An interesting depiction of a biblical classic
As part of the Lambeth Fringe, The Third coming of Jesus Christ from Out of Place Theatre, was performed at the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell for one night only.
Set on a raft, adrift in the ocean after the end of the world, the story of Abel and Cain plays out. In three separate visits from Jesus, Cain must change his fate. With each visit, Cain battles with himself and what it means to “be like Jesus.” When God accepts Abel’s sacrifice but rejects Cain’s, the devil appears and stirs the pot. Will Cain succumb to his jealousy or seek the path of peace?
The actors put on good performances in this well-rounded production. As is with small theatre, the staging was minimal, but it did the job and allowed you to focus on the play rather than the staging. An interesting depiction of Jesus and touched on how he has been represented through the ages, potentially even misrepresented given that he would have lived in the middle east, not the west, which is something that rarely gets mentioned it seems.
Addressing issues such as free will, human nature, Christianity, this play is a bit of a thinker, though it doesn’t go so deep that your brain hurts. This is cut with a teetering of absurdity (as is described in the blurb online) but nothing too wild or unrealistic. There were some funny moments, but I am not sure if the comedy didn’t land as intended or if it was a case of the audience were engrossed in the story for them to really react to those moments.
Aside from what was taught at primary school, I don’t really know or remember much about this biblical story, but it isn’t necessary as the topics that it raises will always be relevant and current. The depiction of Gabriel was lost on me, though my friend was amazed at the interpretation and after the show explained it.
Overall, this performance was alright. It personally didn’t stand out but that could be due to the content and not being religious myself, but it was interesting and quite probably left some audience members discussing it long after curtains were down, even my friend and I were having a little chat after whilst waiting for a bus home. I did overhear a couple of people behind saying how much they loved it so if you are wanting something a little out there, maybe this is for you.