Crossmap Podcast: A Faith-Based Musical on the Birth of Jesus? Director Adam Anders & Composer Nikki Anders Have the Details
There have been so many wonderful musicals over the years that it’s hard to pinpoint just one as the gold standard. From The Sound of Music to Fiddler on the Roof to Grease, fans of the genre have been treated to the very best in song, dance, and the twinkling of an eye.
The aforementioned musicals of yesteryear have been replaced more recently with equally dazzling fare including a remake of West Side Story, LaLa Land, and The Greatest Showman.
It has often been said that the key ingredients of a great musical are songs that stick in your head, crisply spoken dialogue, fantastic acting, and dazzling dance production numbers. Add in characters who have distinct personalities, differing goals, and clashing motives, and you have the recipe for resounding box office success.
Adam and Nikki Anders have written and directed a soon to be released musical movie that is sure to get people talking. Sure, it has all of the elements listed above but it also provides a rather significant twist; not only is it a faith-based musical but it also recreates and tells the greatest story ever told.
For their part, the Anders knew what they were getting into from the start when considering making the birth of Christ into a full-fledged musical.
“No matter what version of this we make, that would happen,” Adam Anders explains. “That's just the reality. There's no way that you can make everyone happy with a film like this. And if you try to make it for everyone, you make it for no one. That's the reality. So, I had to just stay true to the vision God gave me for this film.”
Starring Antonio Banderas, Milo Manheim, for KING & COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone, and Lecrae, Journey to Bethlehem is a live-action musical adventure that weaves classic Christmas melodies with humor, faith, and new pop songs in a retelling of the fateful story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus.
“It's one of those things too where you see God's hand at work because he shouldn't be in this movie,” says Adam Anders, of coaxing Banderas into taking the role. “He's a huge star, and we're a small budget faith musical. But he was tops on my list for three years to play Herod. But he eventually agreed to do it.”
The Anders join us on the Crossmap Podcast to talk about the thought process that went into thinking this idea could work. Listen as they share how God prepared them for this and the great lengths they went to, to ensure that what people see on screen remained authentic and true to the story of Christ’s birth.
