Killing conservatives central theme of stage production

Imagine a play where conservatives invite a far-left wing activist to dinner, only to kill him or her afterward.  Would such a play get rave reviews, or would it be shown as an instance of conservatives and Tea Partiers inciting violence?  Most of us know the answer to that question.

But such a play is making the rounds in Madison, Wisconsin.  Except the killers aren't crazed gun-toting Tea Party activists, they're liberal students, and the victims are conservatives.

The Last Supper, a production of the Mercury Players Theatre, is set to run through Feb 12 in Madison, and the performance has sparked considerable controversy.

According to a Jan 22 article at The Daily Page:

Five lefty graduate students in Iowa City gather for weekly dinners to revel in their shared (and sometimes smug) world view. The first dinner we witness ignites a surprising shared mission when one of the students invites the truck driver who offered him roadside assistance to join them. This young man, a patriotic Desert Storm vet, first startles the group when he insists on saying grace before the vegan meal and then goes on to praise Hitler, alarming and repulsing the other dinners. Threats and violence ensue, and one of the hosts stabs him.

As he lies bleeding on an area rug, the quintet, after some debate and initial hand-wringing, decide that they have done society a favor by eliminating him and silencing his dangerous words. They also decide that since participating in protests and sit-ins has been a futile way to fight the power, this new dinner party/murder method may be a more effective technique in coping with right-wing adversaries.

According to another article at The Daily Page, Artistic Director Rachel Jenkins-Bledsoe said:

“The Last Supper is a perfect Mercury fit. Mercury strives to keep our art current, poignant, radical and a bit raw --- so does Dan Rosen's The Last Supper. If you have felt helpless and unheard through the outrage of our own culture right now - through Arizona, through the Tea Party, through Madison's own political turn - then this is the show for you!"

Another description of the play at the article says:

Politics and morals are at odds when five liberal grad students discover a new way to deal with the radical right wing. Arsenic and Old Lace meets Fox News in this twisted dark comedy. This is the debut of a new version of the script, revised by the playwright to reflect the changes in the political climate since the play was originally written.

The play opened in Madison just two weeks after the tragic shootings in Tucson that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life from a gunshot wound to the head.

According to The Daily Page it has played in Melbourne, Chicago, Perth, Oslo, New York, Buenos Aires and Mar de Plata, Argentina where it won Best Play 2009. 

While liberals pointed their fingers at the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, clip art, and conservative speech in general, the nation engaged in a heated debate over "rhetoric" and "civility."

So strident were those on the left, that some took to Twitter to express their desire to see Sarah Palin dead.

Others wanted to see Orwellian legislation dictating the use of certain words and clip art because they felt those words and graphics might encourage others to engage in similar acts of violence.

The play was adapted from a 1995 movie by Dan Rosen, who said he was inspired by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.  According to an article at Madison.com, Rosen explains:

“I wondered if Limbaugh’s extreme stance was merely an act,” he writes. “What would he be like if I met him in person over a drink or a meal? Would he let me in on the big joke with a wink?”

But some are not amused. 

Channel3000.com reports the director is receiving hate mail, and some have allegedly compared the players to Nazis, according to director Doug Holtz.

Holtz said authorities have been notified and were advised to consider security for the production.

He said anyone who has seen the play knows it is not about glorifying violence by either party.

"By the end of the play, everyone turns such a corner and you realize how devastating it really is to go down that path," said Holtz.

Channel3000 reports that audience members agreed, and some thought the play went after both sides of the political debate.

Those behind the play hope political dialogue continues, without resorting to the violence portrayed on stage.

Nevertheless, some believe the play may be too much so soon after the Tucson tragedy.