Bible, The: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)

One of the creators of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged) once stated that the purpose of the play was to put the "fun in fundamentalism." What they have achieved is a giddy, sophomoric send-up of the Great Book. Some of the "shtick" in Bible is as lame as a Jack Benny joke, while other moments are more inspired and indeed funny. It is not likely that audiences will leave the theater without finding at least something to tickle their funny bone.

In the production recently staged by Milwaukee's Chamber Theater, the comedy doesn't really build to a crescendo, as one wish it might. It definitely limps along in spots and has a rather bland ending. The cast consists of three men. They artfully portray an assortment of male and female biblical characters, as well as being "actors" who directly address the audience. One long-running joke concerns one of the actor's affections for "Noah's Ark." This actor cannot get enough of the story he learned as a child, about animals marching two-by-two, etc. Although the actor realizes that the team has a lot of ground to cover in two hours, he is visibly miffed at the brief reference to Noah and his ark. This adds a slight dramatic tension, which would be fine except that it leads to the show's low-point, an audience participation section in which several couples must imitate Noah's animals.

Far better is the show's opening scene. It begins as a series of tableaus that quickly fade to blackouts. The subject material: Adam and Eve. The actors strike a series of poses to the strains of "Thus Spake Zarathustra." The show ends on a far less hilarious note (and a somewhat sacrilegious one), as the resurrected Jesus makes his entrance on Easter morning in a bunny suit.

However, if the script falls flat in places, it's not due to the valiant efforts of the three actors. They all have ample opportunities to display their talents. Michael Herold pontificates so beautifully that it is a special joy to watch him get an unexpected dousing (with water) about halfway into the show. Mondy Carter "luckily" gets to play all the women's parts. This allows him to bat his eyelashes and sashay around the stage in a most exaggerated fashion (a la the late Milton Berle). All the "women" are great, although Salome stands out as a seven-veiled wonder. The third actor, Bo Johnson, has a goofy charm he uses to good advantage (such as portraying the childlike character who demands more stage time for "Noah's Ark.") Although the play is hit-or-miss, the simple but stunning set is brilliantly conceived. Its series of classical pillars, heavy drapery and kooky bas-relief images work exceptionally well in framing this humorous piece.