Divine Will
Divine Will
Written and Directed by Terra Vetter
Music by Mike Levine
Lyrics by John Ross
Choreography by Alison Carroll
Lucky Artist Theatre Company
Green Venue, 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival</strong>
This show started out on my “Not sure I like this” tab but ended up on the “Pretty darn clever” page. Young Ryan (Markus Paminger) is a normal kid, into rock and roll, porn and cute girl friend Ivy (Caitlin Gold). With his good grades, a career in high energy physics is an option, but he’s also considering the priesthood. His best friend Jeremy (Nicko Libowitz) thinks more secularly, telling “I can’t talk to you when you chant that voodoo stuff.” While Ryan seems sincere, the priesthood is not for everyone and you get the idea his uncle and guardian Father Stephen (David T Koenig) is the real driver behind the decision. Ryan is checking out schools, and when he interviews at a private college, he flubs the interview under the probing questions of the oily father Nicholas (Jeff Barba). He becomes so frustrated that he storms off stage with the funniest line of the play: “I just want to be a fucking priest!” I think that’s where he really failed the audition.
What caught my ear was Father Stephen’s declaration that “the fable of the quantum is contrary to God’s word.” I follow the religion vs. science debate rather closely, but I have never heard of a biblical passage that states the Universe is precise Laplacian clockwork and all energy states are equally probable. Pompous Father Stephen reads all the Basil Exposition material but I found Ryan and Jeremy were much more real – they seemed like honest kids searching for their way in life, and dealing with serious questions responsibly. When Father Stephen does a deal to get Ryan reconsidered, the show gets VERY interesting. That little piece of chicanery interest made the room sit up, and it needs an earlier reveal and more development.
What this show doesn’t need is the flag dancing. Three wordless dancers observe the action and fill scene transitions with large silk flags spinning like a half time show. It’s not clear what purpose they serve, except they look cool. This nascent story has some real potential; it’s so very rare to see any sort of calm debate on the topic of religion vs. science. “Divine Will” sets up a platform to explore these complex issues in a meaningful and entertaining manner, and I like to see it carry the idea to a better conclusion. God DOES play dice with the universe, and while he throws them where they can’t be seen we can still discuss the likelihood of a natural seven beating the snake eyes of orginal sin.
This event is part of the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival. For schedule and ticket information, please visit http://OrlandoFringe.org
