The Thorn at Orpheum Theatre

What is The Thorn exactly? A lot of people come to the theater expecting a musical! That’s not exactly what’s going to take place. If you want to see that, there’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Now, this doesn’t mean that The Thorn is a simple rendition of the crucifixion like you’d see at your local church. The story revolves around an old man who narrates each scene to the audience. It’s a breaking-of-the-fourth-wall experience that works great for theater shows. In the movie, however, it didn’t work out as well. If you’ve seen the movie, this live experience is different, although it features identical scenes! The creator of the show, John Bolin talked about the difference between the live experience that you can see in Omaha on Sunday, October 6th, and the movie recently.

One of the things that he acknowledged was that going to see the live show is like watching a game live. There may be more detail in the movie since, with the camera, you’re able to catch a glimpse of the action up close and personal in a way that you won’t at the theater. Being at the theater, though, also involves your sense of smell and, for example, a better appreciation of some of the acrobatic acts. That’s a great Segway to the next situation. Why are there acrobatic acts in a play about the passion? There are actually two answers for this, one is that the creator was inspired by the show O from Cirque du Soleil. The second answer is that he’s trying to depict the spiritual battle that’s waging as the events of the passion are taking place in the physical realm.

What are you going to see then at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha? It’s a mix of a Greek play and a depiction of the passion of the Christ. If that’s something that you’re interested in, know that the entire theater will be open for this night. There’s no question that the Orchestra section near the stage is the best place to be. Those spots in the second level, though, could give you better command of the entire stage. Click the get tickets button and pick where you want to be to watch The Thorn live on October 6th!