The Passion: Local man tells the story of Jesus' last hours through music

An original musical that promises to bring the passion and resurrection of Jesus to life, debuts on Friday at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights.

Called, "Chosen: The Passion Meditation," the one-hour production was composed by Arlington Heights native Brad Rukstales, now of Inverness.

Performances take place at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Marian Activity Center at St. Peter Church, 111 W. Olive St. in Arlington Heights.

Principals include Chris Mosher of Crystal Lake playing Jesus, Bob Glenn of Arlington Heights playing God, and Melissa Smith of Elgin in the role of Mary. Other cast members come from Arlington Heights, Palatine, Inverness, Streamwood and Mundelein.

Rukstales works by day as a Schaumburg business consultant, but his passion lies in music. Even as far back as high school, he wrote a choral anthem for the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights that won an award at a statewide Young Composer's competition.

While he initially majored in music at Indiana University, he wound up earning an economics degree before earning his master's in business administration from the University of Michigan.

Still, Rukstales never lost sight of his music, and served as an assistant music director at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine before joining St. Peter's where he now plays piano and keyboard for its contemporary praise band.

Musically, Rukstales describes "Chosen" as weaving together his interest in the music of Stephen Sondheim, and his conversational style of rhythm, as well as elements of opera, rock 'n' roll, and even some gospel style vocals.

However, it is the Easter message that he hopes to impart on audience members, from a personal perspective.

"It is not just the passion story, but why the passion needed to take place," Rukstales says, "why we needed Jesus on the cross, which is at the heart of Christianity."

St. Peter members who heard it last year, say they found it left a lasting impact.

"This is a modern, masterful and moving musical composition illustrating the essence of Christianity," adds Glenn, who this year steps up to take on a leading role.

Rukstales unveiled the musical last year as a choral work. When the response was so strong, he expanded it this year into a full-scale production, complete with a cast of 12, accompanied by a recording of the full orchestral piece, and original set design.

Church members partnered with various groups in the community to stage the musical. Architect Robert Flubacher and contractor Mark Livesay, both of Arlington Heights, added their technical expertise on some of the ramps and other sets, while other experts in lighting, sound and videography contributed to the production.

"This has taken us out of our comfort zone in a lot of ways," says Henry Kogler, music director, "so right from the start, we wanted to reach out into the community for technical expertise in mounting the full-scale production."

Kogler says the story is both convincing and powerful, driven by its moving portrayals and music.

"What's unique about this, is that while the music is contemporary, the lyrics are straight from the Bible," Kogler says. "It's sort of like Handel's Messiah in that way, taking traditional lyrics and setting them to modern day music -- with dramatic results."

If you go

What: An original musical production, "Chosen: The Passion Meditation"

When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Marian Center, St. Peter Lutheran Church, 111 W. Olive St. in Arlington Heights

Cost: Free admission

Call: (847) 259-4114