Review: The Gospels of Childhood Triptych (Teatr ZAR)

  
  
The Gospels of
   Childhood Triptych 

Written by Teatr ZAR 
Directed by Jaroslaw Fret
at MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago Ave. (map)
thru April 1  |  tickets: $28-$35   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read entire review
  

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A true revelation of a gospel

MCA Stage i/a/w Goodman Theatre 

The Gospels of Childhood Triptych

Review by Clint May

Watching The Gospels of Childhood Triptych is a lot like viewing an incomplete ancient statue. What’s on display is beautiful; what’s unable to be seen can only be imagined. The tension between what is in view and what is shrouded in mystery generates a curious spiritual electricity that arcs from the senses to the imagination and back again. Gospels is infused with that sort of spirituality as seen through an exploration of man’s seeking for the intangible attributes of grace and unity. It’s a rough journey, fraught with peril and temptation. With a homely grace, the Teatr ZAR ensemble creates a wondrous three-part epic of dance and polyphonic harmonies that feels at once both as immediately intimate and intensely esoteric as a religious ritual.

As with any triptych, each part of Gospels stands alone but contains elements and thematic repetitions that bring them into a whole. Inspired by a range of different sources—gnostic gospels, ancient Georgian liturgical chants and Polish Romance poetry—the dense symbolism flits about the stage in surreal dreamlike evocations of narrative, both sensuous and distressing. Act one, “Overture,” goes to the apocryphal gospels that flesh out the story of Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary (possibly Mary Magdalene) and Martha. The second act, “Cesarean Section,”  delves into the eternal conflict between the options of life and death each mortal must confront. Act three, “Anhelli: The Calling,” explores man’s relationship to the divine as a man’s soul becomes a conduit for an angelic spirit. Each piece is linked by the chants and instrumental accompaniment of the ensemble, vibrating like celestial spheres moving through space and observing the mortals below. Their movements vacillate from balletic to near epileptic as they frolic among symbolic setpieces ranging from a stream of broken wine glasses to soul doorways lined with strings aching to be plucked.

Like a foreign opera without subtitles, it behooves any spectator to study the story before entering to properly contextualize the pieces and avoid confusion. The provided program handily contains translations for most of the Polish spoken word sections and pieces of poetry that obliquely enhance the work. As with most contemporary performance art, part of the aesthetic is to allow yourself to be a part of this decidedly disconcerting creation, confusion and all. While most of our culture turns towards obvious symbolism, Gospels is unabashedly cryptic in its expressionism.

Being privy to such a work is demanding for anyone accustomed to linear stories and patent metaphors. I recommend anyone curious to take this rewarding journey—and act quickly, it’s a very limited run—to enter with an open mind and a willingness to be wholly transported into the piece. Under the teaching and exploration of Jerzy Grotowski, Gospels represents a culmination of decades of development, research and collaboration that amounts to an eclectic aesthetic pastiche for Teatr ZAR. Challenging, nervy and above all, beautiful, this is a stunning performance piece of sweeping thematic grandeur and affecting personal closeness.

Rating: ★★★★

The Gospels of Childhood Triptych continues through April 1st at the Museum of Contemporary Art Stage, 220 E. Chicago Avenue (map). Tickets are $28-$35, and are available online here (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at MCAChicago.org.  (Running time: 180 minutes, which includes two 15-minute intermissions)

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