We saw Jesus Christ Ex Machina on opening night at the Red Eye Theatre. An extremely late addition to the Fringe Festival, the show did not have the audience it deserved. But creator and performer Joshua Larson did not let that keep him from taking his audience through an engrossing albeit confusing journey through the Labyrinth with a cast of characters from Greek Mythology and the Bible. The show is probably not everyone’s cup of tea-not because of the Christian content but because of its unrelenting intensity. He states his thesis clearly in the program: Jesus Christ is the “Deus Ex Machina” for the world. But Larson plays so many different personas that the idea gets lost. There are too many accents to follow. Plus, there is an underlying assumption that the audience knows these stories. I was only sure the main character was indeed Theseus because of the program notes.
The strength of the show is the music. Larson is a very talented singer/actor and songwriter. His singing voice is strong and flexible. He sings with conviction. There is some bluegrass, R&B, country and a little bit of rock and roll. I enjoyed the show for its “fringiness”-a very talented performer with a big idea taking a risk.
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