The Australian Family Association says the creators of a play that depicts Jesus as a gay man have committed “a big enough crime” by neglecting to treat Christianity and Christian believers with more sensitivity.
Corpus Christi, which is set to open at the New Theatre in Newtown on February 7, shows Jesus and the Apostles as gay men living in modern day Texas. This is the first time it has played in Sydney since it opened in New York in 1998.
The AFA aren’t the only ones to express outrage though. Anglican Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth, said that the depiction of the son of God and some of his disciples as homosexual was “unhistorical and untrue.”
It is deliberately, not innocently, offensive and they’re obviously having a laugh about it.
However, New Theatre says on their website that the moralists miss the point.
This is not a play that mocks Jesus; it’s a play that speaks out against inhumanity by providing a witty, contemporary interpretation of Jesus’ life.
Stephen Green of UK based Christian Voice reviewed the play:
Whether it is even a good play is not something I can pass comment on, although I can see it is a good piece of homosexual propaganda. The question is, was it blasphemous? Was it valid to protest about? The answer is yes on both counts.
A performance of Corpus Christi in Melbourne during 2001 attracted a little picketing. Box office intake naturally increased and I suspect the same will happen in Sydney. Gotta love free press on behalf of the bible thumpers.
So if you like the sound (or moans) of Jesus, mixed with a little Brokeback Mountain, here’s where you can catch Corpus Christi:
Corpus Christi
by Terrence McNally
Directed by Leigh Rowney
7 – 29 February 2008
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown, NSW
$27 full / $22 concession
BOOKINGS: 1300 306 776 / www.mca-tix.com
