It was surely refreshing, enjoyable, and spiritually reviving.  Setting the stage for what was to come were Adventist soloist Gerard Rigby, the Pathfinder Concert Band, and guest soloist, Simmone Bowe.  They provided a pre-concert of favorite Christmas carols. 

After the pre-concert, the giant black glittering curtains were raised to begin "From Heaven’s Throne," a wonderful Christmas Cantata. It is a grand, expansive work from the musical genius of David T. Clydesdale that beautifully reminds us that the life of Jesus did not begin in the manger, but in fact, He existed before all time. The entire presentation takes place in heaven, but also includes Mary, Joseph and all the "cast of Christmas."

This intriguing musical tells the story of Christ’s birth from an unusual perspective – from that of the heavenly angels! I was caught in awe to see the angles, Harrold Dorsett and Darren Rolle, standing on stage, but higher than everyone else, with their well-made and electrically lighted, giant seven feet angles' wings. They were truly beautiful angles.

There were also small angles on each side of the stage in long ,white, silk robes continually flapping their wings (arms), as it were in an act of continuous praise and celebration. At the center of the stage, on gradient steps, stood the choir, made up of twenty-four Adventist youth of all ages. Even a few grandmothers were part of the group. It was unbelievable to listen to their singing and the voices of the "angles" as they sang exciting new compositions and traditional carols.

What really enthralled me was the discipline of the performers and the flowing choreography. It was evident that there were countless hours of rehearsals as the actors, with confidence and no sign of timidity, moved gracefully across the large stage, and as each scene melted into the other with seamless timing.

Of course, there was a burst of applause from the audience when the graceful movements were accentuated by the surprise rollerblading of two young angles across the stage. The two young boys (angles), dressed in their silk robes with oversized sleeves, slid across the stage from opposite directions, flapping their "wings" with happy excitement as though they were back home on their street corners having fun. It created a peek of excitement while the musicians' voices crescendoed with harmonious praise about Christ’s message of love.

There were countless surprises of not-so-popular singers who gracefully blessed the audience with their singing.  Anisia Fergurson, of Message of Hope Adventist Church, who played the part of the story teller, truly lifted the hearts of the listens with her singing.  Sabrina Lockhart, of Centreville Adventist Church, really attracted my attention with her confidence as she sang “This is the way.” 

How would a story of Jesus’s birth be without soldiers?.  There were three soldiers, one very large and two much smaller, who were distinctively clothed in appropriate red soldier attire and carrying cardboard shields and over-sized wooden swords.  Okelle Damastus, Ryan Dean and Alex Lewis, all members of Bethany Adventist Church, were the soldiers. 

Narrating the Cantata off stage was Shanique Taylor of the Hillview Adventist Church.  Her pleasant-sounding clear voice penetrated the four walls of this world famous theater each time she narrated.  Some thought it was a pre-recording by the composers.

During the entire cantata, the faces of each performer, young and old, reflected a spirit of peace and joy. Dominic Moultrie (Joseph) and Paula Musgrove (Mary), who are both members of the Breath of Life Adventist Church, captured the attention of the audience, as they came to center stage in their white costumes blending their voices in sweet harmony with the words, "God is too good to be mistaken.  God is too good to be unkind.  When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart." Who could forget the stellar, most expressive and dramatic performance of Daran Clarke who acted the part of King Herod. He presented himself as an experienced actor with his facial and hand expressions, long purple robe and kingly crown. He thrilled the audience with his Herod-like demanding tones. Accenting his singing were the experienced voices of Charles Zonicle and DelAnthony Gordon. They brought a rich blending of male voices with the song "King Jesus is His name."

The golden theme running through the cantata was "Go change the World." The message was that the good news of Jesus is powerful enough to change the world. In turn we were charged to change our world.  So let’s go and tell others about Him.

The musical ended, not with the traditional crescendo of double forte of musical notes, but with a quite choral blending of the song "Go change the world." It was as though it was an appeal to encourage everyone listening to "go change the world" with the good news about Jesus. It left us happy, yet thinking. At the end of the presentation, Pastor Eric Clarke, Executive Secretary of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, gave a spiritual "wrap up," reminding us all to Go and tell the world.   The success of “From Heaven’s Throne” was made possible by the dedicated efforts of the producer, Dillette Brown-Miller of Bethany Adventist Church, Coordinator of Listen Up and her assistant, Allison Rolle.   The coral director was the enthusiastic Nelson Bain of the Grant’s Town Seventh-day Adventist Church.    By Barrington H. Brennen