By Amy Trumble, Special to your Catholic Herald

MILWAUKEE — The prodigal son is a familiar biblical figure, but who is the prodigal father?

Rory Cooney, a widely published Catholic composer, has taken one of the Bible’s best known parables and set it to music. “Lost and Found,” Cooney’s first musical, is based upon Luke 15:11-32.

It is the parable commonly known as the prodigal son, but as Jeff Honoré, 49, director of liturgical music at St. Matthias Parish, pointed out, “the one who is really prodigal is the father.” The term prodigal, generally associated with being extremely wasteful, can also mean extremely generous.

Honoré, along with 53-year-old stage director, Mary Beth Topf, is coordinating Cooney’s “Lost and Found,” which will be performed at St. Matthias, Feb. 24-26. The production is a collaborative effort involving St. Matthias and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes. Actors and musicians from both parishes are donating time and talents.

Honoré, also director of the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Choir, saw the musical performed in the early 1990s at a National Pastoral Musicians convention in California. After seeing it, he made a mental note that if he were ever to take on a musical, this would definitely be a candidate.

“It’s almost like an excellent homily, where it is taking the scriptures and applying them to us today,” said Honoré. “(It’s) sure to bring this most favorite of our biblical stories into our modern culture with humor, reflection and entertainment.”

The musical became a reality two years ago when Honoré met Topf, a new member of St. Matthias at the time. Topf, a nurse who also has master’s degrees in theater arts and directing, expressed interest in doing a Christian play.

“I wanted to give back to the community and to God,” said Topf. “I was trying to find a way to use the talents that I have to give back.”

Honoré, of course, already had a play in mind. Last May, he and Topf began working together to bring “Lost and Found” to life.

St. Matthias, whose church seats 1,100, is this area’s first venue for the musical. The production, its 13 songs, and pit orchestra consisting of a piano, bass, saxophone, flutes and percussion section, features music ranging from rock and country to hip-hop.

“It has the flavor of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’” said Topf. “Modern music set in biblical times.”

The musical is also peppered with allusions to other biblical characters and stories.

Six main characters anchor the cast; some are familiar from the scriptures (the father and his two sons), along with others making special appearances in the musical (including the forgotten mother and older sister).

David Cmelak, 54, an electrical engineer and member of St. Matthias for 20 years, portrays “Papa.”

“My life is in this story,” Cmelak said. “On both sides, this story is so close to what I have experienced in my life — my mother praying to God for me to come back to the family and my praying to God for a better relationship with my son.”

The budget for the production is limited. The stage is the sanctuary. The cast members are not only performing, but they are also designing the set, sewing the tumes, and creating the props. Even the microphones are being borrowed from another parish. The musical has only come to fruition because of the dedication of the parishes and cast members involved.

“It has been a real time commitment,” said Sue Partin of St. Matthias. “So, I’ve had to get my husband involved; he’s now the following spot light guy.”

Partin, 42, who plays the part of the head waitress, is enjoying the preparation involved and has thought a lot about how the message is going to affect the audience.

“We do a lot of singing here at Matthias ... sometimes you sing something and you look out and you really touch somebody with it. Some people may think this is just the old Bible story — the prodigal son, but I know that every night there is going to be at least one person out there who it will hit like a brick. That is why I am really excited to be a part of this,” she said.

As for the audience, this is a musical for the entire family.

“It’s not too cumbersome for a small child yet there is enough meat for anyone who has heard the story many, many times,” said Honoré.

Alluding to the open-ended nature of parables, Honoré said, “We are not only retelling through song and story and dance, but with song, story, and dance is our theology and our understanding of Scripture as we know it today.”

In keeping with the story’s open-ended nature, each audience member is likely to come away with something different from this performance.

“I hope that people are entertained, that we can touch the audience’s emotions, and that they may see that the father who loves extravagantly is also prodigal,” said Topf.

Proceeds from the performance will be used to offset production costs. A percentage will also be given to Emmaus Ministries, a Chicago-based ministry that “helps prodigal sons get off the streets and come back home.”

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