Theatre Review: Saint Joan Is Heavenly Revived By MTC
Written by George Bernard Shaw, Saint Joan reveals the humanity of divinity, and plays upon the loneliness of both. To be God is to be alone, and to be chosen by him means exactly the same, especially because. in a world that claims to choose him, it seems insulting if he doesn’t “choose” you back. Heartfully directed by Daniel Sullivan and revived by the Manhattan Theatre Club, Saint Joan reveals this legendary, femme warrior did not die because she was crazy or a heretic; she died because we were jealous.
Imagine being the head of the Catholic Church, but a farm girl is chosen by God to lead His Children? Imagine being a rich aristocrat but a peasant woman is chosen by God to define what it is to be wealthy? Or how about being the head of an army, and God chooses a teenage girl, who has never fought in her life, to lead your nation to victory? If I were the Pope, Aristocrat, or Head General, I would be a little bothered, too. You give your life to God and to his service only find that he wants someone else. Shaw’s writing brilliantly displays that Joan was not a danger because she sparked faith in non-believers, but because she challenged the faith of those that already believed in God. By claiming God wanted France to win, she also said God wanted England to lose, and who wants to hear God is not on your side?
Audiences will flock to Condola Rashad’s performance as Joan of Arc like a moth to a flame. From the minute Rashad enters the stage, you feel warmth for the peasant girl faithfully following the celestial voices of her head. Moreover, you understand why she is so avid that they are real and refuses any nay-sayers; these voices are the only kindness she receives. While everyone uses her to give them success and hope, no one, except for God, really comes to make sure Joan feels as revived. Hence, Rashad’s smile and vibrancy is infectious because she plays Joan as an optimistic, non-malicious being whose has every reason to lose her resolve. She is so bare with her humanity you understand why so many follow and vow to protect her, but why the most powerful find her a nuisance. She showed both the “lowly” and those of “higher stature” they could be better.
In a world filled with people that basks in making others envy what they own, Saint Joan made people envy her because of who she was. Joan’s constant hopefulness could make wind changing appear like a miracle to the hardest, but most noble hearts like the charismatic Daniel Sunjata’s Dunois. Whether the French believed she could speak to God or not, Joan’s kindness and openness to all made her feel divine and special, which is exactly what the French soldiers needed in learning that you win a war through your heart and not your potential check. After all, everyone can get paid, but not everyone can believe in something higher than money. Hence, why the tides turn on Saint Joan.
History, at times, can feel torn by Saint Joan. On one hand, she is one of the most legendary warriors of all time, but, on the other, she seems stubborn and insane, but Sullivan’s direction shows that she could be both. For the first time in my life, I saw how both images could live side by side thanks to astellar cast. John Glover and Walter Bobbie are righteously regal as the Archbishop and Cauchon, Jack Davenport is both hilarious and politically poignant as the aristocratic soldier Warwick, and Adam Chanler-Berat is funny, annoying, and completely self-absorbed as the dauphin meant to be king. All these men play a role in bringing down the “woman” who over-stepped her class, her gender, and her religion to confound the powerful with her self-empowerment.
For being two hours and 45 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission, Saint Joan goes by rather quickly. You feel engulfed by the performers and the golden, scenic design of Scott Pask, who might as well build the set to Heaven. Yet, viewers will feel most enraptured by Saint Joan’s most tragic lesson: we kill our heroes but protect our villains. From Jesus to MLK, Saint Joan explains why we have martyrs in the first place. For however much humanity swears it wants peace and love, it is addicted to power and the feeling that violence is the only way to get it. Yet, power only satisfies but never fulfills, which is why kings grow jealous of martyrs. Still, martyrs may be killed by the powerful, but they become legends because they empower. Saint Joan is playing at Samuel J Friedman Theatre -261 West 47th Street New York, NY 10036. It is playing till June 10. Click Here To Buy Tickets.
