PDF Download A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Behind the Scenes with Faith, Doubt, Forgiveness, and More

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A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Behind the Scenes with Faith, Doubt, Forgiveness, and More

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Review

“Part retreat, part seminar, part master class, James Martin’s account of his role as ‘theological adviser’ for a play about Jesus and Judas is ultimately a spellbinding story of faith, friendship, and the deepest mysteries of the heart. Like a great drama, its impact lingers long after the curtain has fallen.” —Robert Ellsberg, author of The Saints’ Guide to Happiness   “Father Martin’s account of his experiences as an adviser to the Off-Broadway production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is not only riveting; it is also theologically important: no one who reads this book can come away thinking that Christianity is just a set of dry rules and regulations. Father Martin helps us see that we all play our parts in a great and complex cosmic drama about the goodness of creation, the pain of sin and brokenness, and the power of God’s redemptive love.” —M. Cathleen Kaveny, John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame  “This memoir is a superb exercise of the Catholic imagination, delighting in the profound connections between sacred and secular. James Martin is both Virgil and Dante, not only guiding us through an engaging drama but also recounting how he himself was changed by the experience. And is that not the goal of all theater—and the Christian life?” —David Gibson, author of The Coming Catholic Church “The estimable James Martin compresses a short course in New Testament criticism along with a glimpse into Ignatian spirituality while creating a model for making friends in this fast-paced account of his experiences as a Jesuit consultant for an Off-Broadway play about Judas. In the narrative, Martin shows us how he almost inadvertently morphed from a consultant into an unofficial chaplain. This book is a vivid lesson about how the Christian life can be led when it is lived out in the midst of the real (and imagined) world.” —Lawrence S. Cunningham, author of A Brief History of Saints  “James Martin’s storytelling at its best! A Jesuit Off-Broadway provides a fascinating glimpse into the production of a new play, beautifully blending pop culture with the gospel, and theater with theology. Martin and his colorful cast accomplish much more than five acts. In retelling the Passion story, they make it real.” —Therese J. Borchard, author of Beliefnet.com’s blog Beyond BlueA Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas, and Life’s Big Questions by James Martin, SJ A few years ago, I read Father Martin’s wonderful memoir My Life With the Saints. He commented on that original review, and he was probably the first author to ever comment on my blog, which was extremely gratifying. That’s one thing I really appreciate about the internet: it is so easy for me to get in contact with authors and tell them how much I have enjoyed their work. (One time an author did comment on a bad review in which I was kind of mean. You will notice that I temper my bad reviews a little more now. Or just don’t post them.)Since I don’t work at the public library anymore, it’s hard for me to stay on top of every single thing I would like to read, so I hadn’t realized that he had some other books since then. I put his newest one on hold and also got a copy of A Jesuit Off-Broadway, which sounded so interesting to me. It’s about his time acting as a theological consultant for the play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot which was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and starred Sam Rockwell. Father Martin walks us through the theology and story of Judas’ time with and betrayal of Jesus as he is also telling us the story of how the play came to be and what the people involved learned from it.I came away from this book thinking, yet again, that Father Martin seems like a kind and thoughtful man. I was impressed at how, in his story, he sought to respect everyone’s faith journey while also admitting that he truly hoped that the experience would in some way convert them to Christianity/Catholicism. I wished that there was more about the long talks he had with the author of the play, Stephen Guirgis, as they worked out the motives and consequences of Judas’s actions, because I would have loved to hear more of the honest questions and answers that they explored. I also learned a lot about some of the saints that the play featured and expanded my own ideas of who some of the disciples were – not just Judas but also Thomas and Peter. The thoughtful discussions about the ideas of forgiveness and despair were some of the other highlights for me personally.I will admit that I couldn’t keep every cast member straight, but there was a chart at the beginning that I could have studied a little bit closer. I was especially impressed at how hard-working and considerate of each other the cast seemed to be. We all have this idea of diva actors, but these men and women seemed to be just the opposite and worked long hours to make sure the message of the play came through as clearly as possible.I started reading this book just after I gave my This I Believe speech at church, and I was so disappointed that I hadn’t started it earlier, because I would have loved to include part of this passage: C.H. Dodd, the great Scripture scholar, defined a parable as “a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” In other words, parables are poetic explanations of concepts that are otherwise impossible to comprehend fully.The concept of the kingdom of God is too rich to be encompassed by something as simple as a definition. And the notion of radical forgiveness is impossible to explain in a few words, no matter how carefully chosen. Jesus grasped the benefit of telling a story about, say, a father’s reconciliation with his prodigal son and allowing the hearers to tease out the underlying meaning for themselves. Besides, if Jesus had given a philosophical lecture to the predominantly peasant community, they probably wouldn’t have understood him anyway.Where a strictly worded definition can be somewhat shallow and actually close down a person’s thoughts, a story is endlessly deep and more likely to open one’s mind. Jesus’ stories carried meaning without having to be converted into a concept, and the power of his parables was that they always went against the expectations of the audience, as when the Samaritan, hailing from a hated ethnic group, was ultimately revealed as the good guy who cares for the stranger. “The deep places in our lives–places of resistance and embrace–are not ultimately reached by instruction,” wrote the Protestant theologian Walter Brueggemann. “Those places of resistance and embrace are reached only by stories, by images, metaphors and phrases that line out the world differently, apart from our fear and hurt.” That last paragraph explains a lot of Father Martin’s excitement about the play itself and the people he met while working with it. And it deeply resonated with me as I have been thinking so much about the power of story. I recommend this book for people who have an interest in theological stories and plays and for people who enjoy reading about the workings of theater productions. And I will reiterate my previous recommendation of My Life With the Saints, which is a book that has stayed with me since I posted about it almost exactly four years ago.You can read Father Martin’s columns in America magazine and see him as an occasional visitor on The Colbert Report (here is a clip from a recent show). (Kari Through a Glass, Darkly 2010-04-27)

