July 20, 2007
Chocolate Jesus: Faith, Fringe-ified
When you find yourself cupping the balls of a bull, you know your life has taken a turn for the weird.
At least, that's what Stephanie Garibaldi found after spending time in a Mayan village, just after deciding Ivy League College was not for her. Garibaldi's is one of four stories involving faith and self-discovery showcased in Chocolate Jesus.
The work is performed by regulars from SpeakeasyDC, a monthly storytelling night featuring seasoned regulars and first-time open mic participants. While those evenings can be hit or miss affairs, these folks have clearly honed their material and delivery for Chocolate Jesus. The stories are reportedly all true, and never lose our interest.
Garibaldi's tale is the hardest to swallow, but she sells it with self-deprecating flair. Amy Saidman, who tells how she got from the world's strangest Jewish summer camp to becoming an ineffective State Department protester, has a meandering delivery that still commands attention. Travis Wright's monologue is easily the most moving, a genuine retelling of what happens when an active Southern Baptist realizes there's a little more behind his love of Dolly Parton and fishnets, which reaches its climax when Wright has to come out to his conservative mother. But this is no mere sob story; Wright's opening anecdote of an eight year old's laughable misdiagnosis of Toxic Shock Syndrome, as well as his talents in the unorthodox hobby of clogging, balance out the heartbreaking moments. And Eva Salvetti is the group's best storyteller, introducing us to her wacky Argentinian childhood and Catholicism as an unlikely source for childhood rebellion.
They're just stories -- this is not a Fringe piece driven by carefully crafted dialogue -- but that's precisely what appeals about Chocolate Jesus, a piece that tackles big themes and life-shaping moments with plainspoken humor rather than showy spectacle.
Catch Chocolate Jesus July 20, 26, and 27 at 8 p.m. or July 28 at 10 p.m. at Playbill Cafe. Tickets can be secured through the Fringe Festival Web site.
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Is it safe to assume SpeakeasyDC is unaware of how litigious Tom Waits is?
As the director of SpeakeasyDC, I can say with certainty that yes, we are completely unaware of Tom Waits' litigious predelictions. However, our title was not inspired by the song (which we only found out about after the postcards were printed, though it is a great song), but by a recent controversy with a sculptor who created a life-size Jesus on the cross out of chocolate, called "My Sweet Lord". There was a huge outcry about it, resulting in its removal and the resignation of the person who chose to exhibit it. It struck us as a juicy incident, loaded with questions about the tug-of-war between civic and religous beliefs.