Monday, February 6, 2017

Philadelphia Church of God: Ruth and Naomi Musical Abomination A Total Flop!



‘The Widow’s Might’ to premiere Dec. 29 at OC
Herbert W. Armstrong College announces its fourth musical theater production, ‘The Widow’s Might —The Story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz.’ The production will make its debut at Armstrong Auditorium in three performances; at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1.
In this new musical by Armstrong College music director Ryan Malone, one of the most renowned love stories of all time comes to life from the book of Ruth. Follow Naomi and Ruth — two impoverished widows — on their journey as they discover loyalty and love, rescue and redemption. With a lyrical and heart-rending new score, breathtaking step-dancing choreography and brilliantly colored costumes, a 100-strong cast brings this adventure to life in dramatic detail.
Great-grandparents to King David of the Bible, Boaz and Ruth remain the most distinguished royal family of the Old Testament. The hope-filled story comes to vivid life in this new musical – performed by staff and students of Herbert W. Armstrong College teaming up with its sister school Imperial Academy and its internationally acclaimed Irish dancers…”

From a PCG source:


It has been a little over a month now and it is apparent that this musical was a very big flop with the local Edmond Population. Some say it is the disturbing rumors of child/spouse abuse that has leaked out of the Flurry Cult Compound. Others attribute the embarrassing crash and burn to the prosaic and bland overall presentation of this pretentious musical dud. Think of "High School Musical" performed by the Amish.
When the Cult Musical Virtuoso Ryan Malone has his great  Magnum Opus staged by untalented, average looking, average gifted wives of ministers, kids of ministers, Flurry family brown nosers, and other Cult lackeys - what do you expect. This ain't going to be like "Hamilton" folks.
Gerald Flurry bankrolled and underwrote this latest attempt by the PCG to look professional and legitimate to the surrounded Edmond OK populace. With the PCG subsidizing the admission cost all tickets were $10 for adults and even less for children. However this generous cut rate entrance fee failed miserably to jump start this Musical Abomination into the hearts and minds of the public. The most devoted ticket purchasers were..you guessed it....local and out of town PCG members. Those PCG zombies just can't get enough of the Riverdancing Flurry Grand children. 


The privileged elite of the PCG families on stage.

Part of the reason these musicals are turning into epic failures is the use of Paula Malone and other local elite wives of church employees in lead roles.  Local PCG members have complained about being subjected to the screeching of Paula Malone during Sabbath services and recitals. 


This is a perfect picture of a PCG marriage.  

A sanctimonious self-righteous husband with is back turned to a dejected downtrodden wife and the concubine in the middle.  Those boys on the compound sure know how to have fun!

Church members keep wondering when Malone will set the Sodom and Gomorrah story to music.  Imagine how much fun that will be watching Paula Malone turn to a pillar of salt as she is screeching singing! Something tells me that they won't have too much trouble gathering a large cast of scantly clad men to be pounding at the door of Lot's house in the musical. "Cast them out so that we might know them!" Oh my...

The Armstrong Auditorium seats 823 people.  Notice how may attended opening night:
EDMOND—Four-hundred twenty-eight concert-goers watched the premiere of The Widow’s Mighton December 29 at Armstrong Auditorium. The musical, produced by the Philadelphia Church of God and Herbert W. Armstrong College, was also viewed by members around the world watched via a live-stream at live.pcog.org.  
Since the project began in February, more than 100 cast and crew have spent thousands of man hours on props, sets, lighting, costumes, choreography, diction, blocking, staging and recording.  PCG article
It is pretty pathetic that you can't even con church members, employees and students to fill up the building, let alone the public!

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in tithe money have been wasted on these amateur productions, all to please the elite of the Philadelphia Church of God so that the Flurry grand kids can Irish dance.  I bet PCG members never thought they would be financing buildings for the exclusive use of Flurry's grand kids so they can  dance jigs.  Irish dance is a major way of spreading the gospel brethren!  Jesus danced a jig right before he fed the 5,000!




