, “Love One Another” & “Farewell”, have also been released.

Good to know:

• Promoted by AA Productions sprl, Jesus will be performed at Forest National on Saturday, April 21 at 15h and 20h30.
• Further information and details on tickets, which range in price from €43.50 to €83.50, are available here