Corpus Christi (play)
Corpus Christi | |
---|---|
Written by | Terrence McNally in 1997 |
Date premiered | New York City, 1998 |
Original language | English |
Corpus Christi is a 1998 American play by
Character list
The play was written for 13 male actors, all of which will play a variety of roles except Joshua and Judas.
- Joshua – represents Jesus
- John – a writer, brother to James
- Also plays: Angry Man in motel, Dub Taylor, Hypocrite, Simon of Cyrenae
- James – a teacher
- Also plays: Woman Next Door in motel, Jimmy, Little Boy
- Peter – a young man who sells fish
- Also plays: Mary, Spider Sloan
- masseur
- Also plays: Man Next Door in motel, Bert Moody, Pilate's Wife
- Philip – a hustler
- Also plays: Joseph, Mrs. McElroy, Carpenter, Pontius Pilate
- Bartholomew – a doctor and James’ lover
- Also plays: Motel Manager, Peggy Powell, Nun
- Judas Iscariot – a restaurateur
- Matthew – a lawyer
- Also plays: Frightened Woman in motel, Priest, High Priest, Philistine
- Thomas – an actor
- Also plays: Room Service #3, Sister Joseph, Patricia, Lazarus, Soldier
- James the Less – an architect
- Also plays: God, Billy Brown, Poor Woman
- Simon – a singer
- Also plays: Room Service #1
- Thaddeus – a hairdresser
- Also plays: Room Service #2, Roman Centurion, Barrabas
Stage design
The stage is very minimal with benches upstage for the characters to sit on while not participating in a scene. When the actors enter and exit scenes, they simply step forward to the stage or backward to the benches. The play was written with only two design elements in mind— a small pool of water and a fire, both on the stage floor.
Synopsis
The audience meets each character at the very beginning of the play after each is baptized by the character John. After each baptism, the actor speaks directly to the audience to give a description of their character. In this scene, Joshua is told by John he is the Son of God, and then Joshua baptizes John. The next scene is a description of Mary birthing Joshua in a motel which begins and ends with the actors singing lyrics of modern-day Christmas songs. The play cuts rapidly between conversations amongst the characters at the motel where God eventually speaks to Joshua to direct him and tell him what will happen in his life.
Next, the characters move quickly through different settings of high school, focusing on prom where Joshua wins the superlative “Most Likely to Take it Up the Hershey Highway.”[2] Then, Joshua and Judas kiss in the boys’ bathroom and later make out on the beach. The next day Joshua begins to wander and travel. He hitches a ride with a blind truck driver and Joshua heals him of leprosy and heals his eyes so that he can see. The truck driver kicks Joshua out so that he can help the world with his powers.
The next scene first takes place with Joshua in the desert, representing the Bible story of Jesus’ 40 days and nights spent in the desert. Then, Joshua finds his way into the city where he performs the many miracles that Jesus is capable of. After these miracles, all twelve actors stand together to represent the twelve disciples. Joshua goes on to marry James and Bartholomew to each other because no one else would. McNally emphasizes here that Joshua chose to focus on the love aspect of scripture rather than the judgement aspect.
They all return to Corpus Christi to act out the Last Supper and then Joshua's crucifixion. Judas betrays Joshua and turns him in to Pontius Pilate. The disciples then act as the city's people and vote to save the life of Barabbas the thief and have Joshua crucified for being gay. For the crucifixion, Thaddeus nails the first nail, Matthew nails the second and third nails that pin Joshua to the cross. From the crowd, some disciples mock Joshua and accuse him of not being the Son of God because he is being murdered for being gay. This scene is gruesome to emphasize the pain that hate causes.
Similar to the beginning, the play ends with the actors addressing the audience to provide an explanation. They state that Joshua, in reference to Jesus, loved everyone despite their potential sins.
