Joshua (Adam Turck, center) faces his tormentors (Eddie Webster and Lucian Restivo). (Photo by John MacLellan)
THE PLAY: A re-imagined telling of the story of Jesus set in 20th century Texas, considering the concept that Christ and all his disciples were gay.
THE PRODUCTION: It's not often that a play starts with a campy style, then slowly and subtly turns into a powerful drama. Thanks to the superb ensemble and Dexter Ramey's skilled direction this production achieves that effect.
The play is presented in a story-theatre style with minimal props and most of the actors jumping into quick flights of characters, often with humorous effect. The dialogue is peppered with genuinely funny sassy gay asides. As the narrative moves to its inexorable end, the mood darkens.
The cast is uniformly enjoyable. There are very few moments that don't work. In the pivotal role, Adam Turck skillfully embodies sweet innocence with comic aplomb, while portraying the pressure of his impending fate with touching results.
For the set, T. Ross Aitken used a simple, appropriate dock motif draped with netting to reflect the "fishers of men" concept. D. Mark Souza also kept it basic by putting the 13 men in khakis and white button down shirts. Andrew Bonniwell's lighting effectively reinforces the drama, while the blue lights under the stage create a cool water effect. The sound design by Lucien Restivo never gets in the way, but adds to the show's mood.
Running time: 1:48 (no intermission)
THE POINT: Despite the campy fun and controversial reframing, this is moving appreciation of love and respect for all humankind. That message is made even more effective by the excellent production.
The Richmond Triangle Players production of "Corpus Christi" runs through Feb. 24.
Read more reviews by Jerry Williams on SIFTER (TVJerry.com).
