Even if The Fall from Grace was not an excellent production of a play – it is – it would be an important contribution to American theater. Not only has Thompson-Scretching tackled a subject forbidden to be broached on American stages, but The American Theater of Actors and Jessica and James Jennings have provided her the forum and financing to present this extremely controversial piece.
The Fall from Grace deconstructs the book of Genesis and in the process destroys or undermines much of the Judeo-Christian canon. The Fall from Grace tells the tale of Lucifer’s war with God from Lucifer’s point of view. It begins with Lucifer holding court with his Council of Fallen Angels in their exile in hell. Lucifer, much like Judas, led the rebellion because he felt unappreciated and dismissed by God after years of absolute fealty, doing anything that God willed, whether good or evil. But God refused to grant him control of even the lower angels and then reduces him further by creating a son who receives power through nepotism and then creates man, who is given a privileged position – as long as man gives God absolute loyalty and praise.
The fallen Angels and Lucifer wish to destroy God’s favorites. Lucifer recognizes that God has created Woman (Eve) to satiate Man’s (Adam’s) loneliness. But he has made Eve subordinate to Adam and left her in a position of feeling unappreciated and unloved. Rather than slaying the humans, Lucifer decides to destroy their perfect lives by exploiting their weaknesses and getting them to violate God’s one rule in Eden. Lucifer successfully seduces Eve, both sexually and intellectually. He lets her know that she can only be superior to Adam by obtaining knowledge that Adam lacks. She eats from the Tree of Knowledge and temporarily gains superiority, but Adam cannot tolerate his loss of hegemony over woman and soon eats from the tree of knowledge as well to reestablish his position.
But none of this story is a simple as the story is presented in Genesis. God is a god with human emotions and who likes playing with his creations. The first direct attack on Christianity (at least some denominations) comes when Thompson-Scretching recognizes the Trinity as being one of three, rather than three in one. Lucifer also correctly identifies God’s unwillingness to yield any power to his subordinates while simultaneously requiring responsibility. In the final scene, God destroys hell. By transforming the fallen angels into serpents who will no longer have the power to initiate any evil. They have served their purpose. They acted as instruments of God, a tool in God’s desire to bring down man from his lofty perch. At the end of The Fall from Grace, it is man who has fallen and will forever remain fallen and all the evil that man does is the responsibility of man. Man does not have the privilege of blaming God or the devil in Thompson-Scretching’s world. Man was driven by lust, greed and jealousy to destroy paradise and Lucifer was used as a tool, not the cause of, bringing that about. ALL of the evil that befalls man after his fall from grace can no longer be blamed on the devil, but on man and his inability to exercise self-control. Thompson-Scretching’s God is more human than god. He is driven by emotions and not even loyalty earns significant rewards. Her God does not acknowledge or promote because of accomplishments or loyalty by followers. He does not protect. He uses followers to destroy each other for his entertainment and to reinforce his superiority. Thompson-Scretching’s God is not one worthy of worship. By planting her attack at the very beginning of the Bible, she leaves little to substantively admire in Judeo-Christianity. The Judeo-Christian God has the same characteristics as the pagan Gods that preceded monotheism. The work is incredibly controversial and “believers” will be tempted to walk out rather than have their beliefs assaulted.
The production itself is extremely well done. It boasts an impressive set and lighting and the fine cast, led by Jake McMichael’s Lucifer, Is not afraid of putting Thompson-Scretching’s bold attacks on the Judeo-Christian tradition on stage. If only more companies and authors were willing to aggressively challenge conventional wisdom.
Showtones 