https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-mcitn-1183e5d
Join JP and his sister Anna as they discuss her kids’ interactions with VeggieTales and its characters, stories and some favourite songs! Anna answers the question, “Is VeggieTales primarily entertainment for kids, or Bible teaching?” What impresses her about the writing? Also, catch them having some goofy sibling fun!
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-aa42k-113b492
Join your host JP on a tour around VeggieTales memories, while learning his Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry songs! Hear about his opinions on a Silly Song which has a spiritual message – but would Mike approve? What does a lion and an angel have in common, in Veggieland? What is his Number One song?? Plus, a new Veggie News segment about an upcoming VeggieTales Movie. You won’t want to miss out on this episode!
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ugcjy-10e32d4
What “eye-popping” action can we get in Episode 2? Join our host JP with a blast from the past as he runs over details of past Larry-Boy episodes, the controversy over the re-designed characters for Netflix’s VeggieTales in the House, and a review of the newest Larry-Boy episode “The Angry Eyebrows”. Is it better in 3D? Plus, listen to JP get excited over ‘The coolest thing in Veggietales for over a decade.’
Ever since I saw Dreamworks’ animated film The Prince of Egypt in theatres, I have loved the movie and it’s music. Early this year when I discovered that a West End show had been produced, I squealed. Universal Pictures now owns Dreamworks, so I believe that is the reason why we are finally getting a stage adaptation of this movie – even though in recent years, Dreamworks has all but disowned The Prince of Egypt as one of their animated classics. Universal also produced the effervescent Wicked on stage.
Due to the current pandemic, performances in London have closed, but the posthumus release of the soundtrack makes me think they will resume after things settle down. It is my pleasure this weekend to review the newly released Original Cast Recording of The Prince of Egypt: A New Musical.
The Story
The Prince of Egypt tells the enduring Bible story of the Israelite Moses, who grew up as royalty in Egypt, after his mother tried to protect him from death as an infant. He is later banished to the desert but then called by Yahweh – the one true God – to complete a mission that may change the course of history forever.
The stage show’s new songs are written by Wicked mastermind Stephen Schwartz, who also wrote the songs for the 1998 movie. In the following paragraphs I will go through some of the songs and give my critique.
Act I
Deliver Us (The crowd pleaser.)
The epic opening number Deliver Us sounds like a carbon copy of the movie’s version, and that is a good thing. Any fan will be able to sing along as they sit down for the performance. There is some dialogue that made my ears perk up: “We must find a good name for you!” says the queen when she finds Moses in the water. Miriam suggests the name ‘Moses’ but the queen asks what it means. Miriam goes on to say that ‘Moses’ means “deliverance.” This is inaccurate. Exodus in the Bible explains: ‘Moses sounds like the Hebrew for draw out.’ This does not bother me in a creative sense, but it was glaringly obvious as a student of the scriptures.
Faster (giddyup!)
As in the film, This horse racing scene is used to set up Moses’ relationship with his brother, the Crown Prince Rameses. The melodious drumming of the horses hooves reminds me of The William Tell Overture. The last line, “I won!” sung by both brothers brings the humour of the original scene, used to show the characters as likeable. I can’t wait to see the stage effects to show the horse race.
One Weak Link (A fascinating use of music.)
With a tune that is begins just like Hans Zimmer’s 1998 score, Pharaoh Seti sings One Weak Link after Rameses makes a dire mistake. This phrase is repeated throughout the show, defining Rameses’ motivation to refuse letting the Hebrews leave Egypt. It seems a bit overdone, listening to the soundtrack in one sitting. I imagine in the atmosphere of the theatre it would be fine.
All I Ever Wanted (The best song on the soundtrack?)
This track begins with a beautiful rendition of Hush Now, sung strongly and clearly by Alexia Khadime, playing Moses’ long-lost sister Miriam. When Moses’ All I Ever Wanted comes into play, it gives me the feels. This song is better than in the movie. The new arrangement is abundant in sweeping, anthemic phrases. This is the point that the soundtrack came into its own. Well done, guys! On a side note – in the film, The Plagues was essentially a reprise of All I Ever Wanted, but that doesn’t happen in the stage show.
Make it Right (Moses meets the mark musically.)
This song appears at a point in the story when Moses has committed a terrible act, and Rameses wants to remove the dire consequences with his royal power. The song begins with Rameses, but it is only when Moses begins at the halfway mark that it becomes a good song. It brings back the same emotions as All I Ever Wanted, and you can tell that it’s leading somewhere. Somewhere dramatic, and perhaps tortured.
Never In a Million Years (A beautiful love song.)
This is a love song between Moses and his love interest Tzipporah, and is far and away the best original song in this version. It feels like it could be a chart-topping single and is a nice addition.
Act 1 Finale (Moses meets the Creator.)
