I Hope You Brought Enough For Everyone! (16.12.... [REPACK]

The pandemic brought all this to the fore, yet it also had its positive effects. These include a chastened return to humility, a rethinking of certain consumeristic excesses, and a renewed sense of solidarity that has made us more sensitive to the suffering of others and more responsive to their needs. We can also think of the efforts, which in some cases proved truly heroic, made by all those people who worked tirelessly to help everyone emerge from the crisis and its turmoil as best they could.

I Hope You Brought Enough for Everyone! (16.12....

Second, notice that the text says that they ate and were satisfied. He started with only seven loaves and a few small fish. Somehow that fed over four thousand people. Seven loaves and a few small fish would not be enough to feed the people in this building, but Jesus multiplied them to feed thousands of people. Then seven baskets were full of leftovers. Jesus doesn't just provide enough to fill everyone's stomach. He provides an abundance. I imagine he knew how much would be enough, but he kept going so that seven baskets were full. Jesus has more than enough power to provide for everyone who comes to him.

Don't believe what you read on Facebook or hear on the news. Don't let it get you angry, confused, or hopeless. Don't lose sight of the overflow of blessings we have been given in Christ. I have heard of and seen so many people who let Satan's manipulation fill them with anxiety and fear. People don't even know how to act around other people. So many people believe that everyone else is incompetent. Do we see how proud that is? We must believe that Jesus can redeem the most godless in our society, and that means he can even save me. It's not my crazy Facebook friend or neighbor that needs the most forgiveness. It's me. This heart and way of thinking must overcome the dominant attitude in our society.

Also see our recent interview with Terence BlanchardTug Coker and Peter ScolariBH: Magic/Bird is a good example of that. It's not just about sports but about teamwork and friendship and competition. Things to which people can relate in a more general sense. As for the friendship between Magic and Bird, I read the book Magic Johnson wrote after he was diagnosed with HIV ("My Life," with co-author William Novak). He wrote that he and Larry Bird were in a class by themselves in basketball, and there was a bond in part because they were the only two who could understand what they were going through.ES: People in a stratosphere all by themselves. They were the only two who'd reached that level of stardom in their profession. They were like twins, in a way, only one was black and one was white. That theme was extremely important to me. You see two people you would expect to be completely different, and you discover that they're completely the same. I wanted to take that idea and extend it to society as a whole.BH: Race definitely factors into their story, though the two of them were able to transcend it. I liked the way you addressed the issue of race, without being polemical. Magic Johnson broke a lot of barriers, simply by virtue of his charm and his gifts.In addition to these plays about sports icons, you have written about the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, another iconic figure. What has drawn you to these characters? ES: Lombardi and Wright have more in common than Lombardi and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. What drew me to those subjects was Wisconsin, where I grew up. That's where I started from, but ultimately I was interested in what is was about both those personalities that made them iconoclastic. What was it about Frank Lloyd Wright's designs that drew people to him? What was his personality? How did he get to be who he was? The same thing with Lombardi. Both Wright and Lombardi were hated and beloved in equal measure. BH: The NFL was a producer of Lombardi and the NBA is a producer of Magic/Bird. Can you talk about the collaboration?ES: The NBA and the NFL haven't put money into the projects. But they offer in kind support. Also, we're offered access to the film footage that you see, which is very important in telling the story.Another important aspect of the NBA's support is that Magic and Bird wouldn't be involved unless the NBA was involved. Their participation was essential. However, people should know that the NBA has not dictated anything to us. They've had readings, but the notes they've given to us, if they give any notes, are things like, "You know, that score wasn't 107-105, it was 109-105." Very nit-picky details about the history. They want us to get the history right. My intention with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson was not to expose them as broken men, the Willy Lomans of the world. I love their story and I admire these people. Also, I have a curiosity about what makes them who they are, and about how these two people who were rivals became best friends. They know that at the start, and they have not been involved artistically at all.BH: I'm sure everyone asks you this, but I have to ask. What was it like meeting and working with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird? I know they didn't collaborate artistically, but you were able to call them to ask them for factual details.ES: They are really great guys, and really down to earth too. And they are both very, very tall.BH: What else should Talkin' Broadway readers know about Magic/Bird?ES: We know the sports fans will come and see the play and love it. My feeling is that theater people are used to seeing a certain kind of play on Broadway. I hope they keep an open mind when they come and see this. It doesn't have some of the [elements] that, say Clybourne Park and Other Desert Cities have. I love Lombardi, and I love this project because they make theater more democratic. I'm a huge populist. I want more people to see theater, and I don't want to make it feel like every time you go to see theater you are taking a class at a graduate school. I think it should be as much fun as possible. That's what I try to do with everything.Magic/Bird by Eric Simonson at the Longacre Theatre with Kevin Daniels, Tug Coker, Deirdre O'Connell, Peter Scolari, Francois Battiste, Robert Manning Jr., Annie-Marie Cusson, Gregory Jones, Anthony Holiday. Ticket and performance information at Telecharge.Photos: Joan MarcusPast Rialto ColumnsSearch What's New on the Rialto 041b061a72