This Beautiful City, a play with music, deals with the growth of the evangelical movement in Colorado Springs. Coincidentally, not long ago when The Civilians, a documentary theater troupe, was conducting interviews (according to program notes, five of the six performers participating in the show were doing these interviews) with residents in that city involved with the mega-church movement, a critical situation arose: New Life Church pastor Ted Haggard's sexual irregularities and drug use hit the front pages of newspapers, providing an extraordinary opportunity for the theater group to discover first-hand material that could enhance their script.
The result is a mixed bag: There is material on the evangelical movement based on experiences of Colorado Springs residents, and there is a great deal of space given to pastor Haggard and his behavior. The varying types of material are not integrated smoothly, and one is left with an unsettled feeling of intellectually trying to fit in what belongs where.
The section on Haggard, however, is quite interesting. Enlarged headshots of the pastor are projected onto the back wall (excellent work here by designer Jason H. Thompson), with his voice (I assume it is his own voice) making statements, primarily of apology to his flock for having disappointed them. I found rather ironic and amusing the fact that he and his wife were moving to another city and state (Kansas City, Missouri, I believe) to do penance and to provide a service to their new community.
Six winning performers: Emily Ackerman, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Brad Heberlee, Brandon Miller, Stephen Plunkett, and Alison Weller all show to good advantage, both in their singing and acting, each portraying several characters. I was particularly impressed by the versatility and accuracy of Blake. Director Steven Cosson, who also co-wrote the piece, has coordinated performing and production elements effectively.
The excellent musicians participating from a raised platform above audience left are Chris Biesterfeldt, Benjamin Campbell and Richard Huntley, with music direction by Erik James. They serve both to accompany the performers in their songs, and to provide background music at times.
This Beautiful City has its points of interest and is a welcome addition to the area of docudrama, here presented with original songs by Michael Friedman.
Stephen Plunkett (foreground); photo by Carol Rosegg
