Come Adore Him- A Laura Davis Production
Come Adore Him, a Christmas Musical Theatrical Production was presented at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. The performance itself begins with a musical prelude that commences at time marker 46:04 in the linked video. It was sung by a white-robed choir/chorus. The source of the introductory song is the 1992 ensemble gospel album Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. It is titled And He Shall Purify, an arrangement (or more precisely, a rearrangement) of the renown Baroque prototype by Michael O. Jackson and Mervyn Warren. Many genres are represented in this album, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, big band, jazz fusion, R&B and hip hop. This one can be described as Stevie Wonder-style Motown, which would place it in the heterogeneous R&B family tree .
For modesty’s sake, a high-resolution image of these dancers will not be exhibited. To quote Job 31:1- I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? The author shares Arthur Schopenhauer’s prudish and puritanical attitude toward ballet, which is a byproduct of the philosopher’s insightful hierarchical categorization of art forms based on the means whereby they make their appeal to the art-lover (after Plato, and after Ellen G. White as well). An excerpt from Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation will follow a low-resolution screenshot of beautiful young dancers, dancing beautifully, one lifted from the YouTube video of the performance.
Opposites throw light upon each other, and therefore the remark may be in place here, that the proper opposite of the sublime is something which would not at the first glance be recognized, as such: the charming or attractive. By this, however, I understand, that which excites the will by presenting to it directly its fulfilment, its satisfaction. We saw that the feeling of the sublime arises from the fact, that something entirely unfavorable to the will, becomes the object of pure contemplation, so that such contemplation can only be maintained by persistently turning away from the will, and transcending its interests; this constitutes the sublimity of the character. The charming or attractive, on the contrary, draws the beholder away from the pure contemplation which is demanded by all apprehension of the beautiful, because it necessarily excites this will, by objects which directly appeal to it, and thus he no longer remains pure subject of knowing, but becomes the needy and dependent subject of will.
Creative types, playwrights for example, typically exercise their judgment intuitively. Whether this may represent a considered decision or not, the ominous E minor strain of SDA Hymn 115 provides an apt introduction for the Prince of Darkness’s initial, albeit slightly delayed (due to some technical issue, no doubt) appearance in the drama. It is now time to start providing a few links to some relatively high-resolution images (courtesy of offsite host DeviantArt) to make their own slightly delayed appearance. Shot from a single vantage with an iPhone, they could better be described as archival, rather than as artistic. The inherent limitations of digital zoom are evident in many of these. Click on the links below the posted pics to view and/or download 1600 x 1600 pixel source images, should one be so inclined.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/5-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722118292?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514333358
Six minutes of ominous silence (presumably unintentional) preceded the first speaking part of the drama. Were this lull to be narrated, part of the narration might consist of some concluding words from the fourth chapter of Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages–
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Rom. 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
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“For those of you who don’t know who I am, allow me to introduce myself… I am the great! I am the all powerful! I am LUCIFER!”
Were Come Adore Him a rock opera, SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL would have been an appropriate song to license for this introductory scene.
Satan, in mascara, is played by DARRELL PALMES (husband, father, preacher, singer/songwriter, motivational speaker and entrepreneur; the first of an assortment of multitasking thespians in the Come Adore Him cast). The pastor/performer often sermonizes the Wednesday night prayer warriors of Berean SDA Church. The bottom half of this internal LINK summarizes one such sermon.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/6-5-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722408233?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514476788
“After Satan convinced Adam and Eve to sin and disobey God, it looked like mankind was lost to Satan forever. But God has a marvelous plan to save man…”
Narration is provided by LAURA BAYNARD, whose close associates all describe her as an angel (and not one of the fallen type).
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“OK guys, listen up. Here’s the plan…”
Satan explains to two of his henchmen his plan to deceive the peoples of yesterday and today into believing that God’s laws are an insupportable burden, and therefore not worth the effort it takes to conform to them. The slinking, slithering, sycophantic bad angels are played by Markell and Eddy Dorsainvil, both Haitian by ancestry, but raised in Brooklyn through the grace of God.
The henchmen cavort and caper about their leader Satan as he sings the first of three original songs written by Terra Trofort (scroll down a bit in the linked website for her bio). It is based on Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High,” and is titled Like the Most High. In a very short GLOSS of the 2015 production of the play, the insensitive and obtrusive administrator noted the similarities between this song and ANOTHER SONG, a yuletide favorite. Here is a LINK to a YouTube video of the slightly less polished 2015 performance of Come Adore Him at Berean.
