Raising Luke - dumping luke
We don’t usually have spoiler warnings here at Plank but I feel obliged to provide one with this review because my problem with Raising Luke is the subject of a big reveal towards the end of the play. So, if you like to be surprised and plan to see this play, come back later.
First off, Raising Luke is the most beautiful and well executed play I’ve seen so far at SummerWorks. It’s simply gorgeous. The lighting is beautifully sculpted, evoking the atmosphere of a Catholic nunnery perfectly. The set is a model of simplicity: an altar that transforms into a bed and a table as required. The movement work is precise and actually serves the narrative. The scenes blend flawlessly from one to another – a memorable example being when one of the nuns drops petals to the ground and those petals turn into letters the other nuns scurry in to collect. And the nuns. Never have nuns looked so, well beautiful; the folds of their habits make striking, angular designs that are picked up by the light. Any work that features nuns has to have its moments of fun and I’ll never forget the sight of nuns rolling, one by one, underneath the altar and out of view. A similar disappearing trick is done near the top of the piece when Luke, who has been brought to the retreat by his mother, also disappears from view.
If only he’d remained hidden. Not that Pierre Simpson, who plays Luke, didn’t give a strong performance – he did. Not that the character didn’t have some beautiful moments – his speech about having a nervous breakdown on the street and being rescued by the unquestioning love of his girlfriend is one the show’s most poignant moments (for both Simpson and playwright and director Claire Calnan). For all this, Luke, in my opinion, should be banished from the script should Calnan continue to work on it (and she most definitely should). Here’s why: Luke is suffering from a sexual-identity crisis, his nervous breakdown the result of an affair he had with another man. I’m sure you can guess the fate of a young man questioning his sexuality within the context of a play exploring Catholicism. Yep, Luke Must Die. In a play with so much originality and verve, Luke’s story is both overly-familiar and for me, personally, depressing. In 2008 I would hope that we’ve moved on from the need to see another gay man die on stage. Ironically, immediately after seeing Raising Luke I went to see Crush.
Raising Luke is not the first play to equate a gay man’s experience to the passion of Christ and I doubt it’ll be the last. But the thing is this piece doesn’t need it. The return of Martha to an order she abandoned years before is rich enough material in its own right. Calnan doesn’t need to use the Luke story as a narrative crutch, she simply needs to go deeper with the material that is to me more compelling. She already takes us into a world that few of us have ever experienced. Within a short piece, and supported by a terrific cast, she does an incredible job of filling out the characters of the other nuns, making them distinguishable even through the obliterating darkness of their habits. These are questioning, engaged nuns, they’re even fun. The highlight has to be Lindsay McMahon – who tells stories from the Catholic canon that not only illustrate the themes of the piece – but show the character as a slightly unhinged but thoroughly beguiling character. It also demonstrates Calnan’s ability to marshal material effectively. She also makes use of deft turns of phrase, for example when Martha (played by Maja Ardal) explains how she is can believe in the Virgin Birth while not being completely sure it happened.
The whole scenario is ripe with possibility and I’m sure Calnan has the chops to realize its potential. Luke is dead at the end of this draft. All Calnan needs to do is finish the job and bury him.
One quick note, Jenny Young suffered a biking accident before the performance I took in. Calnan gamely filled in for the role of Aggie and did a great job. It doesn’t hinder the production or the audience’s enjoyment. Quick recovery Jenny!
Raising Luke Written and Directed by Claire Calnan; Presented by tiny bird theatre; Featuring Maja Ardal, Lisa Karen Cox , Lindsay McMahon, Pierre Simpson, Camille Stubel, Jenny Young. Part of the 2008 SummerWorks Festival. You can find all you need to know about the show right here.