KARACHI: For the Christian community, Lent is a 40-day period that comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. It is a season of preparation before Easter’s celebrations. To mark the occasion, a musical theatre titled Journey to Salvation produced and directed by Nigel Bobby, a graduate of the music department at the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa), was organised at the academy’s Zia Mohyeddin Theatre on Wednesday evening.

It was a well-attended event, held in collaboration with the Central Church Youth Fellowship and Othniel Music to which all churches of the city were invited.

Talking to Dawn prior to the performance, Mr Bobby, who has developed the reputation of a quality musician in recent times, said, “We have shown the entire crucifixion process in this act. It is a musical with a good number of new compositions. The best thing about it is that Napa, for the first time, has given me permission to do [on its premises] a community-based event.

“It’s a 40-day process of abstinence that Jesus Christ goes through followed by other sacrifices and struggles where he is badly treated, up until crucifixion,” he said.

On the question of the participants of the show, Mr Bobby said it is the first play that he has directed and produced music for. Mehreen Khokhar has assisted him while Othniel Music and the youth of Central Church Brooks are also involved in the whole effort. “All of the church musicians of Karachi are taking part in it, along with Napa’s technical staff. As for music, they are church-based hymns. Then there are chorus parts and refrains that repeat till the end. It’s done in a musically-connected storytelling style. The musicians are not only singing but acting in it as well,” he said.

The performance on Wednesday was a combination of good voiceover narration, decent acting and well-arranged music. It impressed the audience.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2022