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“I will be… like the Most High.
I will rule beyond the sky.
And for all eternity, mankind will worship me,
And the world will be all mine!”
Lifted from Page 22 of Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages– “From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’”
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Three Hebrew priests (JOSEPH CHIN KING, MARK LEE, and CEDRIC HINDS) have befuddled a group of Jerusalemites in an attempt to explain the nuances of highly augmented first-century Sabbathkeeping regulations. Their confusing remarks are followed by a second song written by Terra Trofort, Follow the Rules. The retro ambience of the composition (much more Tin Pan Alley than Gospel in style) places it in the same genepool as THIS SONG from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Ellen G. White offers commentary on the degenerate nature of Hebrew ceremonial law at the time of the Messiah’s first advent on Page 29 of The Desire of Ages– “With all their [the priests and rabbis] minute and burdensome injunctions, it was an impossibility to keep the law. Those who desired to serve God, and who tried to observe the rabbinical precepts, toiled under a heavy burden. They could find no rest from the accusings of a troubled conscience. Thus Satan worked to discourage the people, to lower their conception of the character of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into contempt. He hoped to establish the claim put forth when he rebelled in heaven,- that the requirements of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed. Even Israel, he declared, did not keep the law.”
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A narration featuring the voice of pre-incarnate Christ in heaven precedes the annunciation by Gabriel (DAY RAMPHAL– link is to a former venture of his, one featuring a positive appraisal of his charactyer) to young Mary (JENNIFER McCURDY). The momentous tidings are followed by a composition written by CHELUANA CHE- (CHIN?) KING , He’s Chosen ME, an evocative minor key song which resolves itself in a triumphant major finale. Here is a LINK to a similarly evocative minor-key composition which never quite manages to cheer itself up (indicative of the grief the peoples who are the subject of the musical it forms a part of endured as European Jews).
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“When your baby is born I want you to name Him Jesus, because He will save people from their sins…”
The visitation by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth is briefly portrayed, but (regrettably) not documented by the easily distracted photographer. Decent pictures should be available soon courtesy of THIS WEBSITE. Joseph discovers that his young fiancé is with child, and one not of is making. His intention to forsake impregnated Mary is forestalled by another angel (played by KIESHA KIEZER). Joseph (acted by intern pastor and wunderkind MARCUS LARIVAUX) learns of the unique circumstance that resulted in his intended’s pregnancy, and is informed that his ostensible offspring represents the fulfillment of an old prophecy contained in Isaiah 7:14-
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
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“For hundreds of years the Scriptures had said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, King David’s city, so if the people of God has been really searching the Scriptures they would have been looking for the Lord to be born in Bethlehem.”
Mary, along with Joseph, a donkey, and an experienced donkey attendant now emerged from the rear of the sanctuary/theater. They reach the business end of the theater/sanctuary, where two sets represent portions of Joseph’s ancestral village; an inn at right and a rudimentary stable at left. A helpful citizen directs them to the inn, a presentable stucco edifice. The stable, by contract, is obviously bereft of the Jacuzzi and complementary bottle of shampoos that Joseph humorously seems to anticipate.
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“Anything… we’ll take it!”
Joseph is informed by the officious innkeeper (played by Louis Merritt) that the population of Bethlehem, due to the influx of David’s many kin to participate in a mercenary Roman census, has swelled far beyond the feeble capacity of its guest quarters. There is absolutely no room at the inn… “Nada! Zilch!” He is kindly directed, however, to the inn’s distant stable- “At least you will have a roof over your head.” “Any port in a storm,” sailors are known to declare.
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Above, Mary, in travail . This travail unexpectedly sustains the comic relief inaugurated by Joseph’s screwball exchange with the innkeeper. Mel Brooks once famously proclaimed- “Tragedy is when I have a hangnail. Comedy is when you accidentally walk into an open sewer and die.” John 16:21, not scripted, is more appropriate Brook’s less charitable observation in this place- “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”
Mary and Joseph arrive at the stable. The angel Gabriel again appears, this time before a group of nearby shepherds. The heavenly host that annouces Christ’s birth to them is merely implied through the use of dynamic lighting.
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A small, white-robed delegation representing the heavenly host is portrayed by twin sisters Shenee Johnson (Cara) and Shenika Johnson (Mia)- collectively known to the world as CARA MIA). The angelic duo sings CeCe William’s Jesus, You’re Beautiful slightly offstage, an fitting serenade, while a trio of adolescent dancers simultaneously celebrates the arrival of the Messiah onstage. The lyrics of CeCe’s song proclaims Jesus to be as bright as the morning star. Here is an incendiary LINK about equivocal Scriptural instances of the term “morning star.” The CeCe song is very pleasing to the ear, and if you are curious as to why this may be you should spare a moment or three to examine THIS BLOG.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/17-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723747174?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515078174
“Let’s go into Bethlehem and find the baby that the angel has told us about!”
