Books like Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl
Passion Play is Sarah Ruhl’s largest and most ambitious work, unfolding in three time periods: 1575 northern England before Queen Elizabeth’s condemnation of the Easter ritual; 1934 Oberammergau, Bavaria, as Hitler rises to power; and Spearfish, South Dakota, spanning the Vietnam era to the Reagan presidency. Through the lens of a community of performers rehearsing the Easter Passion, the play explores how art transforms and how politics permeate each era, with figures such as Queen Elizabeth, Hitler, and Reagan appearing on stage as a single actor.
Ruhl’s epic, lasting three and a half hours, interrogates the complex relationship between religion and politics while presenting a compelling meditation on the power of collaborative art to confront and reflect the changing landscapes of society.
First publish date: 2005
Genre: Drama & Plays/Drama
Authors: Sarah Ruhl
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