It may sound like an unlikely match — an evangelical Hollywood veteran producing a musical about a teenage Catholic saint. But for "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer, the story of St. Bernadette Soubirous — a young French girl who reported multiple apparitions of the Virgin Mary between February and July 1858 at a grotto in the village of Lourdes — proved impossible to forget."You can't turn your back on this," said Grammer last week at Chicago's Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture, where he and some cast members previewed the American debut of "Bernadette: The Musical."'I wanted to be part of it because the simple beauty of this young lady who told the truth and stuck to it through amazing pressure, she earned her sainthood.'“This young girl had a ... stick-to-itiveness and tenacity that can only come from the innocence of a child," Grammer continued. Already a hit in France, the show depicts the young Bernadette persisting in her claims despite skepticism from townsfolk and the local priest. "That energy in the face of pure innocence becomes a really interesting battle,” said Grammer.Soubirous subsequently became a nun, dying at 35. She was canonized in 1933. The site of the visitations is now the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a popular pilgrimage site for believers seeking miraculous healings.Simple beautyIntroducing a selection of songs from the musical, Grammer emphasized the connection he felt to the project.“I wanted to be part of it because the simple beauty of this young lady who told the truth and stuck to it through amazing pressure, she earned her sainthood,” he said.“Man’s search for faith on this planet is part of why we're here. Part of our understanding of being a human being is to figure out where we fit in the universe and what our relationship is like to the creator of that universe, and I'm delighted to be here to take the story further for people.”'Jesus made a difference'Grammer has made no secret of his Christian faith. In 2023 he starred as Pastor Chuck Smith in "Jesus Revolution" — a role he said helped him find peace with God in the face of his own past struggles, which included drug and alcohol addiction as well as the murder of his younger sister in 1975. "Jesus made a difference in my life," he told USA Today while promoting the movie. "That's not anything I'll apologize for."Speaking alongside show director Serge Denoncourt and fellow lead producer Pierre Ferragu, Grammer recalled being introduced to "Bernadette: The Musical" by his friend Fr. Mark Haydu, former international director of the Patrons of the Arts at the Vatican Museums.RELATED: Kelsey Grammer says he still supports Donald Trump Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty ImagesMic dropGrammer said he was particularly moved by the "mic drop" moment in which Bernadette finally convinces her priest of the truth of her visions. The vision tells her, "Tell them you’re speaking to the Immaculate Conception." ... She goes to the priest, and he asks "Who is it?" She says the Immaculate Conception, and he falls to his knees and is convinced. Because in her own limited history of faith, she does not know what they would even mean.Grammer remains one of Hollywood’s most unapologetic and outspoken conservatives. A longtime Tea Party supporter and climate change skeptic, he has repeatedly endorsed President Donald Trump and spoken proudly about his beliefs. As he told the Times earlier this year, “It’s great to have somebody who actually means what they say [in office].”"Bernadette: The Musical" will begin its nationwide tour in February 2026 at the Athenaeum Center in Chicago and is slated to tour at least 13 major cities.

A 26-year-old South Carolina mother was arrested Monday morning after being accused of a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy in a vehicle while her three children were present, WBTW-TV reported.Lake City Police charged Aladrian Chandler with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, the station said.'Disgusting. ... And to do it with your children in the vehicle and take away their innocence?!?!'Chandler acknowledged a sexual encounter, WBTW said, citing a police report — but she denied having intercourse and said she believed the boy was older than he told her.The station said the report indicates the boy told officers that he and Chandler met while she was delivering food, and they exchanged phone numbers and began texting each other. The alleged incident occurred Nov. 16, WBTW reported.Police began investigating two days after the alleged incident after Chandler reported that a gun had been stolen from her vehicle, the station said.The report added that during the investigation, Chandler gave police a written statement saying the boy took the gun out of her car when she went to a friend’s house to talk about how the boy had been talking to her, WBTW reported.Florence County Detention Center records indicate Chandler remained behind bars Wednesday morning on no bond.RELATED: Mother chaperoned junior high dance — then had a baby with her daughter's teen date: Court docs Image source: Lake City (S.C.) PoliceA number of commenters under WBTW's Facebook post about the incident were taken aback by the accusations against the mother of three:"People are getting sicker and sicker," one commenter wrote."What the hell!!!" another user exclaimed."Real classy," another commenter noted. "People make me sick.""Pedophilia at its finest," another user observed. "Disgusting. ... And to do it with your children in the vehicle and take away their innocence?!?! How shameful and sickening."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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