BWW Review: Religion, Politics, Baseball – America’s Favorite Pastimes Come …
Just in case you only read the first paragraph of this review, here’s the most important bit: you still have four chances to see all three parts of Sarah Ruhl’s PASSION PLAY. Details here: http://www.shaking-the-tree.com/passion-play.html.
PASSION PLAY is an epic piece in which a troupe of actors stages the Passion of the Christ at three different politically charged points in history. Part I takes place in England in 1575, just before Elizabeth I banned the putting on of religious plays; Part II in Oberammergau, Bavaria, in 1934, just as Hitler is coming into power; and Part III in Spearfish, South Dakota, between 1969 and 1984 as the nation is reeling from the Vietnam War. The current PASSION PLAY is a collaboration between Shaking the Tree and Profile Theatre. Parts I and II were performed a few weeks ago in a festival format at Profile, and Part III is now running as a standalone play at Shaking the Tree.
PASSION PLAY PART III centers on a group of actors who have been performing the Passion together in small-town North Dakota for years. This isn’t just a group of actors, it’s a family. The actor who plays Pontius Pilate is both the husband of the actress who plays Mary and the brother of the actor who plays Jesus. And he’s about to leave for