The filmmakers told the story of creating the famous scene where God appears to Moses near a bush defying flames to stay alive. They considered creating the voice of God using a mix of voices: child and adult, male and female. Instead they opted to use Val Kilmer, the actor for Moses. On the stage, they have gone back to the original idea, using a co-ed choir, in a chanting/choral style as the voice of God. This is a creative choice that annoys me bit. In the Bible, there is at least one maternal reference to God, even though He is communicated about mostly in male terms. Also, I was dying to hear Hans Zimmer’s gentle and powerful score replicated here in song, but sadly it is not. Instead, we have a choral arrangement which is bold and direct and has great momentum, moving us straight to Act II.
Act II
For The Rest of My Life (The little song that couldn’t.)
There is a scene in The Prince of Egypt which I did not notice as a child, of Moses crumbling in tears due to the weight of responsibility he is given by God. He bears the weight for the good of his people. It moved me when I watched it again as an adult. For The Rest of My Life is sung by Moses at the same place in the story, but it does not do that feeling justice, which disappoints me but doesn’t surprise me. It would be a hard thing to execute well.
The inspirational one: When You Believe
The choral work is sweet and refreshing. My note above called Deliver Us a crowd pleaser, but When You Believe is the hit song of The Prince of Egypt and brings a lot of joy to the audience. But…the words aren’t true.
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe
I don’t achieve miracles, God does. But it is nice that the deliverance from Egypt is linked to the words prayer and hope. And miracles, which indicates the divine. This track includes some dialogue from Tzipporah saying that she will never see her family again due to the exodus, but this is inaccurate compared to the Bible. She was reunited with her father after the Red Sea experience. Jethro also got to meet his grandchildren!
Insights on The Prince of Egypt: A New Musical
Based on the limited information we are given on the soundtrack, it seems that Rameses decides not to pursue the Hebrews across the Red Sea. This is a ginormous deviation from the Biblical text. In reality, Pharaoh is demonstrated as a man who hardened his own heart before God hardened it some more. But what they do here makes the ending a bit happier. The ending of Schwartz’ Wicked was changed to have a happy ending during workshops before it premiered on Broadway. I suspect the writers of The Prince of Egypt: A New Musical followed suit.
For the most part, the songs from the movie are the best ones, but I have told you about a few wonderful moments throughout the album. Will you join me in listening? It’s available on multiple streaming platforms. Thanks so much for reading this review! If you liked it, please share this review with your friends and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Recently I have written poems about the Bible at my Facebook page My Bible Haiku. Here are some of my haikus. The first one was the inspiration. The name of King Nebuchadnezzer is five syllables long!
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Who burnt some Hebrews
Only to find them uncharred?
Nebuchadnezzar.
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Unconditional.
This is the love of Jesus.
It’s called ‘agape’.
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Christ on a donkey.
Prophesied King of Israel…
…And King of the World.
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Jesus’ close friend died.
Lazarus came back and lived.
Jesus is the life!
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Lived a sinless life,
Jesus took our punishment.
Dying out of love.
Jesus rose to life
After being dead three days
Surprising his friends!
He defeated death
And allows us now to live:
His child forever.
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Like My Bible Haiku on Facebook for more poems like this!
Growing up in two countries made the word home an unsettling concept for me. Was home Istanbul, where I went to school, made friends and enjoyed family holidays? Or was it Australia, where kids at my new school jested in the now familiar Aussie ‘put-down’ humour, leading me to believe that Aussie kids were unkind?
That last idea was my thought in the year 2000 when I was twelve, and I was beginning my journey to enjoy living in Australia, which at that time was unfamiliar to me. I had hoped my new life would be exciting, but it was somewhat of a disappointment. Many years later, I like living here, especially as I become increasingly familiar with my local community in Melbourne.
But where is home? What place now gives me that sense of ultimate belonging, stability and family?
To be honest, I feel like my home is not in Turkey, Australia, or anywhere else on this planet. I feel in my heart that my home is in Heaven.
Heaven is where I will meet my dearest king Jesus face to face and hang out with him, lying on the grass together like I imagined as a teenager. I will have a new “forever body” and be free of the weight of my past and present mistakes, which so easily entangle my life. The mechanics of Heaven have many unknowns for me, but they are mostly irrelevant, because my heart yearns for the day when the tears and the pain happen no longer, and I am who I truly am.
A few years ago, I came up with this thought of where I will be in distant times: Imagine where I will be one year from now: hopefully in the same job, with maybe some new friends, and showing a little more grey hair. Where will I be in 20 years from now? Hopefully I will have a couple of children, and all our needs met and be communing more deeply with Jesus my lord.
But where will I be in 200 years from now? Unless medical treatments and technology advance at a super-fast rate in my lifetime, I will be dead…
… But alive! More alive than I have ever been. Experiencing and giving true love with my creator and my Christian family.
That moment is real. Heaven will be my daily reality. Just as I am sitting here now, at this kitchen table, with my glass of water next to me, and the heater on, in 200 years from now (and 10,000 – as John Newton reminds us in Amazing Grace), Heaven with Jesus will be the reality.
