"In God We Trust" - A Review

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arents and grandparents have a lot to be proud of. Last weekend, the homeschool musical play “In God We Trust” was presented at the Weston County Senior Center. Dozens of family and friends came to watch as the homeschooled kids sang and acted out a courtroom drama. The premise was a lawsuit taken to the Supreme Court to get the words “In God We Trust” taken off of our money. 
Most of the play was a defense of the words and the ideas expressed in those words. The entirety of the defense argument consisted of a talking bald eagle named Eagle Eye played by Jonathan Anderson, bringing pieces of history to life through previously filmed skits in the play, and by songs about the values of faith and trust in God for our country. The plaintiff’s attorney, played by Hannah Gross, spent her time objecting and scowling during the entire play, which I found hilarious. One by one, Chief Justice Bill Sunkist, played by Connor Stolhammer, overruled her objections until Gross just slumped in her chair, her arms folded in defiance and a look of absolute grief on her face. Gross has made me laugh in the past, but to see this previously unknown expression about her was not only funny but novel. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to sit there and keep an alien emotion consistently present. But she did it so well.
The plot was expressed with the series of mini-skits on video with singing in between those skits. One example of the filmed scenes was William Bradford, played by John Slagle, espousing the value of freedom. In another George Washington, played by Connor Stolhammer, described how Americans had more reason to be grateful to God than other people. In still another, Abraham Lincoln, played by Ramsey Gross, delivered a speech about relying on God’s wisdom. There were also three other filmed skits.
All in all, the flow of the production was very well presented, with no setbacks. I’ve seen children’s plays before where it seemed that adults spent half their time placing kids in position or loudly whispering out their lines. None of that happened on Saturday night when I went to see the play. To a person, the kids knew their lines, their cues and their places on the stage. I didn’t see a single one struggle while searching for a forgotten line or cue.
Barb Anderson directed the music, and this was another part of the play that impressed me. Let me first explain with a contrast. Another problem occurs, even in adult plays and concerts, when the people on stage don’t watch the director. Timing gets thrown off, lines of lyrics get missed, and you generally have a mess on your hands. Again, that didn’t happen here. While singing, the actors on stage were watching their director, coming in when they were supposed to, and they followed her leadership perfectly.
The last thing I’d like to say about the production itself is about nerves. No one expects children to have perfect stage presence. All too often, someone gets stage fright so bad that they can freeze up and refuse to move, sing, act or do whatever they’re supposed to be doing. None of the children did that. I know what stage fright is all about, having been on stage most of my life. Everyone gets a case of that once in a while. And when you are young, it can be overwhelming. I’ve heard people describe it as the worst feeling to go through. But none of those types of nerves were apparent. I’m sure there were some shaky knees. But I would be hard-pressed to tell you which of the children were going through a case of the nerves that bad. I don’t think there was.
As I said at the beginning of this column, parents and grandparents have a lot to be proud of. Yet again, I am, once again, impressed at the quality of the youth of our community. They banded together. They did a lot of work memorizing lines, music and lyrics. Most important of all, they presented a message that the rest of America could use, and that is to rely on God, acknowledge him and stand up for our values of faith and assurance in our creator. They did so without any shame or fakery, as far as I could tell. They stood up there and proudly expressed what I believe is their true feelings toward our creator. And for that, above all else, I must say I’m so proud of everyone who participated in this production. You really can’t put it better than the title of the musical – “In God We Trust.”