'3 men,' multiple stories

Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and wondered what might have happened to the characters after the plot ended? Into the Woods answered this question for many favorite children's fairy tales, The Mists of Avalon did it for the Arthurian legends, and now, with Three Men of Golgotha, playwright and director Michael Lew, JE '03, has attempted to do it for the New Testament.

In a series of 11 short vignettes, Lew and his talented cast take many of the characters, both large and small, who appear in the Bible during Jesus' lifetime and give them voice to tell their extended stories. The idea of expanding on the complete and unalterable word of God might seem blasphemous to some, but Lew carries it off in a way that intrigues and en-tertains without offending.

DREW RUSSELL/YH The Bible Part Deux: subtract the begettings, add the naked men.

The play pro-gresses through a series of mini-narratives, in which Biblical figures who may not appear in more than two lines in New Testament are given 10 minutes to recount the stories of their lives. In other words, there's more to the story than the Actual Story, and Judas, John the Baptist, the Goat-herder, and others expound Lew's vision into a realistic and believable postscript. The major drawback, however, comes from the play's assumption that the audience possesses the same Biblical knowledge that Lew clearly demonstrates. While they remain powerful, the words of Judas' monologue, for instance, would lose much of their subtext and effect if the audience did not understand the delicate role that Judas that plays in the Christian conscience.

The production's minimalist approach appropriately takes a backseat to the complexity of ideas expressed by the five male actors. When characters speak, they are usually framed and isolated by simple and direct lighting. A window serves as a jail cell, a single light directing the audience where to look. The costumes are minimal as well, with loincloths serving their utilitarian function—for most of the play, at least. The three crosses that appear on small pieces of paper all over campus are present on stage for the entire play. Only in the last scene are they used, and the play concludes with a meaningful purpose, having shown and said much in a simple and understated manner.

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