Pope’s life inspires Rome stage musical

BY DAVID V BARRETT
JOHN PAUL II: the Musical – it’s an unlikely concept, but it’s taking to the stage in Rome next week.
The musical is entitled Be Not Afraid, “one of the emblematic phrases of his papacy”, according to its writer Fr Giuseppe Spedicato. “This is a man who changed the history of the Church, and of the world,” he said. The musical’s song and dance routines cover key aspects of the late pope’s life, including his youth under the Nazi occupation of his native Poland, his love of football and the day in 1981 when he was shot in the stomach by a Turkish gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca, as he was driven in his popemobile through St Peter’s Square. “We’ve been told there will be cardinals and monsignors in the audience and we’re hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will come and see it too. We’re a bit nervous about how they might react,” said director Gianluca Ferrato.