Bigger than Jesus

This is a tough show to get your head around.  Rick Miller takes on the mantle of Christ to lead us through a whistle-stop tour of the rise in popularity of Christianity.  The wall of information that kicks off the show immediately blocks any thoughts of this being a light and fluffy look at the past 2000 years.  Fortunately the show isn’t primarily a lecture and the energy picks up as the performance progresses.

The show leaps from serious to silly; from teaching to preaching; from deep theological discussion to musical numbers performed entirely by action figures.  One thing is consistent however and that is the sheer quality of the production.  Various technical gadgets are used to sublime effect by Miller to work through his material and it really raises the bar on what can be achieved in a theatrical performance.

There’s a heck of a lot to think about and at times I felt like my brain was trying to crawl out of my ears in order to escape the bombardment of questions, contradictions and indictments that Miller throws out.  Nevertheless I enjoyed a show that forced me to think quite hard about what has happened in the past, what happens in the present and where we may all be heading in our futures.  Oh yeah, and Homer Simpson as Judas was quite a lot of fun too!

****

D

Fringe Programme Page No

176

Company

Rick miller & Assembly

Venue Name and Number

Assembly @ St George’s West V 157

Dates and Times

2 to 27 August (not 7,14 ) 20.45 to 21.55

Comedy 2007

Music 2007

Others 2007

Theatre 2007

Musicals 2007

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