Inspired by the fact that some other musicals treated Jesus Christ as nothing more than a man, Adams and Larkin felt that someone ought to write a musical that shows Jesus as the Son of God, complete with the Resurrection'.
The result was 'Nicodemus', an Australian musical which revolves around the inner turmoil that besets Nicodemus, the Chief Teacher of Israel, when he is confronted with the works of Jesus. Torn between a life of luxury, privilege and entitlement on the one hand and the devastating loss of everything he has worked for and achieved in life on the other, 'Nicodemus' contains the elements of betrayal, intrigue and personal anguish. It is a production that promises to be intermingled with eye-popping, entertaining musical and dance numbers, while addressing issues that are very relevant to people today.
The musical contains a cast and crew of around 60 people from just on 30 churches and denominations throughout Sydney, and will be performed with a live orchestra.
The first trial-run of 'Nicodemus' was staged in Griffith in 1990, produced by Barbara Mackay, wife of anti-drugs campaigner, the late Don Mackay. The musical was a success with over 5,000 people coming to see the show, and now with refinement and an update – its ready for the Sydney Launch.
The press in Griffith labelled it both 'brilliant' and 'a sure winner'.
The musical event is making its debut in Sydney and will be presented over seven performances in the Main Hall at Covenant Christian School from Wednesday March 21, 2012 to Saturday March 31, 2012, the lead up to Easter.
Adams has gained the support and imprimatur of Church leaders including the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Glenn Davies who said: "I thoroughly support this endeavour; it's a lot of fun, it's punchy, it's a novel approach and it works. It's an effective approach and a lively musical."
Matthew said: "I'm just an ordinary bloke in a congregation having a go for the sake of the Gospel." His vision for the show is to have the Gospel presented in an entertaining and non-threatening way. "The show is tremendous fun, very entertaining, energetic and everyone who comes will have a great time. It's perfect for people who aren't familiar with the Bible or the story of Nicodemus. On top of that they will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ – it doesn't get any better than that!"
For more information, visit www.stmattsweb.org.au/nicodemus