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Please visit us online at www.108productions.org for all the latest updates and information.We are going to tell you an old and familiar story... Originally opening in 1998 to bomb threats and protests, Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi is a retelling of the Jesus story, with Jesus as a gay man living in 1950s Corpus Christi, Texas. The play treats the subject matter with great respect, and the universal message of love for humanity easily shadows the sexuality of the main character. Typically performed by thirteen young men, this production celebrates the play's message of embracing diversity by casting both men and women of a large age range. Starting humbly 3 years ago, the play's resounding success continued to sold-out audiences for months at the famed Los Angeles' Zephyr Theatre and is now on an international tour.Cast (throughout the runs): Carolyn Almos, Jan Ambler, Amanda Axelrod, Sheilagh Brooks, James Brandon, Steve Callahan, Melissa Caulfield, Elizabeth Cava, Mark Colbert, Paul Denniston, Steve Hasley, Todd Heughens, Michael-Anthony Nozzi, Molly O'Leary, Chris Payne, David Pevsner, Scott Pressley, Austen Rey, Suzanne Santos, David Shofner, Devin Sidell, Karl Warden.Directed by Nic Arnzen
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YOU... ..Calendar Live LA Times September 1, 2006
'Corpus Christi' makes its point David C. Nichols; Daryl H. MillerControversy has dogged "Corpus Christi" since 1989, when it almost didn't open at the Manhattan Theatre Club after bomb threats. That and subsequent flaps over Terrence McNally's gay Passion play miss its basic devotion to the tenets of its subject. In director Nic Arnzen's heartfelt take at the Zephyr Theatre, a multiracial, gender-bent ensemble led by the affecting James Brandon lands its core message past tonal inequities.Transplanted from the Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley, "Corpus Christi" uses ritual elements to bring the Gospels into same-sex idiom. As the audience settles in, actors amble onstage, hauling platforms and hanging Christmas lights.McNally begins his retelling with a baptismal prologue in which each player receives his or her role from John the Baptist (Suzanne Santos). Though patently sincere, this extended sequence flirts with precocity. But once only two men remain in line, the ambience becomes electric. Smoldering, sensual Judas (an admirable Austen Rey) perceives that he isn't the Messiah, leaving sensitive Joshua (Brandon) to follow that destiny through James Dean-era Texas.Brandon avoids saintly attitudes as Joshua, radiating an inner spontaneity that ignites against Rey's understated Judas. Their 11 committed colleagues slip in and out of direct address and multiple roles without ego, a true group performance.Kitsch and catharsis sometimes collide. Not all of McNally's spiky analogies and cheeky narrations hold. Nonetheless, there is only honest intent here, and Arnzen deftly controls the spatial shifts and diverse moods, capably assisted by lighting designer Vic Delco."Corpus Christi" is neither blasphemous nor miraculous, but it is theatrically apt and spiritually yearning, for all its quirks. Protesters, what would Jesus do?â€” David C. Nichols

My Blog

Corpus Christi continues....

Since returning from NYC in October last year, we've had several opportunities presented to us for the coming year ahead....and now we're happy to share some of these with you here as we begin another...
Posted by on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:02:00 GMT

Corpus Christi in NYC...Buy Your Tickets Now!

...they're selling fast!! Join us in NYC this October for this exciting and unique experience..Spread the word to everyone you know...Thanks for your continued support!Terrence McNally's play, Corpus...
Posted by on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:18:00 GMT

WeHo at the Celebration

WeHo Returns to the Celebration Theatre beginning this weekend! If you missed it before, now's your chance to see it again....and this is something you truly don't want to miss....From the viewers of ...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:32:00 GMT

The Corpus Christi West Hollywood County Fair

Come one come all to the final Corpus Christi Big Big Benefit West Hollywood County Fair and help us get to NY this October!Join us for an evening of food, fun, games, prizes and so much more:* Flea M...
Posted by on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:32:00 GMT

WE’RE GOIN TO NEW YORK!!!

We're proud to announce our continuing tour this year in celebration of the show's tenth anniversary with new dates added in Los Angeles, San Francisco and ending in New York Cityin October! It is a ...
Posted by on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:25:00 GMT

Returning from the Emerald Isle...

Hello Friends...We have recently returned from the glorious Emerald Isle where the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival embraced our show with ecstatic open arms and open hearts. We were overjoy...
Posted by on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:18:00 GMT

Josh and Judas- Photos by Alek and Steph

Recently we took some beautiful shots with our friends Alek and Steph of ohlala mag. These guys are the real deal- so heartfelt, so loving, so talented, and truly bringing some exciting and inspiring...
Posted by on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:38:00 GMT

Off to the Emerald Isle...

Hello friends..We are just two weeks away from our show opening in Ireland, playing there for the first time in the country, at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. We have worked hard thes...
Posted by on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:17:00 GMT

Corpus Christi Performs Tomorrow Despite Controversy

While hoping to originally perform our show at Chapman University, in the course of a bit over a week before we were set to perform, we were told we could no longer. This disheartening news created a...
Posted by on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:07:00 GMT

We left our hearts in San Francisco

Thank you to all our friends in San Francisco last weekend who made our visit to Grace Cathedral yet another memorable and powerful journey. See you in a city near you! Corpus Christi 2008 TourTheat...
Posted by on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:28:00 GMT