Time well-spent

When does 3#189; hours not feel like 3#189; hours? When one spends them immersed in Goodman Theatre's remarkable production of Sarah Ruhl's "Passion Play: a cycle in three parts," a strikingly original work filled with beguiling images and sustained by big ideas expressed with a light heart rather than a heavy hand. A fanciful examination of religion, politics and theater, "Passion" -- with its clever construction, multiple layers and poetic writing characterized by gossamer lines like "she is like air breathing in the body of a violin" -- is a must-see show.Much of the credit goes to Ruhl, a Wilmette native and Piven Theatre alum, whose "Passion" both celebrates and satirizes theater. A running joke involves a tweedy Englishman, who informs German natives he's writing a book on theater, to which they respond, "Really? A whole book?" But the success of Goodman's production also rests with Mark Wing-Davey for his bold, imaginative staging and fluid direction and with an always engaging, immensely talented ensemble. The play centers around three performances of the passion (a theatrical depiction of the last days of Christ) taking place in 16th-century England, 1930s Germany and late 1970s to mid-'80s America. Each act consists of a performance of the pageant. Throughout the play, the same actors portray Jesus. Pontius Pilate, Mary and Mary Magdalene as well as their offstage counterparts -- ordinary men and women often bewildered and overwhelmed by the roles they play. Ruhl and Wing-Davey have crafted an epic, a whimsical, surreal spectacle whose artfully conceived visuals include giant fish gliding across the stage while the fisher of men casts his net against a blood-red sky; a Technicolor Ascension straight out of the 1970s and an exquisitely enigmatic maritime image that leaves one speechless. But "Passion Play" is not all splashy visuals. There's the wonderfully intimate farewell between lovers as one goes off to war; a cringe-inducing moment where a young Jewish girl is shut up in a cage; a deliciously lowbrow scene set in the Garden of Eden -- all less grandiose, but no less affecting. The overarching theme is the manipulation of religion for political purposes by charismatic leaders, represented by Elizabeth I, Adolph Hitler and Ronald Reagan (wonderful cameos by T. Ryder Smith), who exploit theatrical conventions. But it also considers love and betrayal, intolerance, faith and religion, identity, and the extent to which we conform to the role fate or society assigns us.Yet this "Passion" is intensely personal, revealing the human drama behind the religious performance. As arresting as it is (thanks to brilliant work by designers Allen Moyer, James F. Ingalls, Cecil Averett and Ruppert Bohle), "Passion Play" engages us most powerfully when it does what all great drama does: Tells one individual's story. In the whimsical first act, it's the illicit affair between Mary and the fish-cutter playing Pilate. In the gripping but unsettling second act (the best of the three), set in Oberammergau in 1934, it's the story of the outsider (a touching performance by the consistently excellent Polly Noonan), the city's lone Jew and the reluctant Christus (a charismatic Joaqu#237;n Torres). And in the sometimes confounding third act (which suffers from shifting time periods and wavering focus) set in the post-Vietnam War era in Spearfish, S.D., it's the traumatized Vietnam vet who has lost his faith (the terrific Brian Sgambati).Time is valuable, and 3#189; hours is quite an investment. "Passion Play" is worth it. "Passion Play: a cycle in three parts" 3 1/2 stars out of fourLocation: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago Times: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 21. Additional 1:30 p.m. shows Thursday and Oct. 11; additional 2 p.m. shows Oct. 6, 13 and 20Tickets: $20-$70Box office: (312) 443-3800 or www.goodmantheatre.orgRating: For adults, contains nudity, swearing, sexual content