An Abridged Version of an Age-Old Story, With a Supper (but Gluten-Free)
Alexis SoloskiApril 21, 2014: If Ed Sylvanus Iskandar had found himself in the Garden of Eden, he would surely have eaten the forbidden fruit — then made pies from the rest of the apples and served them to all comers. Having distilled the complete works of Sophocles into a single evening of theater (These Seven Sicknesses), this ambitious, savvy young director has now commissioned more than 40 playwrights to condense the Old and New Testaments into The Mysteries, a five-and-a-half-hour event at the Flea Theater that is both gratifying and grueling. Mr. Iskandar’s venture has precedent. Mystery plays were a medieval phenomenon in which townspeople would gather in the field or marketplace to witness a series of plays running from God’s first “Let there be” to his Last Judgment. As these theatrical cycles could stretch over several days, you might even praise The Mysteries for its moderation. Of course, Mr. Iskandar does those Middle Agers one better by providing playgoers with a vegan, gluten-free meal. Dessert too. Perhaps it’s easier to justify the ways of God to men (and women) when they have full stomachs.
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