Joan of Arc: Into the Fire
Nothing disappoints quite like high expectations. I've been an Alex Timbers acolyte since I first saw Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson off-Broadway, and that fandom only grew with Peter and the Starcatcher. After seeing the immersive disco-set musical Here Lies Love, his collaboration with David Byrne, I became a fan of their creative partnership. So when it was announced that the duo was bringing Joan of Arc's story to life on stage, I was pumped. When I left the theatre, I was deflated.
I'll admit that I didn't know much about the titular heroine, now saint; there was, however, a handy timeline in the Playbill. This provided enough context that I was easily able to follow along (though they tried fitting a lot into just 90 minutes). I was able to understand everything, but Byrne and Timbers didn't make me care.

Here, I couldn't see his touch. There was a nicely staged training montage (good character–appropriate choreography throughout by Steven Hoggett (American Idiot, The Last Ship)), but other than a revolving platform that sometimes looked like a cross, the direction came off as generic, even timid. The climactic burning at the stake, for example, was just humdrum. I'm not an expert pyrotechnic, but I know enough about theatrical tricks and Timbers's usually boundless problem-solving skills to know that the effect could have been ten times more potent and spectacular.

Then there's also the matter of Joan's faith journey. This young woman set off to fight in the war because she saw a vision from on high. It's difficult to accept that in 2017; it's difficult to see, as Joan's struggle leads her to an antagonistic church, how she could keep the faith. It seems clear to me that the reason the church couldn't accept Joan's visions (BTW, they'd only entertain the notion that she was telling the truth if they could confirm—by digitally examining her most intimate body parts—she was a virgin) because it would pull back the curtain on the church, exposing the fact that they do not have a monopoly on faith; that they do not need to be an intermediary between God and the faithful. So, of course, if anything threatens the primacy of the church, the threat needs to be eliminated.
Perhaps it's not fair to judge Joan by today's standards, but as audience members walked into the theatre, they were greeted by a pre-show curtain emblazoned with today's newly–coined feminist rallying cry, "She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted." The creative team (including scenic designer Christopher Barreca) are making a point, asking me to connect Joan's journey to today's political fight. So I can't help but look at Joan's actions through my 2017 lens, and be flabbergasted, at best, by her unyielding faith and devotion to the church.

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