The Glory of the World Review

The Glory of the World is a commissioned work about the life of Thomas Merton, not exactly in celebration of his just celebrated 100th birthday (although that is the setting) but because an Episcopalian monk, Roy Cockrum, a couple years ago bought a "Powerball" ticket in Cambridge, Mass., and won $259 million. This is only the first of several "co-incidences" here that seems to illustrate the old rabbinic dictum (later adopted by Aquinas) that "There are no accidents."

Like many of us who bargain with Le Bon Dieu, Cockrum had pre-decided that if he ever had a mega-score that he was use at least some of the proceeds to support regional theatre. So a portion of his winnings went to the Actors Theatre of Louisville. [Most subscribers to this periodical know that Merton after his conversion emigrated to the nearby Trappist monastery at Gethsemani and had his great spiritual—or one of them—experiences at a street corner in Louisville. The City has marked this with a plaque.]

Les Walters, the director of Actors Theatre, commissioned the play to Charles Mee, who had much more than a passing interest in Merton. The play opened last year in Louisville to what might be call tepid reviews. According to a story in the NY Times Louisville's chief daily said it was "perplexing but fascinating"; while a countercultural publication reported "a collective sense of confused delight". The author and the director had earlier collaborations staged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; thus Thomas Merton's 100th birthday party (the matrix of Mee's play) opened in the Big Apple (or, at least, nearby) on Jan. 16th. It closed on Feb. 6th. In its "Arts & Leisure" section on Jan.10th, the NYT gave the play an enormous sendoff. However, other than a couple short notices in Brooklyn publications, the play didn't seem to receive much notice in Gothham and its environs.

So what's the play about? As mentioned earlier, the setting is Merton's 100th birthday party where 17 male celebrants dressed in party hats quarrel over how to describe Merton. I don't know if Mee's model was the story of the six blind Hindus describing an elephant but that is the affect. [The Hindu who touches the elephant's side says "An elephant is like a wall", etc.] Merton was, of course, an emotional writer, a theological thinker, a pacifist, and a real mensch! And this is just for openers. He died after what some called a near-embrace of Buddhism. My reading of his end is that because of their similar life styles, he realized than he had more in common with a Buddhist monk than most other Christians.

And, Oh, yes. A world class mystic!

After "defining" Merton (and some other frolics), the 17 characters engage in a very long physical brawl (a little like the joke about how one went to a professional fight and the hockey game broke out!) This is after the men were dancing, "making out" [these words come from the review in the NY Post], and flexing their muscles during a sunbathing session. befo

The director, Les Walters, has cast himself as Merton. However, lest the reader see him as an Orson Welles wannabe, Walters does not recite any of Merton's words. They are shown on a large screen, which to my thinking was quite effective.

Also, in homage to Merton's vocation, there are long periods of silence in the play, which seemed to make some members of the audience quite uneasy.

Because of the large male cast, it is problematic as to whether the play will have much of an afterlife. Also, if one wasn't a devotee before seeing the "Birthday Party", I don't think that this play would convert you. For people responding to Pope Francis' Merton plug in Philadelphia ["a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people"], I would commend the book rather than the play.

John Rogers is a retired lawyer, an Episcopalian, and a member of the Franciscan Order of Divine Compassion.

#article