Passion Play Online Article Regarding Audiences Reactions to the Passion Play

AUDIENCE RESPONSE TO PASSION PLAY

AUDIENCE RESPONSE TO PASSION PLAY

Hello, Audience! 

If you've just experienced the magic of Sarah Ruhl's PASSION PLAY, you must have questions, emotions, concerns, moments and other thoughts about it, and we want to hear them all. Here's a place for you to continue the conversation you had on your way out the door, tell us what resonates with you, and see what other people are sharing about their experience with PASSION PLAY.

We welcome positive and critical responses, so let's follow the guidance of a wise fellow blogger and only say things you'd feel comfortable saying face to face. And we'd love to know who you are, so include your name if you're comfortable!

Some questions to get you started (feel free to answer one, some, all, or make up your own):

• What moment or image from the play still resonates with you?
• When have you lost faith in something you strongly believed in, and how did you respond to that loss?
• What role does art play in your faith or religious practices?
• Which character(s) did you relate to most, and how so? Did you resent any of the characters at some point? Why?
• Have you ever felt that an institution or government tried to change your beliefs to fit its agenda?
• How did the physical space of Irondale Center impact your experience of PASSION PLAY? 
• If you stayed for the talk-back, what did you learn more about? What did you want to say but didn't have the chance to express?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and continuing the dialogue - if you haven't seen the play yet, there's still time! Purchase tickets here.

Posted on Tue, May 18, 2010 by Jill Seplowitz 

• Sarah Ruhl
 
• Passion Play
 
• Audience Response

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27 COMMENTS (ADD YOUR OWN)

1. wrote:

I could not stop crying for 20 minutes after the end of the play. I teared up, stopped, then started bawling again. It is beautiful, heart-wrenching, funny, and moving. The roles of Village Idiot/Violet and P/Pontious had an eerie connection. It seemed like they both can see, or want to see, something that no one else in their village can see - a truth. When Violet can see the ships in the sky (the ships that are supposedly P's delusion), that solidified their connection for me. He does mention that Violet "looks like my brother but is crazy like me." They both do say some odd things that no one really understands but them... Violet is an outsider to her village and gets shut into a box. P is an outsider and gets shut out of the Passion Play, and his family's life. There is something there that I would love to hear more about - this connection they have. I can't quite put my finger on what it means. I need to see this play over and over and over. There is so much to take in. I LOVE IT.

Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 10:25 AM

2. Hayley wrote:

Passion play was an experience not to be forgotten. I didn’t know much about the plot or playwright before seeing the play but at the end of the performance I felt educated, interested, and stirred by the issues raised in the play. I don’t want to divulge too many details, for those who want to watch it like I did without knowing too much from the start. I highly recommend Passion Play to anyone who has an interest in religion, art, politics, or simply enjoys to watch great acting. This play isn’t for the light of heart; it raised serious and deep pressing moral issues, sometimes disturbing, but nonetheless an honest reflection on our world and human nature. Do yourself a favor and see it before it’s too late. It’s worth the trek to Brooklyn, I promise!

Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 11:29 AM

3. Roy Clary wrote:

I was astonished to note that the third act of Passion Play was set in Spearfish, South Dakota. While earning an MFA degree in the early 60's at the Goodman Theatre School in Chicago, I was hired by Josef Meier to play Pilate, Peter and the good thief on the cross. Meier's acting style was to have the actors speak slowly and forcefully toward a good number of hanging mikes. We were often posed in tableaus. Since the stage was a block long in front of an amphitheater that sat 6,000 this style worked rather well. At this time, Meier, who played Jesus, was around 50. His wife played Mary. The stage was asphalt. In the pit was an organ. Behind the stage were the various stages/houses representing Pilate's Palace, the Garden of Gethsemane, etc. At one end, a path led up to Calvary and the three crosses. One night after a rain storm and during the crucifixion scene, I heard tears and exclamations from the audience. From my position on the cross, I could see that the floodlights had silhouetted the scene on to low hanging clouds behind us. It was a powerful experience for a largely Christian audience. Not everything was as dramatic. The Play opened with "morning in Jerusalem" with a "parade" of merchants, shepherds, animals, etc. As the herd of 40 sheep were about to make their entrance just after another storm, they balked at the wet asphalt stage(sheep will not go on to ice) and then bolted in every direction. It took awhile for the actors to get the herd together, but the play went on. There were many animals in the Play, e.g., sheep, camels, donkeys. A man was assigned to follow along with a broom to make sure that both the stage and the actor's shoes were kept clean.

Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 4:34 PM

4. Eric Shethar wrote:

Although I usually attend school in New York, being abroad has been kept me away from the city's theatre scene for several months. While I was in town for a few brief days last week, after having seen some of Broadway's current offerings I decided to make my way to Fort Greene to see one of Sarah Ruhl's earliest plays, finally making its way to New York by the grace of Epic Theatre Ensemble. I generally make it a habit to see shows with a probably above-average frequency, and sometimes it can feel just like that; a habit. Every once in a while I find myself sitting in an auditorium wondering why I even bother trying to catch so many productions; not only did this thought never occur during the (considerable) duration of "Passion Play," but the experience (and it is first and foremost an experience) served as an uncommonly graceful reminder of why I love theatre. Sarah Ruhl's work has always shown promise to me, but I have often wanted to like it more than I actually did. "Passion Play," which started as a mere exercise, astounded me with its sweep, which seemed effortless with a piercing forcefullness. However much I wanted to revisit the play to try and soak in Ruhl's language (a sensuous onslaught of everything from aching coarseness to the simple wisdom of idiocy), I cannot imagine it being presented with more unity than as it currently is by Epic Theatre Ensemble at the Irondale Center. Throughout such a lengthy work as "Passion Play" is, each artist involved's work and craft certainly has its moment to shine, but the overarching impression is that of a wondrously seamless whole. The cast (an embarrassment of riches) each fill their more solitary moments with the same kind of touching earnestness and honesty as their ensembles work, consistently transforming the rough beauty of the immersive sets, under impeccably detailed yet propulsive direction, all within a gracefully run space. I have rarely felt so surrounded by such carefully put-together talent. Although "Passion Play" is one of those cacophonous works which can be summarized into a list of very big ideas (including, perhaps most intriguingly, the hazardous seduction of performing and the dangerous potential of performance when appropriated and manipulated wrongly), perhaps the most valuable feeling I bring from sitting in the Irondale Center is one that forms the basis of Ruhl's cycle: that of a community, however briefly united, coming together to watch a story. It is this kind of aching simplicity that allowed me to be so filled by the ghosts, speechifying, desire, and visions of "Passion Play." Beyond the obviously theatrical, I think that for me it approached something closer to the unexpectedly spiritual.

Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 6:44 PM

5. SepDad wrote:

Your blog asks a series of questions, but I'll answer two: * What moment or image from the play still resonates with you? A couple, both involving Polly Noonan's characters - when playing the daughter in the South Dakota scene during the confrontation of the two brothers, her cry to "Dad" resulting in both brothers answering "NO" simultaneously, was heartbreaking, triggering feelings for all of them - the father who wasn't, the brother who was, and the child who didn't know. The other was the scene at the train in Germany, when her village idiot was being taken to a train bound for a concentration camp by actor Jesus turned soldier Nazi. * If you stayed for the talk-back, what did you learn more about? What did you want to say but didn't have the chance to express? I did ask, during the talk back, about the boots worn both by Queen Elizabeth and Hitler, and whether Hitler wearing the Queens patent leather high heeled boots was intended to mesh the two characters. That "the actor just loves those boots" was not an answer that worked for me - I did find them distracting when Hitler was wearing them. Overall, a very good production that I have recommended.

Wed, May 26, 2010 @ 2:44 PM

6. douglas padre wrote:

in a perfect world, adventurous theatre goers would see Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play more than once. it is so rich and layered that repeated viewings only add to the experience. i was riveted throughout and can only hope someone finds the funds to mount this again with the same glorious cast so that the rest of NYC has the chance to wade into its glorious waters and swim in its themes...THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, May 31, 2010 @ 3:09 PM

