The Mysteries – Location, Tickets, Reviews
The Flea is normally aptly named, a home for small theatrical gestures and chamber plays. But this Spring, The Flea gives us The Mysteries, a colossal six-hour marathon of 50 short plays, written by 48 playwrights (both established and emerging and every category in between), each a short musing on a Biblical story from the Creation to the Last Judgment. Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar and performed by 54 members of the Bats, the resident acting company of The Flea, The Mysteries is an exhaustive (and exhausting) theatrical undertaking with a simple purpose – to tell the most famous story of mankind’s redemption.
Maxamoo
Where to begin? There is no way to succinctly describe the experience of The Mysteries, more a fever dream than a night at the theater. Though most of the stories are familiar (Adam and Eve, Noah, Christ’s crucifixion), the presentation is not. Playwrights as different and disparate as Craig Lucas, David Henry Hwang, Lucas Hnath, Bess Wohl, and Billy Porter have written scenes that are wildly diverse in tone and approach (here’s a gospel number, here’s a theological meditation, here’s a foul-mouthed comedy, here are the Apostles performing a Killers song) but somehow these vignettes coalesce under Iskandar’s deft hand.
The evening has plenty of laughs and light-hearted sacrilege, but also a fair amount of heart-wrenching drama and genuine religious solemnity. As with any piece of marathon theater, some of it is great, some of it not so much. A couple scenes are flat-out brilliant. But it is astonishingly unpredictable and never boring. As your ass grows numb in your chair, The Mysteries somehow keep you in the moment and remind you how powerful the story of the Bible is at its core. It’s a testament to the hard work of all the artists involved, but also a recognition that religion and theater, after all, are cut from the same cloth of miracles.
A lot if the credit goes to the Bats, who attack this daunting task with unflagging energy, commitment, and precision. They not only perform the entire evening, they also serve delicious dinner and dessert during the show’s two intermissions (The Mysteries is divided into three 90-minute acts, with two extended breaks). While you eat, the clearly exhausted Bats schmooze with the audience, checking to see if you’re having a nice time. All we wanted to do is ask if THEY were having a nice time. For the Bats are an unpaid acting ensemble, and it’s almost criminal that such a talented, dedicated, and downright charming group of young people aren’t being compensated for giving so much of their time and gifts to this project (don’t get us started).
The Mysteries is an impressive accomplishment and a rare event on a New York stage – a risk that pays off.
Public Opinion
@theparkscene: #TheMysteries @TheFleaTheater is epic theater at it’s finest. I’ve never had such a stimulating evening. SEE THIS SHOW. #gospel48
@endofscene: 55 member cast, greatest story ever told, 66 seat house & they can sing. Never seen anything like Mystery Plays @TheFleaTheater #gospel48
@katiewillmorth: Happy Opening to @TheFleaTheater and the amazing cast of The Mysteries! Last night left my heart warmed and thoughts provoked! #gospel48
Have you seen The Mysteries? What did you think? Comment below or tweet to us at @maxamoo.
Critics’ Review
New York Times
An Abridged Version of an Age-Old Story, With a Supper
TheaterMania
The Flea Theater’s Bats perform an epic retelling of the greatest story ever told.
TICKETS
$15 – $125, note as of publishing the cheapest available tickets are $75 (click here for tickets)
DATES
Extended through July 14, 2014
LOCATION
The Flea Theater
41 White Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
6 hours, 2 intermissions
NEWS
New York Times
In the Beginning, the Words of Many
New York Theater
The Mysteries: The Flea Takes on The Bible, Epically, Irreverently
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written by David Henry Hwang, Craig Lucas, Billy Porter, José Rivera, Jeff Whitty, Mallery Avidon, Trista Baldwin, Erin Courtney, Yussef El Guindi, Amy Freed, Sean Graney, Nick Jones, Qui Nguyen, and Jenny Schwartz, Marc Acito, Johnna Adams, Liz Duffy Adams, Bill Cain, CollaborationTown, Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, Eisa Davis, Gabriel Jason Dean, Chris Dimond, Madeleine George, Kate Gersten, Peter Gil-Sheridan, Sevan K. Greene, Kirsten Greenidge, Lillian Groag, Jordan Harrison, Lucas Hnath, Ann Marie Healy, Meghan Kennedy, Kimber Lee, Kenneth Lin, Laura Marks, Ellen McLaughlin, Michael Mitnick, Don Nguyen, Dael Orlandersmith, A. Rey Pamatmat, Max Posner, Kate Moira Ryan, Najla Said, Matthew Stephen Smith, Lloyd Suh, Jason Williamson and Bess Wohl
Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar
Featuring 54 members of The Bats (The Flea’s resident acting company)