The Production
The most beautiful of all the Gospels, John's account is also the most mystical. In Leonardo Defilippis's beautiful Christian drama, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN, the written Word becomes imagery. Light and sound transform the inexplicable into flesh. To interpret the Gospel, most people rely on realism. However, it is somehow impossible to recognize the mystical reality of Christ through a simple reenactment of events. Instead, our production has taken a more symbolic approach. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN is based on the artistic theology of the Byzantine icon. Icons are not simply paintings. Christians understand them to be windows into the reality of the supernatural. By contemplating an icon, "written" by an artist who has spent hours in prayer, one is drawn into a stillness and consciousness that is outside day-to-day existence. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN is a meditation on the mystery of the Trinity. Leonardo has not approached it in a literal way. Rather, he has tried to capture this mystery of the Word made Flesh in symbolic imagery. With this style, the play is intended to draw us all into an experience of prayer. THE GOSPEL OF JOHN is a rare opportunity to slow down, to listen, and to allow the Word of God to enter into our hearts.