Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Today's Quote

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." ~ Lewis B. Smedes

Gospel Music Is Coming To Miami Gardens

Get ready for hand-clapping, foot-stomping gospel music. The musical, May The Circle Be Unbroken, written by the late Lehman Beneby, is coming to town.

The musical, which features more than 20 favorite gospel songs made famous by such gospel greats as the Rev. Shirley Caesar, Albertina Walker, Dorothy Love Coats, Clara Ward, the Rev. James Cleveland and Thomas Dorsey, will be performed March 20-22 in the Lou Rawls Center of Performing Arts at Florida Memorial University, 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens.

Beneby was a graduate of Northwestern High School and Miami Dade College. He made his Broadway debut in the hit 1980s musical, Mama, I Want to Sing.

He is a product of the Church of God of Prophecy, where his mother, Prescola Beneby, is an evangelist. His sister, Althea Duren, producer of the musical, said presenting the musical is a way of keeping the memory of her brother alive. Lehman Beneby died at 51 in 2001.

The show will feature guest appearances by recording artists Asher Williams, whose mother is the legendary Betty Wright, who made a name for herself as an R&B queen, and Merian Terry of Christian Life Ministries.

In addition to traditional and contemporary gospel, the show will also feature gospel rap. Tickets are $5 each for the performance at 10 a.m. on March 20; $25 for adults and $10 for children 6-11-years-old for the performances at 7 p.m. on March 21 and 5 p.m. on March 22.

[from the Miami Herald]