There is the Moses of the mighty mountain and Moses the man.
And it’s the task of Josh Enck and a large team of hard-working people to bring both sides of the biblical prophet together in Sight & Sound Theatre’s newest epic, simply titled “Moses,” opening Saturday and running through 2014.
“Epic” is a word that applies to the name of Moses. After all, many know the story of the man who delivered the enslaved Israelites from bondage in Egypt by way of the 1956 mega-movie “The Ten Commandments,”… Show more in which star Charlton Heston implored Yul Brynner’s Pharaoh to “let my people go.”
He did so, after Moses heard God’s word through a burning bush, brought plagues of locusts and pestilence upon Egypt and, when Pharaoh changed his mind, saw Moses part the Red Sea for good measure.
Then, of course, Moses received the Ten Commandments themselves, climaxing the story.
So how does one bring all of this to the Sight & Sound stage? Director Enck smiles when asked. After all, he says, “We’ve got a little thing called ‘Moses’ going on.”
Perhaps not so little. As Bible story readers know, Moses, born the son of Hebrew slaves, becomes a prince of Egypt through a twist of fate. He discovers his true heritage, gets himself thrown out of Egypt and finds himself climbing Mount Sinai where he meets that burning bush. At Sight & Sound, Mount Sinai is an almost 27,000-pound set that splits into two pieces to illustrate Moses’ climb. Backstage, they are known as Mountain A and Mountain B, Enck says.
“They’re so large, stage hands can’t move them,” notes Enck. That’s where computer technology comes in handy. Mount Sinai and several other massive set pieces are maneuvered by an automated navigational system similar to GPS.
Enck, who also serves as co-president at Sight & Sound, admits to having a favorite set. It’s known as The Brick Factory, where slaves are forced to make bricks for Pharaoh. The set serves as a tower of toil, but also provides an avenue of escape for Moses in a scene which promises to mix thrills and adventure.
“This is a very adventurous show for the kids,” Enck says.
Anyone who suffers a fear of heights, by the way, can appreciate what the actors go through in a typical production of “Moses.” There are no railings on Mount Sinai, for instance, but Enck says the actors handle their high-flying work with aplomb. After all, this is the same theater where the title character in Sight & Sound’s “Joseph” flew over the audience.
Audience members need not worry, by the way, about getting scorched by the burning bush, which Enck says is one of his most treasured special effects.
It’s all done with lighting, and the bush grows brighter as God speaks to Moses. Those seated in the front rows won’t get soaked by the parting of the Red Sea; it’s depicted through a massive rear-projection screen and immersive surround sound.
And if you don’t like bugs, no real locusts will be involved in “Moses.” Sight & Sound is pressing its snow-making machines into service to simulate the invasion of the nasty critters.
More cuddlesome creatures — live ones — will be part of the production, however; it’s not a Sight & Sound show without a parade of live animals through the aisles as the story unfolds.
All of this happens thanks to a crew that’s almost as big as the cast of 45 actors. “There’s definitely a show behind the show,” says Enck of the stage and technical crew. For “Moses,” he says, “they’ve really knocked it out of the park.”
Yet for all the spectacle, Enck emphasizes that the story of Moses is more than “wow factor.” In the “Ten Commandments” movie, Moses is portrayed as square-jawed and stalwart. Sight & Sound’s production of “Moses” promises to bring the man down to earth, so to speak.
“We really took the man Moses off the mountain,” Enck says. “We see his humanness, and his flaws.”
In other words, this Moses has baggage.
“Moses was orphaned,” Enck says. “He had a speech impediment. He had anger issues.” Even God himself has to do a little prodding to convince Moses to take on the job.
“He’s not perfect,” says Enck of Moses. Then again, he adds, “do you know a perfect person?”
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