Reception
The play received critical attention for its exploration of gay themes in
Productions
The planned production of the play in New York City was canceled and then reinstated.[8] Because of protests, the producer of the play, the Manhattan Theatre Club, withdrew the play in May 1998, worried about possible violence. They then quickly reinstated it, stating that they did not believe in censorship but also noting that security precautions would be taken. The play opened Off-Broadway in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at New York City Center Stage 1 on October 13, 1998, directed by Joe Mantello,[9] and closed on November 29, 1998. The original production featured the following cast:[2]
- Joshua – Anson Mount
- John – Michael Irby
- James – Sean Dugan
- Peter – Michael Hall
- Andrew – Greg Zola
- Philip – Matthew Mabe
- Bartholomew – Jeremy Shamos
- Judas Iscariot – Josh Lucas
- Matthew – Drew McVety
- Thomas – Christopher Fitzgerald
- James the Less – Ken Leung
- Simon – Ben Sheaffer
- Thaddeus – Troy Sostillio
Corpus Christi received its British premiere in 2000, produced by Theatre 28 and directed by
A 2004 production at
The play was revived by the
In March 2010, a student performance of the play was cancelled at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. The university had received many complaints about the play's scheduled performance, but its president, F. Dominic Dottavio, citing freedom of speech, declared that the play would be performed.[13] Dottavio's condemnation of the play in the same letter, though, has been criticized by campus free speech groups as giving encouragement to people trying to shut down the production.[14] After Texas's Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst weighed in saying, "No one should have the right to use government funds or institutions to portray acts that are morally reprehensible to the vast majority of Americans," the performance was cancelled citing safety concerns.[15][16]
The planned staging of the play in Athens, Greece, in October 2012 led to violent protests by party members and clergymen, with journalists and audience members being banned in the theater, and the premiere was cancelled.[17][18] An Off West End production took place at the Arcola Theatre in London UK, March 2018 as part of the Creative Disruption Festival.
Documentary film
A film about the staging of the play and its reception, titled Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption, was released in 2011.[citation needed] It was previewed at the Atlanta Film Festival on May 7, 2011.[19]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Sterngold, James. "Censorship in the Age of Anything Goes; For Artistic Freedom, It's Not the Worst of Times" The New York Times, September 20, 1998
- ^ a b McNally, Terrence. Corpus Christi. Dramatists Play Service Inc, 1999.
- ^ "'Family' Gathers at the Theater Hall of Fame", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 25, 1996, pp C-1
- ^ Owen, Charis. "`Jesus is gay' play at Fringe", The Independent, July 17, 1999
- ^ Kiehl, Stephen. "Lawmakers Threaten FAU Over Gay Christ Play", Palm Beach Post, March 30, 2001, p.1A.
- ^ Applebome, Peter. "Theater Club Changes Stance: Play To Go On despite Threats", The New York Times, May 30, 1998, p.5D
- Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages.
- ^ a b Hoyt, Clark (November 9, 2008). "The Perilous Intersection of Art and Religion". New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- Simonson, Robert. "Terrence McNally's 'Corpus Christi' Opens at Manhattan Theatre Club Oct. 13" Archived 2014-05-12 at the Wayback Machineplaybill.com, October 13, 1998
- ^ "Gay Jesus play blasted by bishop" smh.com.au, 2008
- ^ Simonson, Robert (December 10, 2004). "McNally's Corpus Christi Ignites Protest in Scotland". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Zinoman, Jason. "Theater Review. 'Corpus Christi'" The New York Times, October 21, 2008
- ^ Letter Archived 2016-08-21 at the Wayback Machine by F. Dominic Dottavio posted on Tarleton State website
- ^ [1] thefire.org
- ^ "Play’s cancellation ‘right thing to do,’ Dewhurst says" Archived 2010-11-08 at the Wayback Machine Ralph K.M. Haurwitz, Austin American-Statesman, March 27, 2010
- ^ Hamilton, Reeve.The Gay-Jesus Place Archived 2010-04-01 at the Wayback Machine The Texas Tribune, March 29, 2010
- ^ Rioting outside theater in Iera Odos Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine, NewsIt, 12 October 2012 (in Greek)
- ^ "Greece, in 2012: fascists beating up people while the police look on", The Guardian, 12 October 2012
- ^ Bagby, Dyana (May 7, 2011). "'Corpus Christi' film about gay Jesus screens today at Atlanta Film Fest". The Georgia Voice. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
Sources
- ISBN 0-7475-4789-0
- ISBN 0-8021-3635-4
External links
- Internet Off-Broadway Database listing
- A review of the 1998 production from CurtainUp.com
- Official site for the movie, Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption at the Wayback Machine (archived 2011-02-26)