Throughout most of her 80 minutes on stage, Seana McKenna engages the minds and hearts of her American Conservatory Theater audience for “Testament” by Colm Tóibín.
Astutely directed by ACT artistic director Carey Perloff, this demanding one-woman play tells the story of Jesus from the viewpoint of his mother, Mary. In the play, however, her character is called the Woman, while she refers to Jesus as “our son.” She seems to refute the idea of the immaculate conception by saying she recalls quite well how her son was conceived.
Although the time and place aren’t specified in the program, Perloff says the stage directions call for “Place: A Space. Time: Now.” However, it appears that the Woman might be in the old Greek (now Turkish) city of Ephesus after the crucifixion of Jesus.
She is supervised by men she calls “two brutes” who have temporarily left and who want her to write her recollections in accord with their specifications, but she’s defying them. Her supervisors aren’t named, but perhaps they’re two of the four apostles who wrote the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Much of her story concentrates on the crucifixion, starting with Roman soldiers forcing Jesus to carry his cross to its destination while wearing the painful crown of thorns. She goes into excruciating detail about the process as well as the reprehensible behavior of some people in the crowd and the danger she was in.
Prior to the crucifixion, she talks about how her son became the leader of a group of radicals who were viewed askance by both the ruling Romans and the Jewish elders. She also mentions some of the miracles attributed to him, such as healing a lame man, turning water into wine (she’s doubtful about that) and raising Lazarus from the dead. Finally, she pays homage to the Greek gods, especially the goddess Artemis.
Except for a few early moments, “Testament” is a fascinating play with a riveting performance by McKenna.
She appears on a relatively simple set designed and lighted by Alexander V. Nichols. It has just a card table, two wood chairs and camp stool bordered by large shards of glass. The sound design by Will McCandless is unobtrusive yet effective at emphasizing key passages.
People who accept the biblical account of the life of Jesus might find this play offensive to their religious beliefs, but others will see it more as the story of a mother’s anguish at the cruel loss of her son.
“Testament” will continue at ACT, 415 Geary St., San Francisco, through Nov. 23. For tickets and information, call (415) 749-2229 or visit www.act-sf.org.