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Book Description

An Off-Broadway cast has plenty of questions about life and faith—and Fr. James Martin is just the right person to offer some answers.Can we believe the Bible? Does hell exist? What is sin? A Jesuit Off-Broadway provides answers to these and more questions as it recounts Fr. Martin’s thrilling six months with New York’s LAByrinth Theater Company. Asked to serve as the theological consultant for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Fr. Martin soon discovers that everyone from the playwright to the actors has pressing questions they want answered. Over the course of the many weeks leading up to opening night and during the play’s sold-out run, all who are involved in the play come to understand that the sacred and the secular aren’t so far apart after all—and that Fr. Martin is much more than an invaluable adviser: he’s a genuine friend.

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Product details

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Loyola Press; Reprint edition (March 4, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780829435474

ISBN-13: 978-0829435474

ASIN: 0829435476

Product Dimensions:

6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.3 out of 5 stars

30 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#858,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

A JESUIT OFF-BROADWAY, by Fr. James Martin, S.J., an associate editor at the highly respected Catholic weekly, AMERICA, and the author of the excellent MY LIFE WITH THE SAINTS, concerns the Jesuit priest's unexpected involvement with the production of what would become a popular (if not universally well received) off-Broadway play, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT. Martin participated in the production of the play from the later writing stages through the end of its off-Broadway run, and his reflections on the development of the play, on the people who brought it to life, and on its subject matter comprise the content of the book.The production's lead, Sam Rockwell, who played Judas, first contacted Martin through a tip from one of Rockwell's mother's friends. Soon Martin was brought on board as the play's theological advisor, engaging in lively discussions with the playwright (the highly lauded Stephen Adly Guirgis), the actors, and the director (the famous and talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman) on theological issues pertaining to the death of Jesus, and on the lives of the saints who make appearances in the play. These discussions give Martin an opportunity to refresh his graduate theology studies, and, for the purpose of this book, visit these sorts of issues with the readership. Over time, as Martin and the cast become more acquainted with each other, Martin's role expands to include friend, counselor, and chaplain.As Martin reflects on his evolving role, he realizes that he is fulfilling the very nature of the Jesuit vocation as expressed in Ignatius of Loyola's directive, evoking Saint Paul, "to be all things to all men," ready to go anywhere and do anything. He remembers that the history of the Society of Jesus (the formal name of the Jesuit order) was closely intertwined with the theater (particularly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Jesuits were known for their collegiate theatrical productions), and that the very nature of performance has its correlative in imagination, which is at the core of Ignatian spirituality (with all one's senses, "experiencing" life alongside Jesus).To be sure, Martin's book allows the reader vicariously to experience what it's like to become chummy with famous actors. But to Martin's credit, the theater people with whom Martin interacts come alive in his narrative as real people, not as celebrities. Unfortunately, I think, Martin himself maintains a relatively low profile in his story. Indeed, I would have found it interesting to read, to a greater extent than I found in the book, what reflections Martin's experiences working on this play caused him to have on the meaningfulness of his vocation as a Christian, as a Jesuit, and as a priest.Though not quite as rich as MY LIFE WITH THE SAINTS, this latest work by James Martin is absolutely worth reading. It is a slight book, something I might suggest to tuck away in one's bag to take to the beach--instead of the potboiler--and so come away feeling edified. No matter what time of year, though, the reader with both an interest in the theater and in Christian theology--or, for that matter, who ever wondered what Jesuits do--will be enthralled by this book.

