Featured photo by Jeremy Daniel
His Story: The Musical officially opens tonight at the Broadway Tent at Grandscape, The Colony, TX. Why is “Un-Block The Music” thrilled about this opening? The show’s book, music and lyrics were written by the 22-year-old “Woman Wonder” Anna Miriam Brown.
This new contemporary pop musical is based on the life of Jesus, with a bit of a twist. The press material says that in this musical, Jesus, “is a common man from an obscure family who arrives in the big city and defies expectations. He performs miracles and speaks great wisdom, but chooses friends from the dregs of society and hangs out in the wrong part of town. Mocked by the establishment, he is adored by the people. Melding a youthful voice with a timeless perspective, the greatest story ever told is brought in the third millennium, reminding us of the universal power of love and redemption.”
If you read “Un-Block The Music” or you know me personally, you will know how important this story is to me when you find out that Anna is dyslexic. I have spent a good portion of my adult life fighting school districts that give little or incorrect help to children with dyslexia. Anna was unable to read or write before 9 years old, so she focused instead on the arts before writing her first songs as 15 years old.
Anna is originally from Fortville, IN, but she grew up all over the world. Her family served as volunteer missionaries in Europe from 2012-2018. She wrote His Story: The Musical as a 17-year-old on a mission to Africa. Anna is also an author and illustrator of over a dozen educational books, some bestsellers, for children, especially kids with dyslexia.
“I was never a theatre kid. Moving around so much, I had never even thought twice about it. But, when I was sixteen, I went on a mission trip to Kenya and a girl I met there showed me Hamilton. Once I’d listened to the entire soundtrack, I was shook—completely shocked at the power musical theatre had to pull real emotion out of me,” she said.
After a month or two of listening to Hamilton on repeat, and being deeply touched with every listen, I felt the call to start on my own musical, one about Jesus, the man who had changed everything about my life,” Anna said. “The story of Jesus changed me from a depressed, anxious teenager with no purpose, to someone who knew they were created for a reason. I wanted to invite everyone into this revelation.”
His Story: The Musical is being produced by Broadway’s Bruce Lazarus (Tony nominated for Say Good Night Gracie) as well as Willie and Korie Robertson (A&E’s Duck Dynasty). Jeff Calhoun (Jekyll and Hyde, Newsies, and more) is the director for this piece. (Here’s the kicker, “Un-Block The Music” has been non-stop talking about my upcoming Women In Theatre book, and I just had the pleasure of interviewing Beverly Nero of Deaf West. Jeff was the director and choreographer of Deaf West’s Tony winning musical Big River. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of that musical as well.)
His Story: The Musical will run through mid-September. For tickets go to: https://hisstorythemusical.com/tickets/.
Un-Block The Music 
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