7. Matthew Stephen Smith wrote:

Your production of Passion Play made for clear proof of the fact that venue space--and the use of a venue space--can sometimes be vital to a script. I previously saw Mr. Wing-Davey's production of 'Passion Play' at the Goodman theater in 2007 and, as wonderful as that production was, there was something awkward about the experience. Maybe the Goodman has too much money to give it's productions (that's a first), and maybe, too, their impeccably decorated theater was a mismatch for Ms. Ruhl's script. Your production of 'Passion Play' was an enveloping and exceedingly satisfying experience. To begin with, the Irondale Theater Center has the perfect mix of grandeur (it's the hugest black box theater this side of The Kitchen) and crudity (the walls of doors, the plastic folding chairs and wooden risers, and who was that woman with the hula hoops?) necessary to compliment the grand but loosely constructed play. The combination of epic themes and hand-crafted theatrics, too, was both pleasurable and thematically appropriate. I see a lot of theater for someone so broke. Usually three plays a week. Of all the productions that I've seen so far this year, 'Passion Play' was certainly one of the very best. I can often see the good--and the good intentions--in the plays I see. Even in some of the bad ones. Sometimes I leave a theater nodding casually in appreciation. 'Passion Play' was, for me, an exception. Beyond the socio-political intentions of the script itself, I was exceptionally moved by the talent, craft, and care that went into this play. I hope that you are able to continue to put this level of thought into your future productions. It's the first I've seen. And I'll see the next. I guarantee it :0)

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 1:59 AM

8. Harry Matthews wrote:

This is the fourth Ruhl play I have seen (after The Clean House, Eurydice, and The Vibrator Play), and my fascination and admiration continue to grow. The ambition and scope of the The Passion Play are stunning, and the deliberately spare production, in a setting with obvious ecclesiastical trappings -- my companion and I speculated on what details had always been there and which were added for the production -- only enhanced its power. A long sit, but a uniquely rewarding piece of theatre. I find the questions you ask, frankly, reductive and demeaning to the play. Mark Wing-Davie and his splendid cast delivered every theatrical moment -- arrival of queen, shedding of blood, flying of fish -- with the power and magic required. Like every major work of art, Passion Play is greater than the sum of its parts and more meaningful than a petty school-marm quiz.

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 2:59 AM

9. Shannon wrote:

It's interesting to read the commentary on this blog. Passion Play has clearly made an impact on many people -- I know that everyone I know who has seen it has had an intense response, often emotional, and always positive. There is something about this play, and this particular production, that has entered peoples' hearts and minds. I think it's that most rare of things -- a perfect meeting of the right people, the right place and the right time. In some ways, it breaks my heart that we'll never see it again after tomorrow... but I suppose that is part of what makes live theatre magical. It always has an expiration date. I must politely take issue with the commenter before me who dissed the talkback (and made fun of single female teachers -- ouch!). Of course, I wasn't there for his particular experience, and perhaps everyone was off their game. It happens. But I think that the talkback, and, in particular, the Epic talkback, needs defending...and I say that as someone who has long been a talkback skeptic. It's worth noting, first off, that post-show discussions aren't mandatory, and many audience members do choose to leave in the few minutes between the show and the discussion. I'd also have to say that, as a high school English/Theatre teacher who's now brought my students to two Epic productions, I am very grateful for an opportunity for them to hear the opinions of more adults than just me about what they've seen. These opportunities increase their vocabulary for theatrical discussion, deepen their understanding of what they've seen and illuminate themes and viewpoints that they would not readily grasp. They also experience making their own comments and hearing them treated as equally important, which is very empowering for them. But the talkback is not just for children or theatrical devotees. When done well and with good will on all partcipants' part, it is an opportunity to build a community based on a common experience. These communities may not be lasting (although sometimes those connections do linger) but they are vitally alive in that moment. I don't think it's ever a bad thing for us to listen to each other with open minds with the goal of continuing a conversation begun by the play.

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 9:32 AM

10. cleocreek wrote:

Well...I saw it April 30th not realizing how long it would be. I live in New Jersey so I wish I had known that. Aside from that, I thought this whole thing was mocking Christ and incorporating sexual taboo. So I wasn't sure what was going on and was ready to leave by second act. Unfortunately, I was expecting to see a traditional passion play, like one that happens in churches during Good Friday and Easter holidays. Because of that, I did not receive this production well and with open mind. I was rather disappointed. But I liked the Irondale Center space.