This was the third of Fr. James Martin's books that I've read, and I'm becoming to really enjoy him as an author. His strength is taking theology (particularly through the lens of Ignatian spirituality) and making it very personal. As is made evident in the foreword by the playwright, Martin's interaction with the cast and crew of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot left an indelible mark upon them. Entering into a community often stereotyped for its secular nature (and in a city characterized the same way) Martin is initially unsure of whether he will receive a chilly reception as the play's theological adviser. However, he discovers a very eclectic group of people at various places along their spiritual journey; rather than viewing him with a skeptic eye, they seem genuinely interested in his views and give him a warm reception into their acting world. Over the course of a few months, his role shifts from theological adviser to more of a pastoral role; by the novel's end, Martin hasn't won himself over a cast of converts, but he has acquired good friends and caused many of them to reconsider the role of faith in their lives.I particularly enjoyed Martin's exploration of the role of Judas within the Gospel narratives: What was his motivation for betraying Jesus? If Jesus offered him forgiveness, why wouldn't he accept it? What role did despair play? If there was one thing I appreciated the most though, it was the fact that book was casual enough that it didn't feel like I was reading a theological textbook; at the same time, it wasn't SO relaxed that it wasn't substantive.A word of warning: if you are a very conservative Catholic, you may take issue with both the book's language (actors in NYC are a rowdy bunch, and Martin captures that well) and its exploration of some elements of Christology which may fall a little out of line with the official Church teaching. I told an acquaintance of mine (who is quite theologically orthodox in her views) about Martin's suggestion that Jesus may not have been completely aware of the dimensions of His divine mission up until the Resurrection. She seemed shocked and horrified that a Catholic priest would advance what in her mind was the "downplay of Christ's divinity". I am Catholic myself, but perhaps a little more open-minded about such things. Consider yourself warned, though let's be honest: if you are extremely conservative you probably wouldn't be reading a book written by a Jesuit priest anyway.I didn't give this book 5 stars because I probably won't want to read again within the next couple of years - it isn't a captivating page-turner you can't set down, nor will it make a lasting mark upon the field of theology. Still, if you want an easy read that is still thought-provoking and inspiring, A Jesuit Off-Broadway doesn't disappoint.

A very interesting description of the creative process behind the writing of the script. It is written in a the story telling style, like most of James Martin's books. It is a deeply personal account of the book author experience as the theological advisor. It is profound, funny, serious, spiritual and theologically based. It offers a vivid picture of the multidimensional soul of humanity. It is also a book that teaches fundamental truths and views from the pespective of Catholic religion and others. It uses a day to day language, easy to read. The play uses a colloquial and slang NY street vocabulary, easy to grab your attention. At the same time, encourages serious thinking and learning.The actors are depicted as regular human beings, individually, personally, with their acting greatness, but also with their doubs, sufferings, conflicts, interior conversions, failures and anxieties, influenced or soothed, by the study of their own characters in the play: "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot". The book title is perfectly descriptive of the hard work behind the scenes before a theater play is presented to the public. The presence of the priest as theological advisor is well integrated in the development process of the play. He is very human and understanding, though he helps to guide and keep the biblical story in check. The last chapter summarized the spiritual impact that, as advisor behind the scenes, the process had on the author himself, James Martin SJ. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the diversity of lives, theater, playwriting, or just in the arguments about Judas life and death, doutbs and forgiveness, then and today.

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