A friend of mine took me to see a play called “The History Boys” a few weeks ago at the Studio Theatre and I thought, “Wow, all of this is just two blocks away from my place?” I enjoyed the performance so much that I looked into volunteering at the theatre the next time I had a weekend open and felt like trying something different.

So this past Saturday, June 21st, I volunteered to be an usher for a matinee of the Studio’s new production, “This Beautiful City.” It was a winning prospect from the beginning as I thought, “I’ll get to do something cultural, I’ll get to wear a suit, and I’ll get to see the show for free!” So I put on my black suit, black shirt, black tie (don’t look at me, it’s exactly what they tell ushers to wear on the website) and I marched up the street to the theatre to perform my semi-selfless act.

I laugh as I write this and report to you... THEY LIED!

None of my fellow volunteers seemed to have taken the dress code seriously (I wonder if it’s an inside joke on newcomers?). I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable until the House Manager came out to greet the volunteers and beamed when she saw someone had actually paid attention. I got the job of Head Usher and all the raw power that goes with it, including the prestige of wearing a headset to communicate directly with the manager. I have to imagine, in all black with my earpiece, I looked like a cross between a Secret Service agent and a hit man -- exactly what you want greeting folks at the front door! I'm not entirely certain that was the best spot for me, having only been to the theatre once before and now being asked everything from "Where's the ladies' room?" to "Is there a box office upstars?" but it honestly beat pouring coffee at the lobby bar. Anyway, once it was showtime we locked the doors and the volunteers were seated in the theatre to fill in empty spaces.

So now let me tell you about the musical… “This Beautiful City” is a musical set in Colorado Springs, which is the home of the “New Life” evangelical mega-church of roughly 14,000 members. The performance does a very nice job in showing how the presence of that church affects local, state, and even national politics. Even as I personally felt the intent was to expose the hypocrisy often present in such closed-minded fundamentalist movements, there were many moments of the show that conveyed an inspirational message and brought a tear to my eye. One of the storylines follows an African American resident of the city (played by Marsha Stephanie Blake) who’s obsessed with the denouncement of homosexuality in her own more-traditional Christian church. As the story progresses, we follow this women on a personal quest for identity, the end of which seems predetermined by those of us who’ve known folks to exhibit that level of intolerance. I won’t give away the climax of her story, but the performance similarly follows the fall of Reverend Ted Haggard who led “New Life” during this period, and I think we all know how that played out…

There was a powerful scene in particular that has stuck in my mind, during a song by one of the “New Life” chorus members. She sang the words “God isn’t interested in your happiness, only your salvation.” I heard that line and thought to myself how thankful I am to worship among friends who believe God is interested in both.

I found it to be a wonderfully entertaining production and I’ve certainly recommended it to my friends. Tickets run about forty dollars but hey, if you’re willing to do little crowd control or pour a little coffee, it doesn’t have to cost you a dime and perhaps you too can join the elite club of volunteer ushers to have worn the headset.

If you'd like to read a professional (though I thought less-entertaining...) review of "This Beautiful City" go to The Washington Post.

**Editor's Note: Would you like to review a play you saw recently? How about a book or CD you've found particularly inspirational and helpful? If so, please forward your review to phoenix@stthomasdc.org.