Easter season is around the corner and many churches are rehearsing for their Easter dramas. The world is flocking to see the Mel Gibson-directed movie drama, The Passion of The Christ.

What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem....Pennsylvania? What if the world was still waiting for a Messiah? Well, these questions are tackled in the very innovative new millennium drama, !Hero: The Rock Opera. Eddie Degarmo is the brainchild of this theatrical presentation, while Pete Stewart serves as the producer of the accompanying double disk audio soundtrack.

Michael Tait of DC Talk is Hero (Jesus). Nirva Dorsaint is Mama Mary (Mary). Then there is rapper T-Bone (Jairus), Rebecca St. James in the role of Maggie (the woman at the well) and Mark Stuart of Audio Adrenaline as Petrov. Michael Quinlan is Jude (Judas). Paul Wright is Agent Hunter, a narrator sort of guy who has been following Hero and watching his every move.

On “The Wedding Celebration”, Tate and Nirva trade back and forth about Jesus’ purpose and turning water into wine. This is done over a mid-tempo beat and rock-edged guitars provided by Pete Stewart. Grits serves as the wedding party and hype men. The very talented T-Bone blazes the hot, “Raised in Harlem”, a beautiful fusion of rock and hip hop set to the story of Jairus’s daughter.

Paul Wright delivers his rhymes on the mid-tempo interlude, “Man on a Mission” which runs right into the telling of the woman at the well. On Latin-tinged “Secrets of the Heart”, Rebecca St James (Maggie) wonders how the Hero (Tate) knows her secrets, but yet offers her a drink from a well that won’t dry.

The wonderful ballad, “Lose My Life With You” has Mama Mary (Dorsaint) and Hero (Tate) singing about the joy and pain of His destiny to save the world. This song is full of beautiful strings and a piano.

The reggae/African influenced, “Manna From Heaven” features Tait, Rebecca St. James, Michael Quinlan, and Mark Stuart telling the story of Jesus (Hero) turning water into wine. It's a clever song with African drums and a chorus chat of “Hey-O-Ey-O”.

Disc Two finds the people angry at the things that Hero (Jesus) is doing and saying, and so the intensity picks up. “Leave Here” has Hero preaching, the people objecting, and Maggie (the now-delivered woman at the well) defending Hero, and Hunter trying to keep the peace. This is done over a nice, house-beat laced with heavy guitar.

Paul Wright (Hunter) flows about the fate of Hero (Jesus) on “Murder on Their Minds” over a smooth boom bip.



After the Last Supper, his betrayal and his agony, Hero sings of the fact that he is the One that must make a change in the world on “I Am”. Michael Tait sings over the rock-edged ballad (and also demonstrates why he was such an intricate part of DC Talk’s success.)

After the excution, burial and resurrection of Hero (Jesus), Maggie and the Janitor (Nathan Lee) sing about the wonder of an empty tomb. This is done over soothing strings and a Celtic-influenced chorus. It's a beautiful song to end such a innovative way of sharing Jesus’ life.

Kudos to Eddie DeGarmo for his vision and Pete Stewart for his production, for !Hero: The Rock Opera opens up another avenue and from which to perceive the most glorious Story that ever unfolded.