A play on the cardinal's words

By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. ( articles - email ) | Dec 22, 2003

A Chicago theater is producing a play based on the depositions of Cardinal Bernard Law. The repertory theater is presenting "Sin: A Cardinal Deposed," which features the depositions provided word for word.

"He's taken the deposition and laid it out in a theatrical format," said Bailiwick Artisitic Director David Zak. "There's no made up dialogue and I think that gives it a lot of power and a lot of weight."

I can't think of a more boring night out at the theater, unless you had someone sit on stage reading from the phone book.

I have to wonder what the real point behind this will be. I suspect that the aim will be to mock the cardinal and the Catholic Church. How will they act it out? What will the costumes be? What will the sets look like? It probably will be just another blasphemy. The Church is such an easy target; it's not daring to attack it any more.

By the way, the repertory theatre has staged such masterworks of the theatre as "Naked Boys Singing," "Pope Joan," and "Corpus Christi" and has won awards from, among others, The City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.