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14 comments:

Hoss said...

Interesting choice of stories. Boaz, whose mother was Rahab from Jericho, marries Ruth, from Moab. I hope there was a happy song about the wonder of interracial relationships. PCG’s version of Showboat.

Byker Bob said...

There are reasons why these productions can work in more mainstream churches. One is that mainstream members are encouraged to have relationships with their neighbors and colleagues at work. So it becomes an opportunity to invite these friends to an event at your church that isn't an altar call or religious service. Statistics show that people who are not members do often support these types of secular events. Armstrongites are largely separatists, who are encouraged to fellowship amongst themselves rather than with normal human social circles. The Flurryites take it to even greater extremes with their prohibitions against fellowship with "Laodiceans". It all ends up putting out some pretty heavy negative vibes when suddenly they want or need these hordes of people whom they would normally consider to be undesirable to support one of their activities.

BB

nck said...

I hardly ever comment on postings about the splinters, either because they are not in my realm of experience or because even if the posting is written in a hilarious manner it makes me sad altogether.

I make an exception because I feel BB nailed it big time. We are living in the age of "networking" and "relationships". And BB described the dichotomy with "the world" quite well.

Nowadays the behavior of the cults is quite unlike my experience in wcg. When I was a child my granddad a staunch adventist and particularly critical of hwa and the wcg creed would on occasion join in for wcg services and respectfully listen to the message. There was also a genuine respect between the local ministry and this "adversary" because of non church related issues, a mutual respect for the holy book and genuine civil behavior vice versa.

I truly cherish these moments where my real family would join in services or visit the local church talent show even if they were widely known to seriously disagree with wcg doctrine. In me it imprinted a sense of what it really means to be a family and served as a reminder of true civility and humanity to "meet on the square."

Today I would expect non-members without a name tag not to be allowed for an impromptu visit to services because they would, "rightfully so", be appalled by the "meat" that is served and might just be recognized for the completely ridiculous nonsense that it is by outsiders if you have not been spoonfed with a particular message with "several biblical names attached to the leaders of said community" over a long time.
What would a visitor understand about "new revelation" on "the changes" on an "adaption" of an "interpretation" by a kook. Better keep them out!

This shining of lights amongst themselves has blinded them to a degree that it hampers them to form true relationships with their true family, their neighborhood and yes perhaps even amongst themselves.

nck


Anonymous said...

I'm confused.

Is it supposed to be Mite or Might?

Given the PCG, they probably intended that their production would go out with might, but ended up being a mite.

Unknown said...

Wouldn't it be a lot more cheaper and NORMAL to just have the Flurry grandkids play little league, and sell girl scout cookies?

Anonymous said...

If nobody told me that this was supposed to be a biblical story, I would have thought it was an Amish story. You know, like Witness, or maybe Shunned (a lot more apropos), except turned into a musical.

Henry Bemis said...

I hope Flurry sinks more and more $$$$$ into these money pits. This will hasten the enevitable demise of Flurryism. Eventually Flurry will run out of all the cash and assets he has extorted from his followers over the years. The gravy train is just about over.

EX-PCG said...

Didn't Irish dancing hit it's peak in the late 90's and early 2000's. Just like PCG.
Nobody except some really dedicated to Irish dancing or PCG would have any part of it.

Why would anyone in Oklahoma really care about Irish dancing or the PCG musicals?
It's time for PCG to put switch to square dancing and country music venues. This could
be their "new" work. Maybe, Flurry can get "generate" enough money to buy that much
needed generator in the UK.

Byker Bob said...

That's what he'd have to do. Since they don't network with outsiders, the best way he could build attendance would be by creating street buzz with a series of excellent shows. That would require time, outside drama coaches, and perhaps some of his "players" participating in the local Edmond community theatre group. Mention was made of coaches for the Irish dancing, and the young grandson participating in a secular contest. More of the same is required for these pageants. Probably a voice coach could help modulate Paula Malone's vocal efforts into something with more appeal.

