Parable production with punch

That’s what’s ahead for this musical

Green Bay Press-Gazette

By Warren Gerds

February 15. 1992

Throwing Christians to the computers usually has a bloody outcome.

But not when the Christian is Wanda Sieber, a Green Bay composer who mixes religion, music and computers to make musicals. She’s done three.

This time it is Hidden Treasures, a 16-song, 12-parable production that will be performed five times at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beginning Friday.

The show includes 12 singers-dancers in the core group, an Angel Chorus of 18 and literally a flock of kids – 105 playing fuzzy-eared, fuzzy-tailed lambs.

“When I got to the sheep, I just knew there had to be 100 sheep,” Sieber said. “I mentioned it to my husband, and he said, ‘Do you know haw many 100 is?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s like 25 times our kids.’

The couple is expecting a fifth child.

“I couldn’t think of how to make it have the same impact with having only a manageable 20.” She said. “It just wouldn’t be the same.”

The cast performs to a tape soundtrack created largely by way of computer. Sieber, 29, also produced the score, script and other materials by way of computer.

Seeing a copy of her score is a revelation. It’s in a red, bound, 115-page book with titles in italics, accompanying text and numbered pages.

“It’s real music,” she said, showing a copy and chuckling. “It looks like something a person would even go spend money on. Isn’t that wonderful?

“It has everything. It even has the little ‘c’ - © - for the copyright notice.”

Sieber copyrights her songs to protect them from unwanted duplication.

Hidden Treasures is a “generic Christian” show, said Sieber, who sent invitations to 123 area churches.

“We didn’t have to be quite as reverent in this play because we’re not dealing with deity,” she said. “We’re doing stories told by Him – which have lots of punch.”

People will leave the show saying, “Wow, I didn’t know that was in the Bible,” she said with a burst of her trademark energy.

“Parables are unusual in that they are not only there to explain a story to make it clear but they are also there to cloud the issue so that people who aren’t ready to hear the important stuff in them won’t be held accountable.

“It would be like trying to explain to my son how to do calculus and then after explaining it saying, ’OK, now do this problem.’ ‘Mom, I can’t.’ ‘Well, I told you how.’ You can’t force that on.”

Sieber’s show covers a range of musical styles, from church anthems to rap.

“As I describe it to people, they get a real hazy look in their eye, trying to associate what I’m telling them with a church play,” she aid, laughing.

She especially had “a gas” creating the Pointer Finger Sisters, a trio dressed in 1940s wear singing a swing tune.

Her full song lineup:

Hidden Treasures, Jazz; Lazarus, gospel; Why am I Here?, ballad (“That’s the Barbara Streisand number, ahem”); The Strength of Thy Love (with the lambs); Light a Candle, folk; Back at Home, ballad; Hallelujah, Amen!, Oh, Father, Joy in Heaven, anthems; Shame, Shame, Shame (sung by the Pointer Finger Sisters), swing; Children of Light, solemn; Judge Bad Rap, rap; Pray Always, anthem, Forgiveness, soft solo; A Penny from the Lord, swing; When Saw We Thee?, adult cast choral and solo.

Money for the production is mostly from the stake headquarters, although the Mormon headquarters at Salt Lake City added funds for promotion.

Ahead, Sieber plans to produce a book of her songs and has an eye on creating a secular musical. “There will probably not be a new church play for next year,” she said, noting time and family demands.

But soon after, when talking of the Book of Revelations, she said, “It’s singin’ to me. Every time I read it, it sings to me. One of these times I’m going to sit down and write it down.”