Review of Sight & Sound's Queen Esther

While on a visit to Branson, Missouri, I had the opportunity with my family to visit Sight & Sound’s musical production of Queen Esther. The production is a down-to-the studs faithful retelling of the Biblical story of Queen Esther taken from the Old Testament Book of the Bible of the same name. The production team only takes a few liberalities in deviating from the Bible. It adds Ezra, the Biblical character at the forefront of the Old Testament book that bears his name. It adds some dramatic elements to the story only to adapt the story for the stage. It omits absolutely nothing from the Book of the Bible. Every single plot point from the book is recounted in the musical.

 

When the play began, I was first struck with the incredible set design. I have been to some touring Broadway shows that have stopped in Milwaukee. Never have I seen a set as impressive as this. This is the first Sight & Sound production I have ever attended. When the wing curtains opened revealing the cityscape of ancient Susa, I was dumbstruck. It only continued to impress with the multiple set pieces coming forward, moving back, rising from the floor, dropping beneath the stage.

 

It is encouraging to see that the producers endeavored to bring this story to life with such grandeur and attention to detail. I’m not a Biblical scholar by profession, but I did attend Bible college, got my Master’s degree in religious studies. I know enough to appreciate the amount of good Biblical and historical research went into the production. Susa looks and feels authentic when it is revealed.

 

The production was also top notch. Besides one technical glitch, when a bit character’s microphone wasn’t turned on, there were no noticeable flaws in the performance. The choreography was perfect. The talent on stage was professional. The songs and music alternated between heartfelt and triumphant.

 

The story was faithful as mentioned above. The writers did add in references to God, which is missing from the original text (God isn’t mentioned at all in the Book of Esther). It is a Christian performance. Even if the Book of Esther doesn’t mention God, it is apparent from the Book the divine guidance and providence that is behind this story.

 

Overall, if anyone has the chance to see this production, they should. I do have a few criticisms of the show, but they do not negate the overall excellence of the production.

 

The story is frenetic. With the enormous set, the action moves. The audience had to pay attention to every corner to not miss anything. I appreciated the faithfulness to the book. To condense the story in the two-hour timeframe of the show meant that it had to move, and it did. Because of that, some of the characters seemed a bit underdeveloped. The main characters get adequate attention, but a little bit more intimacy on stage would have helped. It seemed like the busyness of the production sometimes overwhelmed the character development. I don’t know if it is feasible to completely black out Susa so Esther could feel as alone as she claims to be.

 

The story could have used more humor. The scene with Haman being forced to lead his hated foe Mordecai around the city on a donkey while singing Mordecai’s praises was humorous, because it is a humorous part of the story. It shows that God has a sense of humor, even about something so dire as the threat of eradication of the entire Jewish people. I understand that productions, Christian productions, don’t want to turn a Biblical story into a colossal joke. There must be reverence involved as there should be. I did catch much of the humor. A little bit more wouldn’t have cheapened the story or the message.

 

My last critique is a bit of speculative judgment. And it comes from my prejudice of the state of the American Evangelical Church. If you have read my first novel, The Preachers’ Bet, you may already be familiar with my views.

 

The story of Esther is the story of triumph over evil. Haman is evil. He is seeking the eradication of the Jewish people. The production didn’t lean into the direct comparison too heavy. I did see it mentioned that the production has significant relevance for today. I will make the assumption they are referring to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. This is a direct comparison between Esther and the present day. It is sad that in roughly 2500 years, anti-Semitism has not been eradicated from the world. What’s old is new. What’s new is old.

 

At various points in the performance, a main character would stand forward and given an attestation of the faith. For example, when Mordecai will not bow to Haman, he states (and I’m paraphrasing), “I will only worship the Lord!”

 

These, and others, are significant. It isn’t mentioned in the actual Book of Esther, but the reason for Mordecai not bowing to Haman can be inferenced from the Book of Esther. Mordecai’s not bowing wasn’t the result of a personal grudge.

 

When the actors gave their dramatic lines, they left a pregnant pause for the audience to applaud and cheer. The audience obliged.

 

I just hope and pray that those who did applaud don’t see themselves as the persecuted minority. As mentioned above, the most direct correlation between Esther and modern times is Hamas’s most recent attack on Israel. It is not the American culture war attacks on the Evangelical Church.

 

I also hope and pray that Sight & Sound did not write and produce Queen Esther to feed the persecution complex the church often feels. There is a group in the United States of America that wants to see the church and her viewpoints driven from the public square. They are a loud contingent. I still believe that in this country, the majority ethos is the “live and let live.” You go do whatever you want on your lawn. Just leave my lawn alone.

 

I don’t think Christians are that much of a minority. In Branson, and the surrounding, area, it is easy to see that there is a strong Christian presence. I am certain that it is duplicated in many other areas of the country. In that respect, the church is doing quite well. The greatest witness for the church is the joy and interest in the welfare of others that she demonstrates. I have encountered some of the friendliest, joyful strangers while visiting Branson.

 

At the end of the production, one actor gave an invitation for anyone who was not a Christian to come forward and meet with someone. Some of the production crew were waiting in groups to pray with anyone who wanted prayer. If during the entire two-year performance run, even one person came to Christ through this performance, it was completely worth every nickel spent. I must believe that happened. I hope that Queen Esther wasn’t just preaching to the choir.