The Gospel at Colonus

“An ancient drama explodes into a hand-clapping, soul-stirring gospel musical.” –Chicago Tribune

“One of the most marvelous shows the decade… Colonus is a triumph of reconciliation, bringing together black and white, pagan and Christian, ancient and modern in a sunburst of joy that seems to touch the secret heart of civilization itself.” -Jack Kroll, Newsweek

Writing at the end of his own long life, in Oedipus at Colonus Sophocles depicted his doomed hero’s final hours; at the moment of his death the aged Oedipus is free at last. Envisioning this rarely performed meditation on mortality as a rousing service in a black church, Lee Breuer has created a remarkable text based on Robert Fitzgerald’s splendid translation. Rearranging, simplifying, cutting here and enhancing there, Breuer has above all honored the spirit and the poetry of Sophocles’s lovely work, giving it a new life in this time and place.

Inspired by the joyous faith at the heart of African-American Christianity, Breuer and composer Bob Telson have turned a momentary wish of Sophocles’ chorus into a central desire of Oedipus himself. “I wish the wind would lift me,” he sings, “so I could look with the eyes of the angels.” The fundamental action of The Gospel of Colonus is to “lift him up” – at the hour of Oedipus’ death to celebrate his life, to journey through grief to triumphal resurrection. “Man,” says lead actor Morgan Freeman, “this is what theatre is all about.”

Lee Breuer is a founding member of the acclaimed avant-garde company Mabou Mines. He has written and directed many groundbreaking works for theatre including a trilogy of “Animations,” A Prelude to Death in Venice and Haji. Sister Suzie Cinema, a cinema collection of his poems and performances, was previously published by TCG.

Bob Telson’s recent projects include collaborating with Breuer on The Warrior Ant and composing the score for the film Bagdad Café.