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 10:59 AM

11. Greg Swiderski wrote:

I was visiting NYC and happened to see the article in the NYTimes and so changed my plans in order to see Passion. I am still pleased that I did. Since I was tired and walking that day and needed to return by subway to another section of Brooklyn, I did not stay for the feedback. I had so many questions and observations and still have them; here are some in no particular order: The play reminded me of the film Jesus of Montreal. I mentioned this to the couple next to me and that had asked the same question: why was this Canadian film not listed in the program? Shortly after I saw the play I saw that the NYTimes had an article about the Passion Play in Germany today. I had hoped that the writer would have been familiar with your play and might have mentioned it. The article interviewed current actors about their reaction to the sex abuse scandal among clergy in Germany. I also hoped that folks from the play would have read the article. During our Catholic liturgy on Good Friday we read from Isaiah 52-53. The portion of Isaiah chosen for this most solemn liturgical celebration describes the Suffering Servant (Christ) "there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him." Yet, in the "living stations" which have become popular in some of our churches, a handsome young man plays the Christ (as in your play). I understand why this usually happens. What would have been the reaction to the "Christ" in your Passion had he not looked as attractive? What would have happened if he were a she? (See the Australian film wherein Hugh Grant plays a newly ordained episcopal priest sent to an artist's colony to persuade the artist to remove his Crucifixion painting on which a woman is painted as Christ. Sorry that I cannot recall the name.) In the May 24 issue of The New Yorker Adam Gopnik writes about the current Jesus books and histories of the Christian movement. As usual, Adam presents a thoughtful commentary. Too bad he did not mention your play. (As I waited for the Passion to begin I returned to the nearby book store and purchased "The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ". I found it very worth reading.) No matter how many people claim Christianity in this country and want to name this country as such, I remain firmly convinced (even though I remain a functioning Christian minister) that Christianity has failed. The Holocaust in "Christian" Europe and the continuing genocides and national stupidities among the worshiping nations (in church, synagogue, or mosque) speak louder to this than any lists of numbers who walk in a building on a weekend. Just because I take my car to the mechanic and sit there while he works on it, I am not and will never be a mechanic even if I went there once a week. Thank you for the challenging three hours and more.

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 1:07 PM

12. SusanW wrote:

Absolutely brilliant writing, marvelous acting...three and a half hours fly by and I wished for more. T. Ryder Smith was simply mesmerizing in his historical roles. This is a play I will long remember!

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 1:25 PM

13. Bailey wrote:

Can we say Broadway transfer? I want nothing more than to share this beautiful, gut-wrenchingly powerful work with the world. I had alway loved Ruhl before, but this play cemented her place in the history of our century of theatre. And what an exceptional use of the space... I loved the inventive ways chosen... the boxes, the balconies, etc. absolutely brilliant! One of the top 5 plays I have EVER SEEN. and that is from a person who has seen a LOT of theater, all over the world. wish i could have seen it again before it closed, but i had to leave NY for the summer... such a shame. but at least i saw it once!! EXCELLENT WORK SARAH!!!!

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 8:47 PM

14. Valerie Lord wrote:

I came a bit of a distance to see PASSION PLAY and then had to come back a second time with another friend. This was indeed the most profound, moving, DNA altering theatrical experience since Angels In America for me. I can't imagine this ever being done in a traditional theatre space and having the same weight, impact or honesty, but I hope I'm wrong, as I'd hope to see this in spaces all over the country. Moments that still resonate with me and haunt are fisherman John carrying in Mary's body, which keeps weeping on the table....the sound of Violet's howling accompanying the sound of the train (ovens?) at the end of Act 2, and the final image of Dominic Fumusa finally releasing his crippled hand in the final moment at the end. This was a devastating, beautiful experience and unlike many other return visits, it moved me even more the second time. Thank you, thank you, thank you Epic Theatre and all involved. Have a glorious closing weekend!!!

Fri, June 4, 2010 @ 10:03 PM

15. Alexandra Dickson wrote:

watching this play made me remember why theatre is important and why what I'm trying to do is not frivolous. Thank you!

Sun, June 6, 2010 @ 11:47 AM

16. diane rothchild wrote:

could someone please find a way to keep these brilliant performers together and remount this moving, poignant, funny, arresting production in another appropriate space in new york city? theater is of course ephemeral--but more people deserve to see Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play! i know it can be done. it is too important a work to be put to bed forever. bravo to all concerned. may you live to fly like angels--another day.

Sun, June 6, 2010 @ 7:18 PM

17. Vasco wrote:

i was amazed by the cast, specially Dominic Fumusa: i thought he (and his characters) were the link that made the 3 distinct flow into each other coherently. Granted I was there on the first preview, the one where props set the fire alarm on and part of the play was performed outside, on the sidewalk. That was an experience i will not forget anytime soon. I have a firm believe this play will evolve to become an american classic & i hope to see it staged many time more.

Sun, June 6, 2010 @ 10:49 PM

18. Bruce wrote:

Ambitious, sprawling, thought provoking, brilliantly conceived, written, acted and directed and truly epic in the tradition of plays like Angels In America and The Coast Of Utopia. I like theater that challenges and demands more from an audience. I saw it twice and was inspired both times.