Of course, if they want to continue with high school level productions, that's their prerogative. It would help if they presented shows with a bit more mass appeal to the theme. But it's doubtful that that would occur to a group that is accustomed to presenting a most unpopular gospel and expecting most who hear it not to be "called". Apparently this is different, because they truly want and expect the surrounding community to respond to their theatric endeavors.

In a way it's kind of neat for church members to have something creative like this to take part in. It's just too bad that just by being itself, Armstrongism generally spoils it all so that the opportunity becomes a burden rather than a pleasure.

BB

nck said...

Yes,

I guess most (children) involved feel they are participating in a service to their community. I think it is a good thing that they have a chance to express themselves in this manner in an otherwise opressive environment I would imagine.

In reality the cog's have always gained materially and immaterially by a healthy interaction with a healthy community and outside professionals. As a matter of fact HWA never settled for mediocrity. Although one hopes GIII's are built with persons understanding of the ten commandments.

Charismatic churches like "Chrystal Cathedral" seem to fall apart as soon as people educated within their own education centers take over.

I would not encourage a "siege, round up the wagons" mentality in the cults, especially not in dealing with family.

For example the Mystery of the Ages copyright infringement case. One can choose to conduct a shout out with family about how they lost the court case, technically lied about using the word "winning" and paid a hefty sum for the booklets. This will obviously result in being shunned!

One can also choose to point out to children, girls and young females in said organization that in one of their publications GF is heaping praise on the female lawyer on the case. Enthousiastically telling everyone how clever and professional she was in her dealings. If these young women than inquire from what congregation the lawyer hails. One can simply answer that she is a "psi omnicron alpha" (or whatever) from Ok State, dedicated toward finding legal truth and the protection of rights and free speech, representing the law East of Pecos river.

There one would create a powerful modern role model for a girl to aspire to, NEXT to Ruth who is not a bad example either and I am sure, as evidenced by archeological findings, just like the lawyer, made use of some of that "Egyptian" powder on her face to encourage Boaz to fulfill his cultural duty.

One person asked about the Irish dancing. Many scottish descendants settled in the OKC area.
Although I am in no way inclined to offer my professional advice to PCG I must say that I applauded their attempt to draw attention to the courageous rescue of Islamic art and Qurans from Timbuctoo by UN and other efforts before the attack by Islamists.

Unfortunately there was no market for that venue in the middle of Oklahoma during the Bush years. But I call it a brave attempt and I applaud bravery.

I have no knowledge about the local native American tribes. But perhaps as the "Highland Games" and Scottish army bands draw huge numbers, they could consider native American dancing on their compound, with feathers and all.

Perhaps the local community would be inclined to curiously inquire such festival "on grounds hallowed by "cristjun folk" instead of making the drive to the assigned tribal areas.

But unfortunately perhaps native americans would be more interesting for Mormon folk and the local Edmondians might just think that the tribal dancing is part of the Church's belief system. I can see that happening, those kind politically correct local folk inquiring as to if the tribal dancing is performed on the 2nd or last day of the Feast that is mentioned in the booklet offered free for the asking.

nck

Anonymous said...

...because nothing says Jewish folk tale like...Riverdance!

Anonymous said...

Good point nck. These groups leech off the outside community. If their 'give way' of the winners doing all the giving, and the losers doing all the getting, was applied to the whole community, the economy would collapse.
So their 'moral code' only works by leeching off a larger community that lives by a very different moral code. Hmmm.

Anonymous said...

Quit whining. Just go down there and get up during the middle of the performance and run on stage after a few beers like a drunken idiot while Pooluh Moo-lone is screeching like a cow and scream right along with her. Tell them you thought it was a sing-along. Shit, if I lived within 500 miles of Edmond I'd have a blast with this shit. You people have it all wrong. Get of the dumb-ass Internet and DO SOMETHING! PROTEST! RUIN THE WHOLE DAMN SHOW!!! Get a car-pool and get the hell down there.

Anonymous said...

4.01 PM
I would use my limited resources on more pressing issues. It's just a play after all.