The grainy image above depicts the lowly shepherds in the act of discovering the lofty Messiah in an extremely lowly place. They excitedly depart the scene so they may spread the good news among the townspeople. Mary now sings the third of songwriter Terra Trofort’s original contributions to the drama, Mary’s Lullaby- My Baby, a brief first-person narrative which contrasts Christ’s divine nature to His present, highly circumscribed existence as Mary’s innocent and beloved firstborn-
“…but for now, you’ll be my baby.
FYI- Here is a LINK to another Marian lullaby by the Chelauna (“Che”) Che- (Chin?) King, who contributed a previous song (He’s Chosen Me) to the drama. The quintessential lullaby for all of eternity is, of course, THIS ONE by Brahms.
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“Now when baby Jesus was about six weeks old, Mary and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem to have Him dedicated to the Lord…”
The couple portrayed in the image above are having their own baby dedicated just prior to that of the infant Messiah . They are well-heeled, so the trio of avaricious Temple priests at right are giving them the royal treatment. A rich offering on behalf of their progeny yields a magnificent blessing.
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The priestly trio are informed that Mary and Joseph intend to bestow a relatively beggarly offering on behalf of their offspring, the stipulated minimum of two turtledoves, but with a few coppers thrown in for good measure. As the young couple sows, so shall they reap. The sanctimonious priests of Israel are themselves in the process of sowing the wind. Roman Judea will reap the whirlwind in 70 Ad, a few scant decades after Jesus temporarily departs the earth to rejoin His Father.
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“…those who truly love God can see greatness in the inside. There was such a man in the Temple that day, and his name was Simeon.”
Simeon (played by sagacious Ron Alexander) has been hanging on to life, and hanging around the Temple awaiting the fulfillment of a promise made to him by God that he would personally encounter the Messiah prior to his demise. He verifies , to Mary, her Son’s exalted mission, and delivers a warning that is a colloquial version of the memorable words contained in Luke 2:35- (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
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Prophetess Anna (energetically portrayed by seasoned actress Joann “JC” Brown), a devout 84-year-old widow, now confronts young Christ and His parents. Continuing to quote the King James, her reaction is recorded in Luke 2:38- At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna excitedly departs the Temple, praising and magnifying God most vociferously. The priests remain, characteristically befuddled, wondering why people would care to make such a fuss over such a diminutive, two-turtledove nonentity like baby Jesus.
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Tenor LUCAN JAMES JR. provides a musical interlude by performing a grammatically corrected version of the original 1934 lyrics originally supplied for the pseudo-spiritual yuletide song Sweet Little Jesus Boy. The Caucasian composer of this number, Robert MacGimsey, was raised amidst a host of incompletely liberated former slaves, and capitalized upon this childhood experience much in the same way as did his much more successful Southern compatriot and contemporary Johnny Mercer.
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Wise men have observed a wandering star from their Eastern homeland (signified by the balcony of the sanctuary/theater), and, cognizant of its prophetic import, have followed it to the Roman province of Judea (signified by the baptistery end of the venue) as the seemingly only extant wise-man song ever created provides background music. We Three Kings was written in 1857 by an American Episcopal specifically for a Christmas pageant, and 160 years later it is still working hard at its first job.
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The arrival of the Magi is attended by the circuit of a very small caravan of camels (or, more accurately, a dromedaries). The creature depicted above cooperates, and follows the script, but the cooperation of camels (and dromedaries), like that of humans who choose to honor or not to honor God, can only be elicited, and not compelled. Overburdened camels (and dromedaries) will stubbornly lie down, refusing to budge, but God has promised His volunteer army of faithful soldiers that he will not load them up with more temptation than they can bear.
The Magi arrive where the wandering star temporarily comes to roost, Roman-occupied Jerusalem. One of the wisemen unsuccessfully enquires about the location of the prophesized newborn King of the Jews. The representative trio of Temple priests, seen at right in the image above, as noted, contemptuously dismiss the excitement generated among the inhabitants by prophetess Anna’s testimony announcing the Messiah’s arrival. The peoples’ anticipation level becomes elevated via the persistent questions of the resplendent entourage from the East. Word reaches the reigning (albeit one subservient to Rome) King of Judea, Herod the Great.
