Lofty Themes

Last night, I attended a performance of “The Satin Slipper” in the downstairs theater at the Church of Notre Dame in NYC’s Morningside Heights neighborhood.

This abridged production of the epic play by the French playwright and diplomat Paul Claudel (1868-1955) was created by The Storm Theater and Blackfriars Repertory Theater.

It was an intense theater-going experience that required going deep into the spiritual, romantic and geo-political thought of Spanish nobles circa 1600.

Monica Weigel penned a smart review of "The Satin Slipper" for First Things in which she wisely states:

"The Satin Slipper" is not an easy play. It is long (even with the liberal editing), unabashedly religious in its themes, and does not offer any easy answers. But Peter Dobbins, The Storm Theatre and Blackfriars Repertory Theatre have nonetheless created an incredibly compelling piece of theatre, with an artistry that does justice to the play’s lofty themes.

The play illustration above is credited to William Gilkerson.