I hope some of you have read this far, and I would like to thank you for that. Another of my heart’s longings is for people to connect with Jesus Christ. I want them to understand what he has done for every person, growing to know his unconditional love and quiet companionship. I want them to know what it is like to be in his flawed but forgiven family. Have a think, even for a minute – or a month. Because if I will be dead in 200 years, so will you, and that day could be tomorrow. The Bible is a historical document and can be verified and trusted. I hope you can experience the wonders of Heaven with me and Jesus.
Where is home for you?
I moved house three times last year.
I would like to share my experiences of handling this tumultuous time and some beneficial lessons I learned.
Overall, it was a stressful experience, but the whole experience was tempered by the fact that I was helped by caring friends, and now it is all over! In total, I had over 15 people assist me practically with the moves. They were all family members, or friends from my past and present Christian churches. I am extremely thankful for their help, because without them I literally would not have been able to successfully move house! I am so thankful that I have a support network of people in my life who are willing to graciously help me in times of need. For the record, thank you.
Some things I have learned while moving house multiple times:
1) In between moves, keep packing tape and scissors in a place you will remember. If you have trouble remembering things like this, make a reminder in your phone!
2) If you keep cardboard boxes in a place with the outside air flowing through, they might get so dry you can’t use the tape on them next time.
3) There is a definite time to throw out a box.
4) Feed your friends, keep them hydrated and always thank them.
5) Be OK if a friend says they are not able to help you this time.
6) A little planning goes a long way.
7) A little communication goes a long way.
8) Remind yourself that if you can’t move today, all is not lost. And if things really go badly and I become homeless, I know that God is still real, he still died and rose again to save me, and he will still be with me.
9) Give yourself permission to feel overwhelmed, celebrate the small victories and relax when it is all done!
What are your tips for moving house?
I had a friend named Bob.
We were at the same church together in my university days and he led the group where we studied the Bible and gave each other moral support. Bob was a great listener and encourager. On several occasions, he told me of an insight that he had about me and my character. These insights showed how much he paid attention to me – and his care and concern for me as a fellow human being.
One day, Bob told me that he had imagined a picture of a sea of balls. They all had sad faces, except one. One had a broad, beaming smile – and that was me.
A couple years later, I found this image online.
I know that Bob has imagined this on his own – but it must be a true insight to something in this life, because I have seen a couple versions of this picture online since then. I had a friend Bob. I say this in past tense, because he moved to a different town. However, I bumped into him at an event this year, and the first thing he did was give me a great big hug.
I have a friend called Penny.
Penny is an encourager. She is also great at giving gifts, such as my SodaStream machine. One day she looked at my fridge and said, “I’m going to give you a SodaStream for your birthday and Christmas presents this year.” And she went on to tell me the benefits to my health and the environment. Like Bob, she is a caring friend.
This week, I attended a film screening that Penny had organised as part of her work. Before the day, she sent me a message, “I have a gift for you.”
The idea of receiving a gift excited me, because I have identified the giving and receiving of gifts as a way I show different kinds of love. And I looked forward to the night of the screening.
When I arrived at the registration table, Penny quickly greeted me then said, “Close your eyes, Jonathan!” I did so, and I felt something soft in my hand.
I opened my eyes, and it was a tie. Penny asked me to look closer and I could see that it was a tie with colourful VeggieTales characters on it. Penny knows that I am a big VeggieTales fan, and I said, “I’ve never owned a VeggieTales tie!”
“That is a very special tie,” Penny said. I know her well enough to know that this meant there was a story behind this.
A few minutes later, I had a conversation with Penny’s cousin Bean, who told me the story.
Bean’s uncle passed away and some family members sorted out his things, including his neck ties. When they found this tie, someone said, “This tie is too cute and nice to give away. It would be best to pass it on to someone else.”
Penny visited the family house for dinner that week. She saw the tie and said, “VeggieTales! Jonathan would love that!” So, they planned to give it to me.
Another word on this tie. The character in the middle is called Lenny Carrot. He was a small character during the first few episodes of VeggieTales in the nineties, and he didn’t have a consistent voice actor. He was the brother of the more central character Laura Carrot. After a while, they stopped using the character. Laura has had two different brother characters since then, but none as endearing as squeaky-voiced Lenny. VeggieTales even gave a different vegetable the name Lenny in a short film about Leap Years, thereby condemning Lenny to the grave.
So you see, this tie is meaningful. To me, the message is: even if you are forgotten by most, you are not forgotten by all. The creator God still loves us and knows us, even when we feel nobody knows us, (like Lenny has been forgotten). As the old Spiritual goes, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows, but Jesus.”
I also noticed the similarity between this tie and the image that Bob got for me. And the juxtaposition of this makes me wonder, “Is it ok to be the one with the smile, and also the one with the more solemn face?” The answer is yes. I am learning that while happiness is a relief, it is fleeting. I am chasing after what is real.
You are not forgotten. Allow yourself to embrace the joy, and the melancholy.
Jonathan Paper 