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- Sandbox for the article on Corpus Christi (play)
| Corpus Christi | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Terrence McNally |
| Date premiered | 13 October 1998 |
| Place premiered | Manhattan Theatre Club, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Passion play |
| Setting | Texas |
Corpus Christi is a passion play by Terrence McNally that dramatizes the story of Jesus and the Apostles.[1] It depicts them as gay men living in modern-day Texas. The Jesus character is renamed "Joshua" while the Apostles retain their biblical names.[2] The play utilizes modern devices (for example, the use of television) with anachronisms (such as Roman occupation). In this version, Judas betrays Joshua because of sexual jealousy, while Joshua is condemned to death for having presided over the marriage of two of his disciples.[2] The play shows "the self-righteous people who are quick to judge others to be the real blasphemers against religion and life, and the marginalized and seemingly unorthodox to be the genuinely blessed."[3]
The play received both critical acclaim for its exploration of gay themes in Christianity and condemnation for what some religious people viewed as blasphemy. The playwright received death threats when it was played in the United States.[4] It was directed in New York City by Joe Mantello, opening on the 13 October 1998 at the Manhattan Theatre Club.[1] It received its British premiere in 2000, produced by Theatre 28 and directed by Stephen Henry. This production received a fatwa, issued by the Islamist militant Omar Bakri Muhammad.[5]
Reception
[edit]Without having seen the play, religious groups (such as the Catholic League) condemned it for the connection it made between contemporary gay lives and the life of Jesus.[6]
When it was produced as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Anglican bishop Robert Forsyth considered the play to be offensive and historically incorrect. [7]
In March 2010, a student workshop performance of the play was canceled at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. The university had received some complaints about the play's scheduled performance, but its president, F. Dominic Dottavio, citing freedom of speech, declared that the play would be performed.[8]
However, 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. It was to have been a single performance for a student directing class.[9][10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b McNally (1998).
- ^ a b Berube (2002, 116).
- ^ Frontain (2003, 232).
- ^ Taylor and Lau (2008) and AFP (2008).
- ^ Eyre and Wright (2000, 396) and Manji (2005).
- ^ Fisher (2008, 25).
- ^ Gay Jesus play blasted by bishop
- ^ Letter by F. Dominic Dottavio posted on Tarleton State website
- ^ Play’s cancellation ‘right thing to do,’ Dewhurst says Ralph K.M. Haurwitz, Austin American-Statesman, March 27, 2010
- ^ The Gay-Jesus Place Reeve Hamilton The Texas Tribune, March 29, 2010]
Sources
[edit]- Abblebome, Peter. 1998. "Theater Club Changes Stance: Play To Go On Despite Threats." New York Times 30 May: 5D.
- Berube, Maurice R. 2002. "A Postmodern Jesus." Beyond Modernism and Postmodernism: Essays on the Politics of Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood. 113-118. ISBN 0897898052.
- Blankenship, Mark. 2008 "Moments in History, Converging Anew." New York Times 15 Oct. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- Eads, Martha Greene. 2005. "Conversion Tactics in Terrence McNally's and Paul Rudnick's Gay Gospels." Modern Drama 48.1 (Spring): 163-185.
- Eyre, Richard and Nicholas Wright. 2000. Changing Stages: A View of British Theatre in the Twentieth Century. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747547890.
- Fisher, James. 2008. "From Tolerance to Liberation: Gay Drama in the Mainstream from Torch Song Trilogy and The Normal Heart to Angels in America, Love! Valour! Compassion! and Take Me Out." In "We Will Be Citizens": New Essays on Gay and Lesbian Theatre. Ed. James Fisher. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 7-31. ISBN 078643418X.
- Frontain, Raymond-Jean. 2003. "'All Men are Divine': Religious Mystery and Homosexual Identity in Terrance McNally's Corpus Christi." In Reclaiming the Sacred: the Bible in Gay and Lesbian Literature. Ed. Raymond-Jean Frontain. 2nd ed. Binghampton, NY: Harworth. 231-258. ISBN 1560233559.
- Harris, Rachel Lee. 2010. "'Corpus Christi' Canceled in Texas." New York Times 28 Mar. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- Hoyt, Clark. 2008. "The Perilous Intersection of Art and Religion." New York Times 9 Nov. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- Kiehl, Stephen. 2001. "Lawmakers Threaten FAU Over Gay Christ Play." Palm Beach Post 30 Mar.: 1A.
- Manji, Irshad. 2005. "Why Tolerate the Hate?" New York Times 9 Aug. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- McNally, Terrence. 1999. Corpus Christi. New York: Grove. ISBN 0802136354.
- Owen, Charis. 1999. "'Jesus is Gay' Play at Fringe." The Independent 17 July. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- Sterngold, James. 1998. "Censorship in the Age of Anything Goes; For Artistic Freedom, It's Not the Worst of Times." New York Times 20 Sept. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- Taylor, Andrew, and Kristie Lau. 2008. "Gay Jesus Play Blasted by Bishop." The Sydney Morning Herald 20 Jan. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- Zinoman, Jason. 2008. "A Modern, Gay You-Know-Who Superstar." New York Times 22 Oct. Retrieved 7 April 2010.