“Passion Play”: a musical pageant

by Zach Morfogen, Don Heiferman, and Bruce Molloy
with additional book, music and lyrics by Michael T. Roberts

Bummer: no recordings are currently available.

Notes

“Passion Play” is an original musical based on the life of Jesus Christ. It portrays the events between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Originally written in 1972, it was revised and revived in the fall of 2000 by composer Bruce Molloy for a workshop production at the Presbyterian Church of New Providence, NJ.

I was hired to make revisions and stylistic updates to the book, music, and lyrics. I created a spoken narrator role for the show using text from the Gospels, a device which endeavors to lend clarity and coherence to the dramatic arc of the story. During the workshop, I served as assistant to both the director and the musical director, and also played guitar in the pit band.

The workshop performances were very successful, eliciting a very enthusiastic response from audiences and facilitating a number of improvements in the work. I played guitar and contributed additional musical direction to the CD recording of “Passion Play” which was recorded at the studio of Gary Georgett, keyboardist/bandleader of the workshop performances.