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Herod (acted by Jamaican-born Delmas Campbell), client king of Judea, reigns only on sufferance of his Roman overlords. He greatly fears the potential existence of a rival for his relatively insecure position. He summons his attendant Roman guard, and instructs them to fetch priests who might enlighten him regarding any obscure Scriptural prophecies relating to any purported pretender to his throne.
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“Those sneaky, good-for-nothing Jews think they can knock me off my throne and put their king on it? Well I’ve got news for them! He ain’t getting this crown! All I need to know is where He is!”
Satan hovers about Herod, engaged in his usual pursuit- fomenting evil in the hearts of those who choose to reject God’s gracious offer of a more wholesome alternative way of living. Herod is of Edomite ancestry, a son of Esau, but has been raised as a Jew. The ostensible anti-Semitism contained in his vituperative remarks may be a result his rejection as a legitimate ruler by the discriminating sons of Esau’s more highly-favored brother Jacob. Herod proposes to act as wisely as a serpent in eliminating his potential rival, one who will ultimately be revealed as being harmless as a dove (at least until His soon-pending second advent occurs, that is. Get ready for it!).
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“Now listen… I’ve brought you here because I have been hearing lots of talk about the birth of the Messiah. I have even been told that we have some guests in the city that have knowledge about His birth.”
The priests overcome their ignorance by actually consulting the Scriptures, and they come up with what their successors will choose to designate Micah 5:2- But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
The Roman Guard is again summoned to serve as Herod’s messengers.
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The Roman guard (Ricky Davis, Bradley Scott, Colby Taylor, Terrell Bond, and Jeffrey Holmes II) depart to fetch the Magi.
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“Being scholars of the stars, we witnessed the most exciting event in earth’s history.”
Herod, attended by his muse Satan, feigns to be even more exited than are the Eastern astronomers about the advent of a divine king within his realm. He asks them to keep him apprised of the progress of their search, and to inform him the instant they discover the object of their quest so that he, too, may render worship and adoration to the Holy One. The Temple priests do not share in Herod’s paranoid sense of curiosity, convinced as they are that they are already sufficiently omniscient beings. With the exception of their unwonted and unwanted subservience to Rome, their part of the world has already achieved perfection. They have absolutely no use for a Redeemer. They inform the populace that tidings of the Messiah’s arrival are but cunningly devised fables. Below is a quoted line from the tail end of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral which mirrors the attitude of the Temple priests, the words of a Knight who seeks to placate a justifiably agitated group of bystanders-
“Thank you, Brito. I think that there is no more to be said; and I suggest that you now disperse quietly to your homes. Please be careful not to loiter in groups at street corners, and do nothing that might provoke any public outbreak.”
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“…but the bright star continued to led them to the little town of Bethlehem.”
Enthusiasm for the Messiah’s advent is not in evidence as the wise Easterners enter the sleepy backwater of Bethlehem. Though regrettable, this state of affairs is not inconceivable. Christ’s own disciples will remain largely ignorant of His greater purposes until after His ascent to heaven and the Holy Spirit arrives to offer further enlightenment. The child is found and esteemed, accompanied by an a cappella (“in the manner of the chapel”) rendition of O Come, All Ye Faithful, courtesy, again, of Shenee (Cara) and Shanika (Mia).
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The image above is almost identical to A PREVIOUS ONE, but the angel’s message to sleeping Joseph is a new one- “Take Mary and your baby, along with all of the gifts, and leave for Egypt at once!” Joseph and his closest kin immediately depart Bethlehem as two white-robbed ladies (not Cara and Mia) sing When You Believe. This song was created for DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt in connection with another Biblical journey, but one that was headed away from, and not toward the splintered reed of Egypt. The wisemen are similarly advised to steer well clear of a mortally vindictive King Herod on their return journey.
Credited female singers for the production include SHARNA ETTINOFFE, ALTHEA (MORRIS-) ROBERTS, previously linked Cheluana Che-(Chin?) King, and apparently unlinkable Janisa McMeans.
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The Journey.
Ellen G. White comments on the endangered family’s flight to Egypt in the pages of the book that inspired most of the script for Come Adore Him. The Spirit of Prophecy reveals that their temporary residence in Egypt was financed by the gold given to them by the Magi. Sister White writes on Page 65 of The Desire of Ages–
Satan was bent on shutting out divine light from world, and he used his utmost cunning to destroy Saviour. But He who never slumbers nor sleeps was watching over His beloved Son. He who had rained manna from heaven for Israel and had fed Elijah in time famine provided in a heathen land a refuge for Mary and child Jesus. And through from a heathen country, Lord supplied means for journey into Egypt and sojourn in a land strangers.
