How has the show been received?

During the week of August 8th, 2007 members and their friends from all over Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon filled twenty-five hundred seats to see the premiere of “With Mine Own Hand: The Musical Account of Nephi.” Audience members, who had anticipated the show for some time - snatching up every available ticket in advance - offered enthusiastic standing ovations at all five performances. Though both audience and cast members described their experience with the show as “life changing,” it was those who had been invited by member friends that were the most affected. Missionaries report that new investigators and baptismal commitments have come on the heels of the production. Creators attribute the power of the show to the power of the scriptures.

Throughout the production, actors both sing and speak over music. The score composed by Becky Alexander of Sandy, Utah, and orchestrated by Jay Richards of Logan, Utah, make Nephi’s words all the more potent. Though both cast and audience report that the words and melodies continue to stay with them, the greatest number of comments have been about the Tree of Life scene, which is entirely choreographed, as well as Nephi’s final testimony taken directly from 2nd Nephi chapter 33. When Nephi bears his testimony of Christ accompanied by powerful music, then bids “farewell” to the audience, one cannot help feeling deeply moved.