City Theatre's Gay-Themed Play Based on Bible Incites Threats, Obviously

This just in: Conservative Christians are sort of put off by gay comedic adaptations of the Bible. And they generally refute the notion that the Virgin Mary could have been a lesbian. Okay, not so weird. But the fact that, all of the sudden, Texas Christian activists are really interested in local theater? Now that's nuts.

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Though rehearsals for City Theatre's adaptation of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told have yet to begin, a handful of Texas-area fundamentalist Christians -- ostensibly emboldened by their success in shutting down the Tarleton State University production of Corpus Christi -- are already expressing their disapproval for the flamboyant retelling of the most tried-and-true Bible stories through threats, menacing cries of immorality, and, we would imagine, a great number of "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" picket signs.

"To refer to [the Virgin Mary] as a lesbian, or even insinuate it, is an unspeakable blasphemy, which I reject with all my soul," one email read. Fabulous' LGBTQ slew of characters effortlessly blaspheme their way through Testaments both Old and New, from Adam and Steve getting to know each other (biblically) in the Garden of Eden to the gay and artificially inseminated Mary's women's-lib-inspired rant during childbirth and, finally, to present-day Christmastime in Manhattan -- so yeah, conservative Texans have fire and brimstone at the ready.

According to KEYE, City Theatre receives "continuous" phone calls that often end with ambiguous threats like "you better not do that" or "you better watch out", along with what Austin On Stage says looks like a form letter from a small group outside Central Texas. Whether the eventual damnation will come by way of the protesters or straight from the hand of God, no one knows -- although one email warned, "If you continue with this presentation, Catholics will oppose it in one of the largest and loudest peaceful and legal protest [sic] ever seen."

But fighting words like "peaceful" and "legal" are doing little to slow the production of Fabulous. Said City Theatre artistic director Andy Berkovsky in a statement, "Good art sparks debate . . . We urge everyone to see the play, any play. Then, after it is over, allow themselves the opportunity for opinion and discussion." Which sounds to us like a nice way of saying, "thanks for the publicity, don't forget about live theater once you're done being pissed off" to us.

Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told opens Thursday, June 10 at City Theatre, under the direction of Daniel LeFave.

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