Throughout the history of western literature, writers have struggled to best represent the Christian afterlife in their works.
Malissa Peterson, director and playwright, takes an entirely different direction in “The 800th Annual Salvation Swing-Off,” where she depicts purgatory as a laundromat where its occupants must clean laundry for however long it takes to absolve their sins.
The show runs from Jan. 8 to Jan. 30 at the historic black-box Broom Street, and is a biblical satire that pokes fun at modern-day Christianity and bureaucracy in ways both subtle and outrageous.
The play, set in modern-day, follows two recently deceased mortals, Sukey, played by Alyssa Stowe, and Reese, played by Loryn Jonelis, as they struggle to adapt to this unexpected laundromat-purgatory.
Throughout the play they encounter an older, more conservative couple (Wendy Prosise and Donovan Moen) as well as famous biblical figures who are assuredly not like their respective versions in the Bible. Instead, Peterson imagines figures such as a personified pencil-pusher Eden (Heather Jane Farr), womanizing Michelangelo (Dunes), alcoholically lovesick Gabriel (Alex Brick), a seductive “Lucy Furr” (Kristin Marie Shelter) and God (Alex Brick) as characters who have either embraced, been worn down or been driven insane by the sheer monotony and bureaucracy involved with keeping the afterlife running nearly 2,000 years.
It is from this juxtaposition between the naive mortals and the experienced angels where the best comedy emerges because it allows for the mortals to bring up their preconceived notions about Christianity and the afterlife, only for the biblical figures themselves to flaunt their volatile personalities and shoot them down. There is in particular a hilarious moment when Gabriel affirms that the true meaning of Leviticus 20:13 is, in fact, “bros before hoes.”
Moving forward, the catch of the play, as well as where it gets its name, is an out for mortals looking to shirk their laundry duties — a dance contest where the last-remaining couple gets to shoot straight to heaven. It is from this where the plot of the play develops organically as each character, both mortal and divine, has some sort of conflict related to it.
Sukey, for example, is petrified because of the possibility of being the reason why Reese does not advance into the more favorable stage of the afterlife. This, despite being one of the play’s most central conflicts, falls a little flat. Despite allowing for a comedic opening, the little backstory provided ultimately harms the play, because the informational gap makes it difficult for audiences to feel invested in the main mortal pair, as well as Sukey’s emotional dilemma. Amplifying this disconcern is the comparison to the outrageous divine figures who have already likely had their backstories etched in the minds of audience members.
It is also worth noting this play is very raunchy, as well as sexually subversive. There are constant allusions and representations of sex, whether it be Michelangelo chasing the tail of all seven of The Virtues (all played by Christina Beller), or Eden struggling whether to let the female-depicted “Lucy Furr” into her “garden” again. The overt sexuality of the play creates an ambivalent effect. From a comedic standpoint, it creates moments that while funny, somewhat clash with the ultimately superior and more cerebral jokes about Christianity and bureaucracy.
That being said, from an emotional standpoint, the overt sexuality of the characters increases in amplitude through internal struggle and pain. It is when those inner quandaries emerge that the play has some of its most touching moments. In addition, it is commendable that the play, without hesitation, depicts characters as being LGBTQ, which, considering the topic of the play, creates both a funny and socially important effect.
All in all, “The 800th Annual Salvation Swing-Off” is a play that offers a lot and expects little in return from its audience members, aside from perhaps a little potential squirming. At times disjointed, Peterson writes and directs with love and care, and ultimately produces a funny, thought-provoking, and unexpectedly emotional piece of experimental theater.
3.8/5
