The Duluth Playhouse has "Doubt," with its food for thought. But the Play Ground offers "The Jack Chick Plays, Vol. II" (aka "The Second Coming") with free candy and little comic books.
Jack Chick has been "publishing cartoon gospel tracts and equipping Christians for evangelism for over 40 years." Entering the Play Ground you are provided with the five tracts being performed and get to pick from an assortment of Mexican candy.
Director Jean Sramek explains that this time around the tracts represent "more controversial subjects and weirder selections." The common denominator remains that these stories are relentlessly and hysterically melodramatic.
In "Fairy Tales," young Harry believes in Santa Claus but not in God. In "Titanic," Chester thought he did not need God until the ship began to sink.
"Tiny Shoes," is presented in Spanish ("Los Zapatitos") because the Chick tracts are available in more than 100 languages. Resist the temptation to follow along in the English version and just watch this one play out.
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In "The Letter," Mildred learns in a dream she was not a true friend because she never told Frances about Jesus. "Doom Town" tells the story of Sodom and "Delivers a compassionate plea to repent of homosexuality."
The show runs about 70 minutes, and while doing another tract or two might seem like a good idea, there is a definite sense the cast is breaking free of their restraints as the evening progresses, especially once Cathy Podeszwa's Frances, the damned soul, sends a lengthy letter written in rhyme from the Lake of Fire via Damned Messengers.
What begins with earnest Christian music and humorous sound effects turns to fake mustaches and some political skewering before culminating in an increasingly ironic use of secular music and reaching a comic apotheosis when we get to bowling for cremation. Then there is the "entertaining AV stuff" guaranteed to provoke groans of laughter.
Sramek's entire cast is back for a second bite of the apple, with everybody playing a multitude of roles and being given moments to shine. The most memorable moments are provided by Christa J. Schulz as the histrionic Mildred, Chris Nollet as Harry Garner, and Cheryl Skafte as young Juanito and the dancin' Lil' Devil. Gary Kruchowski and Tony Keane complete the talented cast.
The cast apparently is well aware they may well go to hell for doing these shows, which raises the question of exactly which circle of hell as detailed in Dante's "Inferno" will they be spending eternity? They are neither heretic nor blasphemers, because they are performing these tracts as written and as drawn. Textual fidelity is always a pretty good defense to charges of exaggeration for effect.
Ultimately, I go with the Eighth Circle where the fraudulent are located in Malebolge, because acting has been disparaged as being inherently false ever since the first critic took umbrage with Thespis, the first actor.
LAWRANCE BERNABO would anticipate being assigned to the fourth circle of Dante's hell because of his collections of hoarded possessions.
