Theater Review - Slings and arrows

You might call it a coup when a Christian theater group in a Bible Belt town mounts a show with gay subject matter and doesn’t succumb to proselytizing. Sadly, Art Within’s world premiere of Song of the Bow leaves only a little room for celebration. Playwright Wayne Harrel succeeds at rising above a flat Sunday school sermon, but a forced second act leaves the show somewhat unstrung.

The title of this play-within-a-play refers to a mysterious text that shows up on the desk of Celia Quinn (Kathleen McCook), a conflicted theater director who’s just won an award for her production of Hamlet, but who’s still reeling from a personal tragedy. The text tells the story of David and Jonathan, biblical best buddies who Celia reads as being more than friends. Adapting the work for the stage, Celia casts Derrick (Larry Davis), an accomplished theater veteran, and Zach (Jon Williams), an unknown but eager actor, in a show she sees as a political statement.

Sparks between the two ignite almost immediately, with the openly gay Derrick at first accusing churchgoing Zach of homophobia, but later making overtures at seduction. Zach’s spiritual beliefs are called into question in the face of his mounting attraction to his initially unlikable co-star.

Art Within has been developing Song of the Bow for almost two years, but the production remains far from seamless. Director Bryan Coley milks an uneasy yet thoroughly convincing sexual tension in scenes with the two men alone in Derrick’s apartment. But jarring transitions invariably lead back to often painfully awkward rehearsal sequences.

As the skittish, nerdy Zach, Williams plays the Christian underdog with admirable conviction. Unfortunately, neither of the other two leads gets a chance to show such range. The character of Derrick is written as a sadly stereotypical Bitter Queen who — surprise! — turns out to have AIDS, while McCook’s Celia drones on in airy, empty platitudes.

In the end, Song of the Bow resists moral posturing — but barely. Wayne Harrel swings the double-edged sword of “Teach tolerance” and “Love the sinner but hate the sin,” a mixed message that leaves the audience guessing at his intended target.


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Song of the Bow plays through Nov. 10 at 14th St. Playhouse, 173 14th St. Thurs.-Sat. 7:30 p.m.; Sun. 5 p.m. $18-$20. 404-733-5000. www.artwithin.org.??