God of Love

Terrence McNally's play Corpus Christi is about Jesus Christ and his enduring message of universal love: love for friends, love for enemies and love for ourselves. That message is couched in the setting of 1950s Texas, and McNally's Jesus is a gay man coming of age in a world that doesn't accept him for who he is. Past productions of the play have been met with protests, bomb threats and death threats from people who had never seen the play and still profess to believe in Jesus' ideals, because human beings don't always make sense. Webster University presents two different views of McNally's play at Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487 or www.webster.edu/filmseries). Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption is a documentary about 108 Productions and its five-year mission to present the play everywhere it can; the film includes discussions with protestors, cast members and Terrence McNally. Corpus Christi, the play, will also be performed by 108 Productions during the same time period. Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption screens at 8 p.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Saturday; Corpus Christi the play is performed 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday (September 26 through 28). The Saturday production of the play is followed by a town-hall discussion of the issues raised with representatives from the LGBT community and local religious leaders. Tickets for the play are $20 to $40, and tickets for the film are $4 to $6.
Fri., Sept. 26, 8 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 27, 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 28, 7 p.m., 2014