A passionate play, and other arts picks

Walking Shadow's 'Christians' full of praise and pain

Oh, Lord, does this play ever make me uncomfortable.

I mean that in a good way. "The Christians," a Walking Shadow Theatre production that opened last weekend at Mixed Blood, starts out as a worship service. But there is much more to the play than that.

The theater is done up as a church — not in the style of the little Lutheran church on the corner, but in the TV studio aesthetic of a modern megachurch. The people on stage assume the roles of pastor, pastor's wife, church elder, associate pastor, minister of worship and praise choir. And the audience assumes the role of the congregation, like it or not.

For preshow music, there's a selection of preludes. The choir sings pop Christian hymns whose lyrics appear on TV screens, just as they might in a contemporary church. And darned if some members of the audience don't start singing along.

When a pastor asks everyone to join him in prayer ... well, what am I supposed to do? A lifetime in church pews has given me certain reflexes. I fold my hands and bow my head.

At times like this I want my fourth wall back. That's the imaginary barrier that separates audience and actors. But these actors — particularly Andrew Erskine Wheeler as Pastor Paul — observe no such wall. They look straight through it, directly at us, and reach through it to shake our hands. The whole thing feels so authentic that if they passed an offering plate, the audience might cough up some cash.

And that's all just the format. The play hasn't really started yet.

When Lucas Hnath's play does start, this sanctuary becomes a battleground. Pastor Paul, certain of his role as the congregation's spiritual director, has decided on a theological change of course. But his confidence in his own leadership may be misplaced. At first, 50 parishioners leave, which isn't many from a congregation that numbers in the thousands. But then comes a slow disintegration that spells doom if Paul can't shore up support.

When the tide-turning, deadly threat to Paul finally appears, it comes in the unexpected guise of a parishioner who seems too meek to be dangerous. Brittany Parker shines as a choir member who writes out her questions on notebook paper and then nervously tears off bits of it as she speaks.

Without such a strong cast, this show might drag; with these actors, it's brilliant. Wheeler's Pastor Paul is utterly believable as a man of faith who follows his conscience and suffers for it. Kory LaQuess Pullam, as an associate pastor who stands in Paul's way, agonizes over his own complicity in possibly sending the souls of his parishioners to hell. Bonni Allen convincingly plays Paul's wife Elizabeth, who loves her husband even as she kicks the last few supports out from under him.

This conflict is over doctrine, but it might just as easily have been over politics, or gender equality, or some other issue of social justice. And it could as easily come in a book club or a workplace as in a church. This play is a reminder that trouble might lurk just beneath the surface of our most important relationships. And that some of the institutions we hold most dear can be ripped apart with very little notice.

The show runs through June 11 at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.

Reason to go: Have you been to church lately?

Two lawyers talking: That's entertainment

An earlier draft of this item began, "If only there could be a Season 2 of 'Making a Murderer.'" But it turns out that a follow-up season of the addictive documentary series may, in fact, be in the works. There's also talk of a feature film, with name actors taking over for the real-life subjects. That would be a pity, because real people — notably Steven Avery's defense team, Jerry Buting and Dean Strang — provided much of the series' appeal. The two lawyers seemed decent, brilliant and deeply frustrated by their inability to get their client a fair shake. If they're as articulate in person as they were on Netflix, their appearance at Northrop Auditorium on June 2 should be worth seeing. They're on tour with a lecture series called "Conversations on Justice," and they are donating some of the proceeds to equal-justice charities.

Reason to go: These guys are smart.

Erin Keefe plays Brahms

"He doesn't usually get to make this many comments to me," Erin Keefe told Euan Kerr, referring to her husband, Music Director Osmo Vanska. "But I allowed it today. It's for my own good." They were in the midst of rehearsals for this weekend's performances of the Brahms Violin Concerto. As Kerr reported, "The Brahms Violin Concerto is technically and musically challenging. It takes practice and preparation. But Keefe said the sense of accomplishment at doing it well makes it worthwhile." Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.

Reason to go: You'll be able to say you've heard every violin concerto Johannes Brahms wrote.

Curtain calls

The touring production of "The Book of Mormon" closes its Minneapolis run at the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday. ... This weekend is also your last chance to see the imaginative and engaging "Constellations," about a love story playing out in parallel universes, at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. ... You've seen "A Night in Olympus," the Chan Poling/Jeffrey Hatcher/Bill Corbett musical in its premiere run at The Illusion Theater, right? Because if you haven't, drop everything else and go see that. It's showing through June 4.

Irish music at the Cedar

Sometimes, all you need in this world is a fiddle and a guitar. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill perform Irish and Celtic acoustic music, both traditional and modern. Just the thing for the evening before Memorial Day. It's an all-ages show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.