Playwright: Motti Lerner. At: Silk Road Theatre Project at Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington. Phone: 312-857-1234; $30-$34. Runs through: May 10
There's no questioning the important subject matter of Motti Lerner's drama Pangs of the Messiah. It takes itself so seriously that "important" should be spelled with a capital "I."
Of course, anything dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict has to be thoughtfully approached, and playwright Motti Lerner certainly does in his 2007 revision of his 1987 play of "what-ifs."
Set in 2012, Pangs of the Messiah explores what desperate tactics Jewish Zionist settlers in the West Bank might take if Israel and Palestine brokered a peace agreement. Lerner depicts the multiple extremes people take though the extended Berger family led by the fiery Rabbi Shmuel.
Some family members are confused, some calculatingly protest losing their homes by putting children at harm's risk, while others are shocked as their loved ones turn into violent militants willing to do anything to prevent the peace accord. Lerner covers his bases pretty well, and as a longtime Israeli peace activist, he shows a simultaneously critical and empathetic approach to his characters who increasingly feel betrayed by their government and their own people.
Silk Road Theatre Project's Midwest premiere of Pangs of the Messiah is downright respectable and professionally produced. There's no denying that the play and the production will make you think. Whether you enjoy it is another matter.
Lerner doesn't temper the drama with much humor ( other than a running gag about Rabbi Shmuel always changing his shirt ) . Without any moments of true levity for relief, Pangs of the Messiah progresses like one heavy stone after another being laid atop your chest.
I would have liked director Jennifer Green to allow her actors to lash out with more outrage and anger, not only at the situations, but at each other. At the opening night performance, it felt like some of the actors were holding back, which muffled some of the intensity.
As the family patriarch, I would have liked Bernard Beck to bring more gravitas to Rabbi Shmuel as he increasingly loses his sway on government officials and the actions of his extended family.
As the wives in the family, Susan V. Adler, Dana Black and Stacie Green do great jobs of showing their resentment at their concerns receiving second-class treatment by the men. They also do very well at holding grudges against each other for not doing as much as they perceive necessary to help the settlers' cause.
Pangs of the Messiah is a cautionary tale about the extremes of religious zealotry as applied to Jewish settlers. But as far as theatergoing experiences go, this drama is more akin to taking medicine because you know it's beneficial rather than something you'll truly enjoy.
