Star of Wonder @ Calvary Convention Centre
April 19 & 20, 2014
14 years ago, Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong received a mandate from God to use his lifelong hobby of performing magic to break through and establish Kingdom values in the Arts and Entertainment landscape. With his skills, coupled with an unwavering faith and obedience to God, Senior Pastor Lawrence founded Gateway Entertainment and conceptualised a unique groundbreaking product that allowed him to reach the multitudes and be heard in the 'real pulpit' of the world.
A hug of thanks and blessing. Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam with Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong at the show's opening.
And now, Senior Pastor Lawrence continues to reach and minister to the multitudes far and wide with his unique brand of illusion and theatre. With the two Star of Wonder shows on opening day, Saturday, both Senior Pastor Lawrence and Priscilla made an unforgettable debut in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which left the crowds spell bounded by their signature dynamic chemistry, personality and mastery of the craft at both the afternoon and evening performances.
Publicity for the show that was spearheaded by Calvary Church was well received, and the news covered by local media, The Star, headlined the show as an award winning production that was set to "enthrall Kuala Lumpur." It therefore came as no surprise that the two performances saw the auditorium filled - with many coming an hour early to stand by the main doors with hopes of getting the best seats in the house. Although this signature production has been staged numerous times back in Singapore and recently around the world, its 'magical' lustre and magnetism still shines. As both award winning illusionists seamlessly executed the repertoire of illusions to tell the Easter message of Faith, Hope and Love, it became apparent and fitting that this debut presentation in the city of Kuala Lumpur was renamed Star of Wonder.
Judging from reactions by the audience throughout the show, the production lived up to its title. It was a non-stop visual and illusion extravaganza that kept everyone at the edge of their seats. The illusions even got too 'real' for a member of the audience when he backed out from the 'Head Chopper' illusion at the last minute! A first for this production. Amidst the magic and spectacular visuals, it was Senior Pastor Lawrence's sharing and altar call at the end of each performance that took the spotlight. For both performances, a sea of hands was raised during his invitation to become disciples of Jesus. Adults, teens and children came forward to acknowledge Christ before everyone - an outward expression of genuine repentance and faith in Christ. By the end of both performances on Saturday, 8,742 people came from all over Malaysia to witness this magical extravaganza, with a total of 113 salvations recorded – a testament to the evangelistic strength of Gateway Entertainment's unique tool of using the arts to share God's Word.
"A person only retains a small percentage of what they hear. But if you give them visual illustrations along with the lesson, their retention factor greatly increases," says Executive Producer and Gateway Entertainment's CEO, Senior Pastor Nina Khong. "Add to the illustration a mystery or surprise, you lock in on their curiosity which enables them to remember what you've shared over a long period of time. That's the key strength of Gateway Entertainment, and what Senior Pastor Lawrence's vision is all about!"
Senior Pastor Nina Khong posing for a photo with Senior Pastor Petrina Guneratnam of Calvary Church
Set Up & Rehearsals
April 16 & 17, 2014
Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong and Gateway Entertainment's strategic expansion of its presence and mission of serving the nations continues with the debut of Easter Magic in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur this week. Renamed Star of Wonder, this latest project to bring the Easter message of Faith, Hope and Love is a collaborative effort between Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur and Gateway Entertainment. No stranger to Senior Pastor Lawrence's mandate of transforming the Arts and Entertainment landscape through the art of illusion-theatre, the staging of Gateway Entertainment's signature production was opportune in reaching out to the most populous city in Malaysia during this holy week of Easter.
"Bringing Star of Wonder to Kuala Lumpur is a timely and divine opportunity to further establish God's Kingdom through Arts and Entertainment with Calvary Church. I'm really happy that my dear friend Pastor Prince Guneratnam agreed to organise and host our debut performance in Kuala Lumpur," said Senior Pastor Lawrence at the start of rehearsals which began in earnest on Tuesday.
As with previous productions, building and producing the stagecraft for the Star of Wonder was not easy - requiring long hours of hard labour, team work… and lots of perspiration. This time round, over 40 equipment boxes were shipped from home in a 40-foot and a 20-foot container. In total, the entire Gateway Entertainment production crew had to manage over seven-tons of equipment which were unpacked and set up in a record time of one day – thanks to the solid teamwork and corporation of staff and crew, plus a few volunteers from Calvary Church.
"It gets better as we continue to fine tune the work flow and processes to make our productions ready for the road," said Gateway Entertainment's Deputy CEO Jonathan Ow. "In the Arts and Entertainment arena, you just don't have the luxury of time for a long drawn set-up. And being able to set up shop quickly and efficiently at any location, under any circumstance, is important as we move forward to bring our productions like this and VISION across the globe to various countries."
What the luxury that the cast and crew did have was a full-fledged performance centre – complete with a spacious stage and a generous comfortable auditorium with excellent acoustics. Calvary Convention Centre itself is a unique and iconic landmark that stands out in the dense Damansara Heights neighbourhood. An ambitious building project that started in January 2003, the Centre is a giant six-storey glass multiplex with a total built up area of about 600,000 sq ft with dozens of seminar and meeting rooms. It even has an educational and training annex with hostel facilities and rooms as part of the Church's holistic approach to nation building.
More importantly, the auditorium has a generous proscenium stage that provides a clear ample 'window' that frames the production taking place on the stage. This gives everyone in the audience a good view because the performers need only focus on one direction rather than continually moving around the stage to give the audience a good view from all sides.
"When it comes to elaborate stagecraft productions such as Star of Wonder, it's important that we have ample space to set up props," said Felina Khong, producer, when she first saw the auditorium. "It also creates a sense of grandeur with the proscenium arch acting as a picture frame, giving the audience greater depth of the scene and bringing them even closer to production."
If indeed the theatre stage is a window to hearts and minds of the playwright and performers, Kuala Lumpur is set to witness a powerful story of God's ultimate sacrifice and divine love gift to mankind as Star of Wonder opens this weekend.
This Easter, the city of Kuala Lumpur is set to be mesmerised by Senior Pastor Lawrence and Priscilla Khong's award-winning magical theatre presentation entitled "Star of Wonder". The presentation, which will be held on the weekend of April 19 & 20, 2014 tells the wonderful story of faith, hope and love. It is a collaborative effort of Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur and Gateway Entertainment.
"This is not just another entertainment. It is one that will evoke a great sense of hope, coupled with many moments of laughter and awe" said Project Coordinator Rev Richard Yun, Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur.
As with all Gateway Entertainment productions, Senior Pastor Lawrence will be sharing a hope-filled message at the end of each performance. As a Church, let us keep Senior Pastors Lawrence and Nina, Priscilla Khong, and the entire cast and crew of "Star of Wonder" in prayer as they serve the city of Kuala Lumpur this Easter.