Mal Pope writes musical, releases album based on the 1904 Welsh Revival.

CRITICALLY acclaimed singer Mal Pope has written a musical based on events surrounding the 1904 Welsh Revival. The musical Amazing Grace is being described as being "as Welsh as Evita is Argentinean and as religious as Jesus Christ Superstar." A Mal Pope CD 'Why Me' featuring the songs from the musical has been released by MPH Records. The title track of the album was sung by Mal Pope on BBC Television's Songs Of Praise with Pope talking about how he came to write the musical. Amazing Grace opens at the Swansea Grand Theatre on 21st March 2005 before moving on to Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.

In 2003 Mal Pope started thinking and reading about the centenary of the Revival and became convinced that the story could be the basis for a concept album and also a piece of musical theatre. The central character is a 26 year old ex-miner called Evan Roberts who claimed to have spoken face to face with the Almighty in his bedroom in Loughor, near Swansea. He told people he had seen a cheque which bore the sum of 100,000 souls. Many dismissed Evan's vision but after 18 months the Western Mail had calculated that more than 100,000 had been added to the Church. The story of the Revival is told through the eyes of journalist and peace campaigner WT Stead who visited Wales during the height of the Revival to interview Evan Roberts. The last time Stead was seen alive was in the smoking room of the Titanic. CR

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