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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (October 22, 2003) — The musical comedy Star Queen will take the stage this Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. in Seeger Chapel at Milligan College as part of the college’s annual Homecoming festivities. Tickets are only $5 for general admission or $1 for students and are available at the door.
Star Queen, a musical written by actor-composer John Thomas Oaks, is a comedic retelling of the story of the biblical book of Esther. Performed in theaters from North Carolina to Oklahoma, Star Queen will feature John Thomas and his father, Tommy Oaks, playing all of the characters and performing the nearly 20 songs that range in style from country to pop to Broadway.
Star Queen follows the tale of a young Jewish queen in ancient Persia who saves her entire race from an evil genocide plot by a wicked tyrant. It is also the basis for the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Oaks said his father, Tommy, a former campus minister at Milligan, gave him the inspiration for composing Star Queen.
“He would always try to bring out the humor in the way he told Bible stories, and he would always say about the book of Esther, ‘This should be a musical.’ So one day I finally sat down and took a shot at writing it,” said Oaks. “My father worked with me on the book of the show, and I did the music and lyrics and dialogue.”
Critics have hailed Star Queen as an entertaining modern musical.
“Of the . . . new musicals that I have listened to . . . Star Queen is far and away the most developed and mature work I have encountered . . . Oaks is destined to become a major force in American musical theater,” said Ian Alterman of West Side Beat.
John Thomas has composed several other musicals, including Silent Hope, On the Way Down,The Legend of Wiley Jake, Chipper, Love Austin, Moses, Sunny and Taste of Fear.
Tickets to Star Queen may be purchased at the door and are five dollars for general admission. For more information, call 423.461.8735.