Broadway mission

Following gospel movement at a new-old frontier: musicals | Marvin Olasky

Actors Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt

Chris Smith is 37. His parents divorced when he was a toddler. He lived with his manic-depressive mom. He's worked both as a church youth director and a policeman, sometimes at the same time. So it's not surprising that when he sat down to write a musical capable of getting onto Broadway, he didn't develop one about happy-all-the-time people or with sparkly angels descending on wires: "My show is about a guy who trades in human beings."

I watched that show's first read-through this summer and I've been following its development since then: The musical is titled Amazing Grace: The True Story, and it's the story of slave trader John Newton. With a powerful plot, moving lyrics, and soaring score, the musical has a good shot at success—and, as Smith says, his production "is rare because it's a non-Bible-based story designed to give Broadway-style entertainment while still presenting the gospel clearly and plainly."