The unlikely spectacular will cover moments in his life, including his early years under Nazi occupation in his native Poland, his struggle against Communism and his election as pontiff in 1978. It will also depict the attempt on his life in 1981, when a Turkish gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca, shot him in the stomach, hand and arm as the pontiff rode in his open-topped Popemobile through St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
An actor singing “Dio e Morto” — God Is Dead — will play the part of Agca, who in January was released from nearly 30 years in prison.
“It’s a famous Italian song from the 1960s and it fits the situation perfectly,” said the director, Gianluca Ferrato.
“We’ve been told there will be cardinals and monsignore in the audience and we’re hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will come and see it too. We’re a bit nervous about how they might react.
“It’s an unusual concept, we admit, but through music and dance we can tell the story of this great man.” The world premiere will be held in a theatre in Rome on Friday, with the musical touring Italy during the summer and then returning to the capital for a month-long run in October.
The young Karol Wojtyla’s love of soccer and his secret studies to become a priest will also feature in the spectacular, which involves a cast of 30 singers, dancers and actors.
The two-hour show is called “Non Abbiate Paura” — Italian for Don’t Be Scared.
“It became one of the emblematic phrases of his papacy,” said Father Giuseppe Spedicato, the Catholic priest who wrote the script.
“This is a man who changed the history of the Church, and of the world.”
SIC: TCUK