Also, the temple workers seem to be chosen for their ability to memorize the tedious, lengthy script, rather than for their dramatic talent. "Eve" can be a septuagenarian with a hurricane/beehive "do" and rhinestone eyeglasses.
We went once to the Salt Lake Temple for a live session. It was more interesting than watching the movie. Older people represented Adam and Eve, instead of a "Naked and Afraid" young couple,and we moved from room to room. You start out in the "Telestial room, than move to the Terrestrial room, and then through the veil to the Celestial room.
I've heard it's just salt Lake city and Manti temple where they use live actors instead of the film. I attended one in Manti over ten years go. It was terrible. The actors are worse than the poorest actors you would find in a middle school production, and they're all getting up there in years. I don't mean to disrespect my elders, but the AARP members chosen to be in the cast that I saw were not particularly convincing in the roles of the newly innocence-deprived and nubile Adam and Eve. In the session that I attended, Eve had a great deal of trouble remembering her lines. (So will I if anyone is stupid enough to give me a role in the temple drama when I'm 80.) None of the actors I saw recited their lines with anything resembling convincing emotion.
I didn't meet my new in-laws until after we were married, because my new FIL was a mission president in Hawaii. We all went through the temple together, where they still did live performances. The lines were recited, like a junior high school kid reading a talk--expressionless and quick, to get it over with. Moving from room to room keeps you awake, but I think it takes longer than the movie.
After the temple session, we all had a luau at the Poly Cultural Center, with the family's friends. I was introduced to the Stake President, who looked familiar, but I couldn't place how I knew him, and when I remembered, I blurted out, "Satan! He was Satan." That didn't go over very well with the in-laws.
I preferred the live Endowment over the movie. (I'd compare it to going to see a horror movie at a theater--in the dark--vs. watching it at home--on video--with the lights on.)
The best role is Satan, of course. The actor playing him has the freedom to make that part come alive. He's also got some pretty good lines, too! Compare that with say, Peter, "We are true messengers..," Yeah, says who? But, I digress.
Yes, the actors have to memorize the script and say it perfectly. But, it's fun to hear regional dialects such as the word, nakkid. And when someone really screws up theirs lines, it can be amusing. But, the folks playing the parts are sincere and spend many hours memorizing their lines.
There's no temptation for me to get a rise out of Eve in the live Endowment. In the movie, Eve's pretty, albeit VERY stupid. In the live version, she's old and wrinkled.
Besides, the interiors of the Manti and Salt Lake temples are very pretty and one can admire the murals and craftsmanship when bored.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2017 11:56AM by BYU Boner.
Was sealed 30 yrs ago in SL temple live session. I thought it was pretty good. Until I had to disembowel myself at the end. Thankfully that part was pantomimed.
I remember really old people (older than I am now!) with old people voices talking about how they were going to go forth and multiply. It was simultaneously creepy and funny.
One time a little old lady amazingly seemed to doze off between her speaking parts. We must have been keeping her up.
I only went to the Salt Lake temple once. I hated it. I'm sure I would have fallen asleep if you didn't have to get up and change rooms. The guy playing Satan was the only one that did any acting. It was mostly just old guys reciting the lines in monotone voices. The films were boring as hell, but the live version was far worse.
Michael Ballam in the 1990ish version of the movie, as Satan, is absolutely brilliant. His over the top performance is the only thing that kept me going to the temple.
I got to meet him once, at his theatre in Logan. Such a nice guy.
Saw it once at the SLC temple, one of the few places it's still done live (Manti and St. George others? Not sure.)
The use of very old people (70s) as actors took away a lot of the verisimilitude (as much as it's possible to have realism given the plot.) I understand the logistics, but surely you'd think they could find some younger folks for these roles.
It was interesting for the live aspect but I secretly found myself hoping something would go wrong and someone would flub a line or something.
All the endowments (live or recorded) would be much better imo with no visual at all, just the recorded audio over the speakers. It's much less silly when you can use your own imagination.
My only time at SLC found the entire cast to be old geezers. At one point on the stairs, Adam opened his mouth and out fell his upper plate. It bounced off someone before landing on a step. There were a bunch of "Oh my's" and a few "poor dears" that filled the session. One guy started to snicker then almost died from laughing. That guy was me! I couldn't help myself and a bunch of strangers were shushing me like a den of snakes. I got elbowed too. One of the temple workers ordered me to settle down or I would be banished from the hallway. Sadly, I was permitted to finish the session after Adam put his teeth back in.