This weekend, VegSOUP and Cothurnus will present the two-act dark comedy Incorruptible in Brodie Black Box Theatre.
Incorruptible, written by Mark Hollinger, is directed by senior theater major Amanda Serianni, and will premiere Thursday night.
Incorruptible is the story of several Roman Catholic monks living in medieval France who find their monastery at the point of complete failure as the world around them loses faith in the divine powers of their order's only religious icon: the remains of St. Foy.
The monastery takes a turn for the worse when news reaches the monks that a church in Bernay is not only claiming to have purchased St. Foy from a "one-eyed monk" from their monastery, but has been witnessing miracles proclaimed to be provided by the relic.
Desperate, the brothers decide to unravel this mystery and find a way to preserve their order - no matter what the cost. As the play progresses, the romantic, lamentable and sometime frightening histories of each of the monks are slowly revealed until the monks ultimately find themselves in a perplexing situation.
Incorruptible provides an enjoyable, if not unsettling, combination of sarcasm, historical reality and above all, dark truth.
"I consider [Incorruptible] really appropriate for a college audience for two reasons; one, because of the comedy, and two, because it is about questioning authority but keeping faith," Serianni said.
Despite the heinous acts of the monks, viewers cannot help but understand the one decent motive behind their deeds - to preserve their small French church so that they may continue to serve the poverty-stricken town around them. The plot makes for interesting viewing, and the messages about challenging authority and the consequences of putting fame over faith definitely keep the audience's attention amid the hilarity of the play's lighter moments.
In addition to the bizarre plot, performances by sophomores Sean Miller and John Gasper add to the entertainment. Miller stars as Jack, the religiously ambivalent, one-eyed minstrel, while Gasper is the show's morally-torn Abbot Charles, who must choose between the preservation of his abbey and the preservation of his faith.
The most memorable performance in the show, however, was from sophomore Tiffany Everspaugh as the blustery nun Agatha, whose imposing voice and fiery countenance made for one of the most frightening yet hilarious aspects of Incorruptible. The chemistry of the entire cast created an effectively intriguing viewing experience, making Incorruptible a worthwhile production to attend.
Incorruptible will be playing in the Robert Sinclair Theater in the Brodie Fine Arts building from Feb. 14-16 at 8 p.m., with an additional 11 p.m. show on Friday. Tickets are $5 students, $6 faculty and staff, and $7 general public, and are available at the Brodie Box Office or online at bbo.geneseo.edu