let me eat my cake

Tyranny is dealt with in an amazing way in Ruhl's Passion Play. I was staggered and inspired by the work. Ruhl writes about the nexus of religion and politics at a time when it could not be more relevant. But as you watch the history of how skewed the world is by the intermingling of the two, you see that this is not a new problem, and it is one that will rear its ugly head time and again.

She talks about how we democratically elect our own monarchs. Which is what we see happening now. I found myself depressed as I drove home last night with the thought in my mind that my voting does nothing in the end, as I am never one to vote with the majority, and the majority of those who vote are not representative of the will of the nation. They are the conservative religious and the rich. So the tide of America will always elect those that will impose the will of the few on the lives of the many. Our current president is the exact embodiment of this disturbing theory. The masses elected a "likeable guy" who used tyranny to get himself where he is. There was no question as to whether or not he would be president. His party and his family grew him from infancy to play this role and they masterminded his ascension to the throne. Now, while there, he ignores the wishes of the people with the ever familiar "I know what is best for you" attitude that is the hallmark of a ruler, not necessarily a leader.

If this huge issue was not enough to deal with in this piece, Ruhl also tackles sin, war, theatre, religion, family...I found myself exhausted by the end, in a good way. I also loved her ability to use surreal moments to augment the push of the work. I loved the water flowing from Mary's mouth, and the giant fish. I know that this makes no sense, and in all honesty this is not the kind of play where I could do a short summary, so instead, if you are in the DC area, just go and see it. It really is a most incredible feat of theatre.