all for One closes their 2023 production calendar with a black box theater adaptation of Rick Najera’s historical fiction A Peculiar People at the PPG ArtsLab.
afO Artistic Director Lauren Nichols calls the production a semi-world premiere, as only one other theater has ever produced the play.
“We acquired this script rather serendipitously,” Nichols said. “A member of afO, Michael Wilhelm, saw the original production in Pasadena, California, in 1990.
“Fast-forward 20 years, and he found the playbill in his filing cabinet. Thinking it might be a great fit for our company, Michael contacted Mr. Najera himself, and was sent an electronic copy of the script. After I read it, I called Najera to ask permission to do some rewriting and to stage it for afO. He was very gracious to grant permission to a group he’d never heard of.
“Our 2012 production was well-received, but only ran one weekend, and I’ve long thought we should revive it, especially now that we work in the intimacy of the ArtsLab.”
The story
The two-act production, which continues its run April 28-30, opens with philosopher Justinian of Hippo (Connor Beer) being tossed into a Roman prison cell on the charge that he is, in reality, St. Justin Martyr of the early church, a dangerous criminal in the eyes of first-century Imperial Rome.
Justinian’s crimes? To quote centurion Ciprian (Tim Johnson) and prefect Philius (Nate Chen): “Worshipping a convicted criminal … a god crueler than Caesar” and spreading “ideas which threaten our empire.”
His sentence? An unceremonious death in the Roman arena.
It’s a classic case of you’ve got the wrong man. Yet no amount of pleading or recanting his alleged “faith” — which Justinian is hilariously all too happy to do — makes any headway with Ciprian or his loyal guard (Tomax Apfel).
The show’s emotional and comedic beats center around Justinian and fellow cellmate Mariam (Adrienna Beer), an illiterate former slave handed over to Roman authorities upon discovery that she had become a Christian. Like the soldiers, Mariam remains convinced that Justinian is history’s Justin Martyr — or, at the very least, an angel sent to her in her time of need. Justinian remains convinced that Mariam and her like are loopy in the head.
Plenty of brevity, action
The play’s material is handled with equal doses of levity and gravitas. Important lines are given space to sink in, while rapid-fire misconceptions about monotheism in a pluralistic society — gods and prostitutes, slaves and masters, Peter and Plato — offer a welcomed break from the drama.
Here we have two convicted criminals about to meet a bitter end at the hand of one of history’s most feared regimes. Yet Najera’s script allows for Justinian and others to humorously wrestle with several misunderstood rites of Mariam’s faith: sibling marriage, babies baked into cakes, and followers who feast on their rabbi’s flesh for absolution (yuck!).
A Peculiar Person’s five-person cast may be slim, but there are no weak performances. Each actor holds their own throughout the 110-minute screenplay. It’s a breezy two hours filled with excitement and intrigue that’s over before you know it.
Not only that, but for a single-set production, Peculiar’s action hits surprisingly hard. I thought for sure I heard some punches connect during one or two scuffles! The costumes look great, the weapons look sharp, and Beer’s background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu adds weight to the choreography.
Something for everyone
A Peculiar People’s title teases at several themes. Most obvious is a reference to a King James–era phrase meaning, “The Lord’s exclusive property.” But a more contemporaneous understanding becomes clear in the clashings of faiths and cultures that arise between characters: Freemen and slaves. Jews and Romans. Philosophers and religious folk. Through these scrapes, characters grow and a plot materializes. Or, as the Scriptures say: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Speaking of peculiar: Guests at our showing were treated to a 15-minute intermission with complimentary hot tea and baked goods in the common area. It was a great opportunity to stretch our legs and visit with other attendees. Special thanks to afO and its volunteers for this uncommon touch of homey hospitality.
All told, Najera and afO’s production of A Peculiar People succeeds in weaving weighty topics of freedom, belonging, miracles, honor, destiny, and eternity into a two-hour dramaturgy that’s fun enough for a Friday night and light enough for a Sunday afternoon. I would highly encourage people of faith and fans of local theater to catch this exclusive run of Najera’s show before it closes at the end of the month. It could be your last chance to see it in person, ever.
This play is rated PG for language and action. I’d use Star Wars as a litmus test. If your littles are mature enough to handle the modern Cinematic Universe, they’ll have no problem with this.
