An Open Letter to the Cast & Crew of Pilgrim

Dear Cast & Crew of Pilgrim,

I attended the Friday evening showing of Pilgrim this weekend. I’m new to the area so I’ve never seen a Covenant Life production of this nature before, though I have heard from many about the dazzling successes of past years. I also heard from several friends among the cast throughout the rehearsal process, so I understand that the show I saw tonight came together only by the grace of God and the hard work of many, many people.

Regrettably, I was unable to attend either of the shows on opening weekend. As a result, my already-high expectations were boosted even higher by the rave reviews I heard from those who saw it first. I had purchased my ticket well in advance, and my personal anticipation had been long in building. I entered that auditorium expecting to see an incredible and entertaining musical put on by a cast of vivacious and talented young people. Being well familiar with John Bunyan’s timeless classic, I also expected to find some literary enjoyment in seeing a wonderful story depicted in a fresh and creative medium. All of these expectations were met, exceeded, and blown out of the proverbial water.

What I did not expect was that seeing Pilgrim would cause me to love Jesus more. But that is just what it did, and I am so grateful for that. It might be easy to attribute this effect solely to the power of the story and the genius of John Bunyan in his creation of it. But even if that were only the case, that would still be a strong credit to you all for preserving the heart and soul of his story.

But it was more than that. This musical adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress did not simply succeed in communicating the heart of John Bunyan’s story; in my opinion you all have actually surpassed Bunyan and were able to communicate through various methods more of the Gospel, more of the Christian life, and more of the love of Jesus Christ, the King.

See, it’s one thing to read about Christian’s encounter with Christ on the cross. It is another thing entirely to see Christian fall to his knees in the shadow of the cross, see the King quietly lift the burden from his back and cast it down, and all the while to hear the simple words of the Gospel Song sung over top of it all. This was only the first scene that brought tears to my eyes. And may I take a moment to point out that this may be due not only to the picture of the Gospel but also this in tandem with the stunning power of Brett Jansen’s voice.

However, as powerful as that particular scene was, I must continue by saying that that is not the picture that will stick with me most. That claim must go to the Hands of the King. Chris Maresco did a superb job of portraying the character of the King. He was gentle and forceful. He was ever-present but never distracting. He was obvious enough that the audience always knew he was there, but he was subtle enough that the audience, like Christian, could easily forget. But I mentioned the Hands for a reason. The King was not only present every step of the way, but he constantly had his Hands on the shoulders of his pilgrims, of course particularly on Christian. In Christian’s worst moments of struggle or trial, the King was there holding him, with his hands upon him. It painted for me a beautiful image of being held in the hands of Christ. There’s something powerful about the human touch, and you utilized it perfectly. When I remember Christian locked in the dungeon of despair crying out to the King, “This isn’t what I bargained for!” I don’t just hear the King’s response. No, first I see the King with his hands upon Christian’s shoulders, holding him, caring for him. Only then does he reply gently, “We didn’t bargain.”

The writing of the script was excellent, funny in all the right places, with believable and honest dialogue throughout. The music was brilliant, not only in its composition but also in its delivery. Even the choreography was fantastic, and I know nothing about choreography. The stage crew, the lighting crew, the sound crew, and the musicians all fulfilled their roles with such skill and effectiveness that while it was obvious the show could not have happened without them, they were on the other hand not obvious at all because nothing went wrong to draw attention to them.

Still, it’s the images that will stick with me. Of the King reaching out to calm Evangelist’s anger without a word. Of Faithful being received into the Celestial City. Of Hopeful giving thanks to God in the midst of despair. These pictures will affect my own journey along the path, and I trust they will aid me in keeping to it.

I’ve gone on long enough and probably too long, but the point of all of this is that I want to say thank you for everything that each of you did in putting this production together. It has awakened my mind to new pictures of Christ that I pray will never leave me, and in the first several hours afterward it has already had a profound impact on my heart and my life. Thank you.

/Brian Whalen