Liverpool Nativity

The Liverpool Nativity is coming to Liverpool very soon.
Here's the press release: I'll be adding my thoughts and comments in my next post.

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Geoffrey Hughes, Cathy Tyson and Jennifer Ellison star in Liverpool Nativity (Sunday 16 December, 8pm, BBC Three) – a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story live on the streets of Liverpool. Far from being the simple story beloved of school plays throughout the world, this is a drama as fresh and relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago – the intimate, personal story of a pregnant young girl set against a backdrop of political tension and unrest. Geoffrey Hughes leads the cast as the Angel Gabriel, directing events as they unfold live in Liverpool city centre. Set in a fictional state, Herodia (Cathy Tyson), a paranoid minister, desperate to cling to power, orders a crackdown on immigration. Mary and Joseph (Jodie McNee and Kenny Thompson) are swept up in the drama as Joseph, an asylum seeker, is instructed to report to the nearest passport office. In the midst of this turmoil, Mary discovers she is pregnant and must fight to protect both Joseph and her unborn child. The hour-long production uses familiar songs from Liverpool’s great pop legacy to bring the story to life. Popular music from a wealth of Liverpool bands – The Beatles, The La’s, The Zutons and many more – is given a vibrant new twist and performed by characters in the drama and a live orchestra. The production also features a host of Liverpool celebrities including Jennifer Ellison as an angel; Paul Barber as the landlord and Andrew Schofield as one of the shepherds. BBC Three Controller, Danny Cohen says: “This is going to be a fantastic collaboration between the BBC and the city of Liverpool. I’m delighted with the cast in place, and can’t wait to see this major event on BBC Three.” This mammoth production involves over 300 cast and 150 technical crew and will be the springboard for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008. Liverpool Nativity has been developed by the team behind Manchester Passion and the two Flashmob operas and is supported by Liverpool Culture Company.

Free Thinking

The BBC's "Free Thinking" festival is in Liverpool this weekend, encouraging debate about "freedom", with various performances and activities. I like the idea of the "speed dating" event with a thinker: you spend a couple of minutes listening to someone explaining their Big Idea. It's an event that's worth supporting, and it's good that BBC Radio 3 have brought it back to Liverpool for a second year.
There's not enough about faith on the agenda, though: just one brief appearances by James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, Prof Pillay from Hope University and maybe one other theologian. That's a poor showing by the Church who should be at the cutting edge of cultural engagement and serious thought about culture and society. I'm not blaming the organisers: if Christians were producing interesting work they would included, but they are still catching up with the secular "free thinking" world.

Martyn Joseph

I'm speaking to Martyn Joseph today about his new CD "Vegas". Martyn sent out an email to say that journalists weren't to call him a "Christian singer songwriter", just a "singer songwriter who happens to have a faith".

I know what he means: it's awful to be labelled and put in a box. Martyn doesn't want to be seen as a "CCM artist" in a narrow way. But should he be so sensitive about being called "Christian"? I don't see myself as someone who "happens to have a faith", but someone whose faith in Jesus is integral to all I do: my professional life and my personal life.

The CD by the way is glorious: gentle yet insistent, with songs that yearn for a better world whilst being committed to transforming this world. I love the song "coming down" and the anti-war anthem "the fading of light".