THE PASSION PLAYERS

by Edmund P. Murray ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1967

The players in this passion play are not exactly heaven sent. There's Coit Harwood, broken down bit player as Jesus. Hart Lovelace, Judas on stage and in real life as he tries to destroy Coit; Jewel, Harwood's wife, an ex-stripper with a string of ex-lovers that includes Coit, as Salome; Frenchy, an Ozark prostitute as the Blessed Virgin; Paul Quentin, the only man who's got real religion as Pilate; Jackson Travis, an aging fag as Herod, not to mention supporting players with other hang-ups. The off-stage characters are equally bizarre: Tippy O'Neill who'll do a stage if it means a buck; her lover Mother Ann, a villainous lady wrestler; voluptuous Dotty Crawford who has necrophiliac ideas about her dead father and so on down the perverse list. As the tawdry troup tours Texas, the cast manages to spend more time in bed than on the stage and they change partners as frequently as they change costume. Essentially though, this is a test of will between Jesus and Judas--Coit and Hart as Hart's unforgiving Jealousy leads him to undermine Colt at every opportunity from stealing scenes on stage to arranging scenes in real life. Oddly enough, beneath the sleazy sex and cheap theatrics, there is a strong narrative drive and a genuine sense of humor in the book. We ban think of only one other time the Blessed Virgin ended up pregnant.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1967

Categories: FICTION