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“I should have heard something by now!”
Herod is becoming increasingly enraged by the prolonged absence of his recent visitors from the East. The wisdom of the emissaries might have conceivably seen through the hypocritically benign façade that he endeavored to present before them during their recent interview. Under the influence of the malignant being seen at right in the image above, Herod decides that it would be better for thousands of innocents to die, rather than for the babe he so fears to go on living. He now summons his Roman Guard, but rather than to simply serve again as his messengers, they are now instructed to act as his execution squad.
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“Now, I want you to go to Bethlehem and find every single child under the age of two AND KILL THEM!”
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From Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages, Page 65- “Soldiers were at once sent to Bethlehem, with orders to put to death all the children of two years and under. The quiet homes of the city of David witnessed those scenes of horror that, six hundred years before, had been opened to the prophet. ‘In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.'”
Narrator- “…this is how our Savior was welcomed to the earth. There seemed to be no place of rest or safety for the baby King; no parades, no celebrations, no singing or rejoicing to welcome Him. The heavenly angels could not believe what they were seeing as they watched the arrival of their awesome King to the earth as a baby. And even though the Scriptures told the people thousands of years before that this would happen, and even though God gave them wondrous signs when it happened, still very few people paid any attention, and very few people seemed to even care.”
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The horror of the preceding mass infanticide, one instigated by Satan, and administered by Herod through his proxies, followed by the Narrator’s description of the world’s unenthusiastic reception of their only possible hope of redemption generates a somber vibe in the sanctuary/theater. Terra Trofort begins to sing O Come, All Ye Faithful in a manner that suits the temporarily glum ambience. This bittersweet mood yields quickly enough, however, to one of triumph as the singer’s energy level rises, and as she is joined by other singers (the white-robed heavenly host which has served as the Christian equivalent of a Greek chorus throughout the performance). A faithful adherence to the original cadence of the centuries-old prototype transitions into a much more contemporary style, one embellished with improvisations. The singer is former leader of the Berean SDA Church praise team, BACK IN THE DAY, in which capacity she was assisted by Shenee Holloway and her husband DAVID.
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“So there’s nothing really brand new about what you just saw here. This is, literally, the recounting of the first coming of Jesus Christ. But the same conditions, and the same distractions, and the same enemy’s deceiving ways that he tried to block Jesus [with] the first time is the exact thing he’s doing right now…”
Berean Church Lead Pastor Fredrick Russell appears in order to emphasize the relevance of events that transpired in Bethlehem two millennia ago to our own rapidly degenerating epoch. The distractions of first-century Judea that rendered its inhabitants oblivious to the Savior’s first advent were as nothing compared to the cacophonous static that mars the soundtracks of our contemporary lives. People seemed as if they could care less about Christ when He first appeared, but the societal levels of ennui and apathy have undergone an exponential increase since that day.
We are now living in the Information (and Misinformation) Age. An end time increase in knowledge is prophesized in Daniel 12:4. This has a direct bearing on Christ’s second advent. Scripture similarly prophesized Christ’s first advent. Nobody was listening then, and nobody seems to be listening now, despite the grievous penalty that will befall those who refuse to listen. They shall all potentially forever perish, but Pastor Russell provides Scriptural proof that oblivion need not be our ultimate destiny, a verse that everyone (even atheists) should be familiar with-
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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Pastor Russell now issues an appeal to hitherto lost sinners, and the chorus takes his place on the platform to perform a Norman Hutchins seasonal composition, Emmanuel (the link reveals a relationship between Hutchins’s effort and this AL GREEN CLASSIC). The multitudinous cast appears sequentially, in categorized phalanxes (Evil Angels, Priests, Israelites, Wisemen, Shepherds, Guards, featured players, etc.), for the curtain call (sans, of necessity, a literal curtain).
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Hitherto occluded narrator Laura Baynard emerges from the penumbral gloom to mount the platform to graciously accept well-deserved accolades, the penultimate member of the populous ensemble to do so.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/51-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724490280?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515415054
Writer and Executive Producer Dr. Laura Davis takes the final bow.
The venue is slowly evacuated, but the last person to leave cast a backward glance, then pauses to immortalize the scene and scenery.
The morning after in the lobby/narthex- a donkey has grown attached to the place, and apparently refuses to go home…
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