Lift Your Spirits Performing Arts Group will kick off its annual tour of “Born For This” on Sunday in Mahanoy City.
“Born For This” is a retelling of Christ’s passion through music and dramatic performances. The show will be held at 6 p.m. at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church, 614 W. Mahanoy Ave. Tickets are $10 and available by calling the church at 570-773-2771.
Dan Thomas, LYSPA director, said the story follows the last hours of Jesus Christ’s life, leading to The Resurrection. The Ashland-based group has been performing the show since 2001 and currently is the only group performing it in the United States. “Born For This” is only performed during the Lenten season in preparation for Holy Week and Easter Sunday.
Thomas said the performance offers a different telling of the story of Jesus carrying the cross on the road to Calvary, allowing the audience to visually place themselves in the roles. He said all the characters wear black and white costumes except Jesus. This makes it easier for audience members to see themselves as these characters, instead of the actors.
“The audience is nailing the nails and wiping his face,” Thomas said.
In Christianity, the story tells of soldiers placing Jesus on the cross. But Thomas said there’s a different meaning.
“That’s not true. We put him there,” he said.
“Born For This” was written by CJM Music in England. The music was written by Mike Stanley and Joann Boyce based on Jude Martin’s poetic reflections on the Stations of the Cross. The production has drawn thousands of people to cathedrals throughout England. The group will be holding a special 20th anniversary performance in March.
Thomas said the show has a mix of music from “Pilate’s Song,” when Jesus is condemned, to the haunting “Born For This,” when Jesus meets his mother.
“It’s a very musical production. Everything that happens has a song that goes with it,” he said.
Thomas said LYSPA had one of its best runs last year and looks to continue that success with five performances over the next month. The performances are: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28, St. Columba Catholic Church, Bloomsburg; 6 p.m. March 6, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, Cornwall; 6 p.m. March 13, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Dallas; and 6 p.m. March 20, Lansdale United Methodist Church, Lansdale.
LYSPA is a nonprofit musical and theater group producing liturgical shows, worship concerts, murder mysteries, Broadway and variety shows and concerts.
For more information, call Thomas at 570-590-2368 or visit www.lysperformingarts.com.