Playing the Bible for laughs can be dicey business. Offending the faithful with flippancy or falling comically flat with overly cautious reverence loom as risks to be avoided. Acacia Theatre Company avoids the pitfalls in Fish Eyes, achieving humor from confounding human encounters with the divine.
Its balance of grins and gravity comes from the observations of two fisherman siblings called by Jesus to be fishers of men. Curmudgeonly Peter’s (David Sapiro) easy frustration and awareness of his own frailties are offset by brother Andrew’s (Matt Koester) eager studiousness and easier going nature. Both are equally slow on the uptake regarding the importance and power of the Gallilean they’re following. A modernized setting gives the two-man production the feeling of two bros going up to northern Wisconsin to catch a cooler full of walleyes.
Fun comes not only from their being flummoxed by their Lord, but also other references to and differing translations of holy writ. The play’s 14 vignettes, developed in improv settings by writers Ted Schwartz and Lee Eshleman, allowed for occasional bits of spontaneity, such as riffing on candy and a tea bag collected from audience members before Koester and Sapiro enacted the feeding of 5,000.
More serious episodes, especially Peter’s trio of denials of knowing Christ and tearful repentance, effectively contrast the prevalent lightness of mood. Therese Goode’s original Celtic-informed fiddle score, performed on stage, complements the action with deft sympathy.
Through Oct. 26 at Concordia University Wisconsin’s Todd Wehr Auditorium, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive. For tickets, call 414-744-5995 or visit acacia@acaciatheatre.com.
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