Hollywood's Spooky Spirituality
If high ratings for the ridiculous NBC miniseries "Revelations" are a bellwether, Hollywood's next big thing may be spooky spirituality. Either that or the feel-good "Kingdom of Heaven"-type religious plot that, like some blunt instrument, seeks to bludgeon audiences into accepting an awesomely righteous (read Emmy or Oscar-inducing) social theme.
In hopes of nudging the industry back to a more thoughtful (and realistic) take on faith (think "Kundun," "Dead Man Walking" or "Angels in America"), let me offer this pitch for a biopic:
Big-hearted guy with a bad heart plays the father of a heart-transplant patient in heartwarming community theater. Offstage, he raises five daughters, sells real estate and, through his own artistic endeavors -- here's the realistically nuanced depiction of religion in society -- gains the courage to tell his own minister that people are dying because of the way many black churches interpret God's word.
There are no shoot 'em ups or car crashes. But there is some sex. And the big-hearted guy has style.
See for yourself. Tonight's the last chance to catch George Gant in "A Long Bridge Over Deep Water," at the Ford Amphitheatre.
In the play, Gant is an African American dad whose daughter comes home from the hospital with the heart -- and concomitant passion for life -- of a recently deceased Jewish poet.
In real life, Gant is an African American dad, in rehab after double-bypass surgery. And even though acting can tax his heart, he's in the play because he reveres its message. "A Long Bridge Over Deep Waters" is a dramatization of human interconnectedness. It culminates a four-year play cycle, during which its producers worked with more than 50 religious and community groups to explore how their beliefs unite and divide them.
The company, Cornerstone Theater, has performed at a Buddhist temple, a synagogue, a Bahai center, an Islamic school and a Protestant church. Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Roman Catholics and Protestants -- including gays, lesbians, transsexuals and even some atheists -- helped write and act in the plays.
The theater's professionals made sure that the plays themselves challenged assumptions. Hindus wrestled with the interplay of good and evil, Jews explored why people leave the fold, and African Americans grappled with black churches' harsh attitudes toward HIV/AIDS.
