Omaha World Herald Review, Published Saturday
November 24, 2001

Lead actors shine in 'Corpus Christi,' modern Jesus story
BY JOHN KEENAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The first line of Terrence McNally's "Corpus Christi," currently playing at the Snap!/Shelterbelt Theatre, promises an "old and familiar story."

It's correct, but only in one sense. "Corpus Christi" is a re-imagined story of Jesus, which tells of a new messiah, a gay man called Joshua, born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The premise enraged the Catholic League almost from its inception, but McNally's goals are provocative in a different direction. Rather than re-imagining a historical Jesus, he seems more interested in examining the fate of a gay man who arrived in the modern world with the same messages and gifts that Jesus brought. The result - rejection, scorn, torture and death - would ring true even if Matthew Shepard hadn't been killed in Laramie, Wyo., the day before the original production of "Corpus Christi" opened.

McNally strings together episodes in Joshua's life that mirror those of Jesus', including the virgin birth, the temptation in the desert, the resurrection of Lazarus, the 30 pieces of silver, the last supper and, of course, the crucifixion.

But McNally alternates them with scenes in modern times - Joshua facing scorn in high school, Joshua hitchhiking, the disciples enjoying themselves at a disco - which gives the play a weird, disconnected vibe, as if the characters existed outside of time.

With most of the actors playing more than one role - Nick Zadina as Joshua and Michal Simpson as Judas are the only two that don't - the play has an allegorical tone that is inescapable.

Some critics have suggested that the modern sequences may be somewhat autobiographical, because McNally grew up in Corpus Christi.

These autobiographical sequences, if that's what they are, are among the drama's most compelling, and Zadina is very good in these scenes as a young Joshua struggles not only with his awakening sexuality, but with his awakening divinity.

It doesn't all work - Satan in the form of James Dean is an odd choice - but the play draws a good deal of its power from these scenes, which speak to a disconnection from other people and a sense of not belonging that a young Jesus very easily may have felt.

The retelling of the basic New Testament stories actually is less compelling, a bit episodic, although McNally throws in a twist or two. But theatergoers may find themselves almost counting down to the crucifixion, a sequence beautifully staged by director Don Nguyen.

The cast as a whole is strong. Thomas Lowe is a standout in the role of Simon Peter, and he also plays the Virgin Mary and a high-school classmate of Joshua's called Spider Sloan.

Damion Smith is also memorable as James the Less, and he is very good as Patricia, Joshua's unfortunate prom date. Also memorable are Daniel Saucedo, Jerry Evert and Edward Baye.

Still, the production rises and falls with Zadina and Simpson, and the two actors nail their roles, demonstrating a palpable chemistry as well.

Zadina has the more challenging assignment as the center of the play, and he is quite good, although his righteous anger sometimes seems only loud. Zadina also has the play's best line: After he strikes down a priest, one disciple protests, "But you told us we should always turn the other cheek," to which Joshua retorts "I must have been in a very good mood that day."

Simpson gives a quieter performance, never quite fitting into the group and often suggesting a lurking quality. His second line - "What about me?" - is full of foreboding, and he carries out the inevitable treachery with a sense of superiority and sorrow that makes for a strange but compelling mixture.

There is no curtain call for "Corpus Christi," a decision that works, giving the play's somber conclusion more resonance. A thought-provoking work, "Corpus Christi" offers its own kind of reverence.