iMPERFECT messiah — Staged Reading 2023 Synopsis

iMPERFECT messiah Staged Reading, 2023. Staging by Peter Read. Piano and Music Coordination by Paul Lejins.

ACT 1 — It is 1000 BC. Sha'ul, a farmer, is anointed as king of the Chosen People by YHWH, the God of Everything and All. Success, wealth and power make King Sha'ul prideful and rebellious, earning the displeasure of YHWH. In a very public declaration, the Prophet declares that Sha'ul has been rejected by YHWH and is to be replaced with another man "more worthy" to be king. Sha'ul takes this rejection to heart and descends into depression and resorts to substance abuse. A young shepherd and singer, David, is summoned to soothe the king's troubled spirit. Unbeknownst to the king, YHWH's Prophet had secretly anointed David as the next king. David's rapid rise to popularity, from being a mere singer to decorated soldier to popular Captain of a Thousand to Hero of the People, earns him the king's jealous rage. When King Sha'ul attempts to spear him to death, David is forced to flee into exile in the wilderness.

ACT 2 — Five years after, David has given up his hopes of fulfilling his anointing as next king. He lives a humble life with wives, children and goats. Suddenly, David receives an unexpected visit from a band of disgruntled royal soldiers who pledge their allegiance to the disheartened hero. They want David to be their leader. A few more years after, David's band of malcontents grows in number and popularity, making David a feared and powerful tribal chief. It is then that a Messenger arrives with tragic news of the king's death by suicide. He presents the king's crown to David.

ACT 3 — King David is now at the pinnacle of his empire-building career. Whilst he and his family now live a life of wealth and power, he has become so engrossed with his duties as king that he fails to fulfill his responsibility as father and husband. David, becoming old in years, is forced into retirement by his general. His ego bruised, David resorts to alcohol and then commits an indiscretion with the young Bat Sheva, wife of one of his captains. The woman gets pregnant. David panics. He rectifies the predicament by using his overarching powers to orchestrate the death of the captain, then marries the pregnant Bat Sheva, declaring her as his Queen. Murder and adultery being major transgressions against the laws of YHWH, the Prophet of God declares to David that as retribution for his sins, David will suffer pain and tragedy within his own family for the rest of his breathing days.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, Amnon, bored and feeling entitled, takes advantage of his younger half-sister. Amnon rapes Tamar. Tamar's brother Absalom takes revenge by killing Amnon. Absalom, incensed by his father's inaction over the rape, wages a rebellion against his father — "death to the king!" Absalom is killed by David's general.

Broken, old, and tired, David laments the many tragedies that had befallen him. He has no heir. He failed his God. The Prophet directs David's attention to his young son by Bat Sheva — ten-year-old Sh'lomo, called "beloved" by YHWH. "Our God is a God of second chances," declares the Prophet. He crowns the boy Sh'lomo as king.