A surreal intersection of faith and fantasy

Wildly ambitious in theme and scope, the three-part saga examines a company of amateur actors mounting a traditional passion play at three pivotal periods in history.

The first is set in a small English village in 1576 during the reign of Elizabeth I when she banned faith-based performances in an effort to stamp out Catholicism. The second is set in 1934 Oberammergau, Bavaria, just after Hitler's surge to popularity. The last act is largely set during the Vietnam War and highlights Ronald Reagan stumping for election while praising family values.

Through the reenactment of the passion plays, the 11 actors struggle to find their true identities both inside and outside their roles. Covering a wide territory, the troupe depicts humanity in a palette of fascinating shades as characters search for spirituality.

In the English version, Mary, the Virgin lusts for Fisherman John, the hunky Jesus who pursues a holy life yet traipses through rehearsals wearing loincloth that keeps slipping.

Overcome by raging hormones, Mary sleeps with Pontius, the fish gutter, and John's jealous brother. After discovering she is with child, Mary tells villagers it is a miracle. However, she cannot deal with shame and guilt and commits suicide.

In Nazi era Germany, Eric the sensitive boy who plays Jesus is so awed by the role he can barely stammer his lines. He joins the German army to be become part of a glorious ideal and morphs into a murderer who arrests Violet, the town's only Jew and throws her to the wolves.

Ruhl flashes a stab at bigotry when Violet reminds him that Jesus, the man he portrayed in the pageant, was also a Jew. Eric coldly replies, “Kind of. But not really.”

And in the third act, a vet cast as Pilate in the South Dakota version returns from the Vietnam War damaged. Pilate cannot wash his hands of the guilt he feels for killing innocent children.

Ruhl effectively draws parallels among the eras demonstrating how often men are doomed to repeat their sins when confusing spirituality with spiritual authority.

The actors deserve full marks for their powerful, insightful performances. Jesse Gervais as the muscular Jesus is both sober and committed with a frightening edge. Amber Borotsik reveals an earthy side to the virginal Mary that is quite appealing and Belinda Cornish as Mary Magdalene presents an unexpected motherly quality.

Nathan Cuckow is a powerful Pontius who effectively shows how this man is both prisoner and perpetrator of his personal demons. Kristi Hansen as Elizabeth, Hitler and Reagan is pure ham while Dave Horak as the frustrated director desperately tries to get his actors to present a unified front.