LOS ANGELES—“Pearly Gates the Musical” is an original, universal, and ultimately positive experience, which asks us to look within and cherish our lives and the time we have left.
Jason Burns (Scott Ehrlich), a man with a lot going well, such as a beautiful family, lifelong friends, and ownership of a real estate development firm, wants to open a new retirement home that will treat its guests with respect. He aims to call it The Pearly Gates.
Unfortunately in a single day, his business proposal to the mayor is turned down, his wife Sharon (Fiona Bates) is upset that he spends so much time at work, and to make things worse, he was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. With only a short amount of time to live, Jason must come to grips with his own mortality and appreciate each moment he has left.
When Jason receives his diagnosis from the doctor, his world starts to unwind. Wishing he had more time, he flirts with the devil and asks, “Will the world continue on without me? Am I not indestructible?”
What follows is one man’s denial, and finally, his acceptance of the human condition. The questions posed to us are: What is truly important? How do we best use our limited time?
The rest of the characters include Jason’s son and daughter, an overbearing Jewish mother, an understanding father (Tony Molina), his best friends, and a dozen or so others, ranging from age 10 to 83.
Some scenes ran a bit long (such as Jason’s passage through the devilish halls of temptation). Technical errors with microphones cutting out also affected the overall appeal, but these were excusable because the singers still performed well.
Jason Burns (Scott Ehrlich), a man with a lot going well, such as a beautiful family, lifelong friends, and ownership of a real estate development firm, wants to open a new retirement home that will treat its guests with respect. He aims to call it The Pearly Gates.
Unfortunately in a single day, his business proposal to the mayor is turned down, his wife Sharon (Fiona Bates) is upset that he spends so much time at work, and to make things worse, he was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. With only a short amount of time to live, Jason must come to grips with his own mortality and appreciate each moment he has left.
When Jason receives his diagnosis from the doctor, his world starts to unwind. Wishing he had more time, he flirts with the devil and asks, “Will the world continue on without me? Am I not indestructible?”
What follows is one man’s denial, and finally, his acceptance of the human condition. The questions posed to us are: What is truly important? How do we best use our limited time?
The rest of the characters include Jason’s son and daughter, an overbearing Jewish mother, an understanding father (Tony Molina), his best friends, and a dozen or so others, ranging from age 10 to 83.
Some scenes ran a bit long (such as Jason’s passage through the devilish halls of temptation). Technical errors with microphones cutting out also affected the overall appeal, but these were excusable because the singers still performed well.
