The Mysteries Conceived and directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The MysteriesConceived and directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar Jill Stevenson THE MYSTERIES. Conceived and directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar. The Flea Theater, New York City. 24May 2014. Among the many revivals and adaptations of medieval drama that I have seen, the Flea Theater’s production of The Mysterieswas arguably the best at capturing the communal spirit and anachronistic humor that I have always believed energized the original medieval performances. The project involved forty-eight playwrights, among them Amy Freed, Madeleine George, David Henry Hwang, Craig Lucas, and Dael Orlandersmith, who (very loosely) adapted pageants from the medieval York cycle. The play was structured as fifty-two episodes divided into three acts—each separated by a thirty-minute intermission during which dinner and dessert were served—and was performed by fifty-four actors, most of whom were members of The Bats, the Flea’s resident company. Consequently, although presented in a small, intimate theatre rather than on wagons proceeding through city streets, as was the case in York, The Mysteriesoperated on a large scale that evoked the original medieval tradition. The play featured a wide range of dramatic approaches, with a number of playwrights employing parody. For example, Yussef El Guindi adapted “The Conspiracy” into a Hollywood Western, with Pilate played as a sheriff/cowboy and Caiaphas as a stereotypical American Indian. In another case, Nick Jones reinvented Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac into a reality television–type family drama, complete with exaggerated Southern accents. In doing so, Jones also transformed the biblical event from a sincere test of Abraham by God into a vindictive trick by Hagar, the mother of Abraham’s first son Ishmael. It is clear the playwrights were given a great deal of freedom in how they modified the original material, especially with respect to theology, and many offered postcolonial and feminist perspectives on the biblical stories. In most cases, I found this very effective. One of the more captivating choices was in “The Prophecy,” adapted by the New York–based ensemble playwriting company CollaborationTown. Here, Jesus’s conception was staged as a rape by the angel Gabriel. Although the act was somewhat tempered by the fact that Gabriel was played by a woman (Alice Allemano), the rhythmic clapping and stomping of the Angel Chorus that ringed the space gave the aggressive assault on Mary (Allison Buck) a threatening and sinister quality. This interpretation was reinforced in the following play, “The Annunciation” by Jordan Harrison, which was staged as a conversation between Mary and a physician. In response to Mary’s repeated claims of virginity, despite being five-months pregnant, the Doctor asserted: “I already told you that I deal with the Observable world. . . . For instance, that the abrasions and lacerations to her external genitalia were consistent with forced entry. For instance, that her psychological profile was consistent with survivors of incest. For instance, that her hymen appeared to be . . . intact.” Therefore, despite the diversity of interpretations, it appeared that the director, Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, and dramaturg, Jill Rafson, may have worked with the playwrights to build connections among certain plays. The result was a five-and-one-half-hour production that felt remarkably cohesive. This was due, in part, to the same actors playing key roles across the pageants, something that was not the case in medieval York. The first episode, “Song of Triumph (Lucifer’s Lament),” introduced the play’s central characters—Gabriel and Lucifer (Asia Kate Dillon). Although Jesus (Colin Waitt) was a significant character in act 2 and during the first half of act 3, it was Gabriel’s and Lucifer’s differing responses to God’s authority that propelled the story forward. This difference was established in the second episode, written by Liz Duffy Adams, in which Lucifer accuses Gabriel of “groveling” before God rather than truly loving him as she does. When God (Matthew Jeffers, in a track suit and gold chains) banished Lucifer, she said: “I wonder if someday you’ll learn what [End Page 591]love really is. I wonder if someday it will break your heart. I wonder what will happen when the Heart of God breaks.” Click for larger view View...