Tue, June 29, 2010 @ 2:15 PM

19. David Sanchez wrote:

I was surprised that the house wasn't sold out because the production was transcendent. I was weeping by the end of the first act. The play was smart, funny, moving, and maybe most importantly for a play with such a high-brow premise, accessible. I hope this play has life after the end of this run because more people should see it.

Tue, June 29, 2010 @ 2:25 PM

20. Peter Levin wrote:

Sarah Ruhl is one of the finest writers in theatre today. I see everything I can of hers. But I was not prepared for the incredible experience that "Passion Play" gave us. The play is brilliant and so was the execution by Mark Wing-Davey and his wonderful cast. The use of the space, which is a work of art to start with, was so perfect. The designs and lighting and sound all combined to make a most thrilling performance. The cast was heroic, committed and eloquent. I have been in the theater and TV most of my life. Audrey Davis, Jerry Bloedow and I started the Hardware Poets Theatre in 1962, one of the early off-off-Broadway theatre groups. We played in a loft on West 54th street and later in the Good Shepherd's Church on West 65th street.(maybe it was 66th street.Lincoln Center swallowed it.) I tell you this just to indicate the depth of my appreciation for what we saw on May 27th at 4 in the afternoon. This is what theatre should be and the art of theatre is my religion. You asked about faith and the loss of it. Seeing this production restores my faith in what the power and emotion in theatre can do. I hope to see more plays and productions at the church in Brooklyn or wherever you are staging them. Many thanks for a thrilling afternoon. Peter efd48

Tue, June 29, 2010 @ 6:59 PM

21. wrote:

Excellent review in "This WeeK magazine May 29, 2010 Page 25

Wed, June 30, 2010 @ 1:12 PM

22. Lee Cullum wrote:

Passion Play was brilliant, original.laced with wit and searing insight Lee Cullum

Fri, July 2, 2010 @ 5:48 PM

23. Lee Cullum wrote:

Passion Play was brilliant, original.laced with wit and searing insight Lee Cullum

Fri, July 2, 2010 @ 5:48 PM

24. Jeffrey Stingerstein wrote:

There are so many great comments that already get right to the heart of what I would have said! I especially want to echo what Douglas Padre said (number 6 above). In a perfect world I would have seen this two or three times, as there were so many wonderful layers to peal back, but one viewing allows no such experience, just the hint of how much more there is to discover! I do have a friend who was lucky enough to see it twice and he said the second viewing was definitely helpful in growing his already immense appreciation/understanding for this perfect production!

Wed, July 7, 2010 @ 11:32 PM

25. dinah wrote:

For me, there's always an endless list of things to love about a Ruhl play -- the richness of the language, the startlingly different point of view on a familiar story or character, the knowledge that the design team had to work so hard to make her poetic stage direction understood viscerally by an audience... but ultimately it comes down to the surreal ballets of images that have become so loaded with meaning over the course of the play that simply watching them move is an overwhelming, cathartic experience. The fish ballet held its own against the houses made of stationary in Dead Man's Cell Phone and Eurydice's room of string... and in fact the weeping table can't help but be read as a reference to the elevator to Hades' underworld, in which it is always raining. The contrast of the intricate choreography and design of the fish puppets with the sparseness of the rest of the set really did it for me. And the woman playing the village idiot, who was absolutely fantastic and had me wrapped around her finger in every act.

Sun, July 11, 2010 @ 10:37 PM

26. Jenny wrote:

I took my daughters (19 and 21) to see the play and we were blown away. The meaning of the play was profound -- others have commented on that. It was the acting and the stagecraft -- so surprising and powerful -- that stayed with me for a long time. The ship puppets, the table Mary was lain upon that proceeded to stream forth with water, the flying machine, the giant bird, all presented with amazing actors to create theater magic. Loved the staging in the church, reverberations with the content. All in all a marvelous experience!

Mon, July 19, 2010 @ 12:11 PM

27. Jenny wrote:

I took my daughters (19 and 21) to see the play and we were blown away. The meaning of the play was profound -- others have commented on that. It was the acting and the stagecraft -- so surprising and powerful -- that stayed with me for a long time. The ship puppets, the table Mary was lain upon that proceeded to stream forth with water, the flying machine, the giant bird, all presented with amazing actors to create theater magic. Loved the staging in the church, reverberations with the content. All in all a marvelous experience!

Mon, July 19, 2010 @ 12:12 PM