Paradise Lost the John Milton Way

Paradise Lost now at the Theater Row Theaters, by the Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA) is a piece “Inspired by John Milton”. That would be John Milton’s epic 17^th century poem about the Angelic Civil War which pitched Lucifer and his cohort against God and, on a parallel track, the story of Adam and Eve in Eden.

David Andrew Macdonald and Lou Libertore pondor the outcome of the Angelic Civil War

It is tricky play to try to review from an independent viewpoint. To quote from FPA themselves, “FPA’s objective is to engage and entertain its patrons by telling stories from a Christian Worldview that have the power to capture the imagination of a diverse audience.” That is a lot to live up to, and Paradise Lost does an excellent job of trying to pull the various pieces together. It is presented in current English, albeit occasionally falling into free verse, with modern touches sprinkled throughout in visual sight gags and throwaway bits. But, it still requires a buy-in to the idea of a Miltonian version of hell: lake of fire, mutinous Angels and a loving but mute God.

Lucifer (a magnetic David Andrew Macdonald) commands the stage, whether in rallying the fallen Angelic troops with soaring rhetoric or gently tempting Eve. His cohort includes the fallen Angels Beelzebub (comic relief by Lou Liberatore) and his wife / daughter Sin (Alison Fraser as a wizened sex bomb). Sin was created, fully formed, by jumping out of Lucifer’s forehead whereupon then immediately copulated and had a child, Death - which seems much more old Greek than old English to me.

Meanwhile, back in the victor’s camp, God has created a new experiment called Man and a place for him to live, the Garden. There we are first introduced to Eve, newly formed and coming to understanding with the world. Marine Shay plays Eve as a fun, questioning and rounded person. Adam, dutifully played by Robbie Simpson, is less questioning and more grateful of God’s bounty. But, then God never talks to Eve, but did talk with Adam.

Paradise Lost actually spends a lot of time trying to understand Eve and her motivation. She is visited by Lucifer and treated by him as an independent person. She is visited by Gabriel (Mel Johnson Jr.) where she is again chastised not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, without any reason. Now both Adam and Gabriel have told her not to or it will displease God, but God never speaks to her. On the other hand, Lucifer, also an Angel, tells her to eat of the fruit and fulfill the destiny God has created for her.

Of course, we know the ending. Woman eats the apple and condemns all mankind to pain, guilt and death because, women - am I right?

Adam and Eve (Robbie Simpson and Marina Shay) in love

The playwright Tom Dulack does a good job of presenting this story. Since I haven’t read John Milton’s 10 volume epic poem, I am not positive of how well he captured the spirit of the piece, but I thought it was well written. Directed by Michael Parva, the story moves along quickly enough, but I found myself frustrated by the story.

The playwright has given Eve more of a story and motivation, but now she is just manipulated by man and Angels. She isn’t worthy of being spoken to by God, but she is somehow responsible for the downfall of all of mankind.

Should you see it? It is an interesting and fun retelling of the downfall of Angels and men. But it requires one to accept that God is omnipotent and benevolent, despite all the evidence being to the contrary.

Paradise Lost

Playwright:Tom Dulack | Director: Michael Parva | Cast: David Andrew Macdonald, Lou Liberatore, Alison Fraser, Marina Shay, Robbie Simpson, Mel Johnson Jr.

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Emotions Bloom in Afterglow

Two things stand out starkly in Afterglow. First, that is a lot of naked male flesh up there having a really good time. Second, and this knowledge grows on you more slowly, there is amazing acting happening on stage.

Afterglow is the first play by writer / director S. Asher Gelman. It is the story of Josh and Alex, a married gay couple who are about 6 months away from having their first child. Josh and Alex have an open relationship. That is, Josh and Alex are allowed to have sex with other men, either together or separately, with only two rules. They must be honest and they can’t spend the night with a tryst, they have to come home before morning. Josh, played by Brandon Haagenson, is a dynamic 30-year-old theater professional. Alex, played by Robbie Simpson, is an equally handsome Chemistry post-grad student. They live in New York with plenty of money.

Brandon Haagenson, Patrick Riley (photo: Mati Gelman)

Afterglow opens immediately after a sexual encounter with a younger man, Darius, played by Patrick Reilly. In the afterglow of their tryst, charming banter, flirting and plans flow between the guys. Darius and Josh seem to hit if off exceptionally well, which Alex is accommodating of.

The rest of Afterglow proceeds on an expected path of growing affection between Darius and Josh, a growing feeling of alienation from Alex and a rocky ending for all. Afterglow comes complete with the occasional shower, plenty of witty banter, serious discussions, laughs and sex along the way. It sounds trite, but this cast brings a real sense of honesty and emotion to the proceedings. You can fully feel the growing bonds between all three of these men. And those slowly growing emotions make the audience have a real stake in what happens later in the show.

Reilly, Haagensen & Robbie Simpson (photo: Mati Gelman)

The copious nudity in the show also has a purpose, both metaphorical and factually. In the first few moments, the audience is hyper aware of their nudity. All three actors walk around nude quite a bit. Metaphorically, their emotional guards are down when they are unclothed. Adding clothes, the stereotypical gay outfits are used as shorthand to add a layer of detachment. Factually, the sheer amount of nudity early takes the titillation out of the images. We see these men and their emotions, not their body parts.

Having lavished praise on the show, let me call some attention to the drawbacks. First, Afterglow is rather traditionally moral. Monogamy may not work, by polyamory is not an answer – it will lead to problems for everyone involved and it’s often the result of a lopsided power relationship in a monogamous relationship. That may or may not be true, but it is presented as the way of the world here, and therefore the outcome is preordained.

Second, that is a lot of handsome, Caucasian flesh on stage. The actors reinforce that this “problem” - too many people to love, plenty of money and too many good-looking people to have sex with - is a bit more upper middle class whining than actual hardship.

I think some people may also have an issue with the length of Afterglow, it is a bit longer than two hours. I did not find it too long. I found the time excellently used to slowly build connections and honesty. This is writer / director Gelman’s first play, and I was extremely impressed by the work done here by everyone. A special shout out has to go to Scenic Designer Ann Beyersdorfer who did a truly spectacular job with the space. Afterglow is a bittersweet love story that will touch you.

Afterglow | Playwright & Director: S. Asher Gelman | Cast: Brandon Haagenson, Patrick Reilly, Robbie Simpson | link

Brandon Haagensen and Patrick Reilly (photo: Mati Gelman)