By Keith Widyolar
The first original Colombian musical, “La más grande historia jamás cantada / The most amazing story ever sung,” made history by premiering on Broadway to an adoring crowd in New York last night at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
The show, sung in Spanish with English supertitles (like an Opera), tells the familiar story of the birth of the historical figure of Jesus, his childhood and early years, but does not tell it from a religious perspective. This is the story of a man discovering the power of love as you can see from this clip which turns the traditional “Padre Nuestro” prayer into a rock anthem.
The Colombian “Padre Nuestro”
“La más grande historia jamás cantada / The most amazing story ever sung” is the type of spectacle rarely seen on Broadway these days with five tons of staging, an orchestra, a choir and a huge cast of 85 artists including 35 children as young a seven years old.
Ballet teacher Flavio Salazar, former American Ballet Theater dancer, who appeared in the ballet documentary, “First Position,” told us, “The children were outstanding. Some of them will be part of the future of musical theatre in Colombia and the world.”
La más grande historia jamás cantada / The most amazing story ever sung Trailer
“This is a true Colombian culture. The show is very natural and not a copy of anything,” said Ximena Ojeda, New York Latin Culture Director. “The energy and enthusiasm, the joy of being alive that leaps off the stage is really how Colombian people share their lives together.”
Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, said, “A little over a decade ago, Colombia was almost a failed state, but that makes you more creative. Today both Colombian culture and industry are having an impact on the world.”
“One Hundred Years of Solitude,” the masterpiece of Colombian Nobel Prize for Literature winner Gabriel García Márquez, is not really a story of the mythical town of Macondo. It is a coded story of Latin American history and the history of Colombia. In a similar way, “La más grande historia jamás cantada / The most amazing story ever sung,” is not a story about Jesus. It is a deeper metaphor for a country that is now taking a hard-earned place on the world stage.
The show is a “Must See” for Broadway fans, Latin Americans and all people who love Latin culture. Don’t miss the chance to see a truly outstanding production, the masterpiece of Colombian Musical Theatre, and witness history in the making Saturday and Sunday 8pm at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.