Chicago Critic
Tom Williams
November 22, 2013
[Paulus] is daring, provocative and enticing work. It sure challenges us to think, analyze, and consider the nature and essence of our beliefs.
Read MorePaulus /
HowlRound
By Dani Snyder-Young
November 20, 2013
Paulus’s core message of inclusivity—that ethnic origins shouldn’t matter—resonates in a contemporary American context valuing multiculturalism. Of course salvation should not be exclusively reserved for just one ethnic group. Of course everyone should be able to participate in a (now-mainstream) monotheistic belief structure, regardless of ethnic origins. Of course Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Jews should be treated as equal.
Read MorePaulus /
Talkin' Broadway
By John Olson
November 20, 2013
[Paulus] is no Christmas pageant. Rather, it's an intellectual consideration of the origins of Christianity as it was promulgated by the Apostle Paul in the years after Christ's crucifixion.
Read MorePaulus /
Chicago Theatre Beat
Lauren Whalen
November 20, 2013
Some aspects of Paulus, such as its production values and cast, are incredibly successful [...] Paulus is worth seeing.
Read MorePaulus /
Chicago Sun-Times
By Hedy Weiss
November 20, 2013
Artfully directed by Jimmy McDermott (on a fine set by Dan Stratton), the cast is strongly led by Daniel Cantor...
Read MorePaulus(*****) /
The Examiner
By Alan Busch
November 20, 2013
[It] was mighty cozy in there almost as if the audience had been empowered to steer the course of events to its own liking. 5 Stars!
Read MorePaulus /
ChicagoNow
By Bonnie McGrath
November 20, 2013
If you've ever wondered what life was like in Judea/Rome after the Resurrection, during the time of Paul's apostolic journey, you MUST see Silk Road Rising's Paulus ASAP! [...] It's just fabulous!!!
Read MoreReligious message comes through the loudest in Paulus /
Chicago Tribune
By Kerry Reid
November 19, 2013
There is no doubt that these characters believe deeply in the positions they have staked out... The philosophical context of Lerner's show is fascinating.
Read MoreOffbeat: Silk Road's world premiere Paulus a fascinating blend of faiths /
The Times of Northwest Indiana
By Phil Potempa
November 18, 2013
As involved and detailed as the subject matter might sound, Silk Road Rising masterfully presents this play by Motti Lerner, neatly served up in two hours, including a 10-minute intermission, while seizing the hearts, minds and souls of the audience by way of a talented cast under the direction of Jimmy McDermott.
Read MorePaulus /
Around the Town Chicago
By Alan Bresloff
November 17, 2013
Silk Road Rising is one of my favorite troupes. Written by a Jewish Atheist, we look at the Messiah and what he might have been had his life gone longer than that which is written and taught. Both of our “heroes”, Jesus and Paul are of the Jewish faith, each hoping to save their people from what might happen to them and to somehow unite their people to believe in the same teachings. Was Paul attempting to complete Judaism, making it the perfect religion? Or was he seeking a way to unveil a new religion that altered what was in the original 613 Commandments? Daniel Cantor was a powerhouse as Paulus. Nero was deftly handled by Glenn Stanton and the two ladies, Dana Black and Carolyn Hoerdemann were as stunning as they were believable. The original music (Peter J. Storms) is unique.
Read MorePangs of an Apostle: Israeli author looks back at a divisive figure /
The Chicago Jewish News
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
November 15, 2013
Israeli playwright Motti Lerner has never shied away from controversial subjects (right-wing settlers, Yitzhak Rabin’s murder, Jonathan Pollard), but his new play, “Paulus,” is different.
Read MoreDramatizing Paul of Tarsus: Christian and Jewish Responses to PAULUS /
Moderated by Cheryl Hamada, WTTW
Featuring Motti Lerner, Margaret M. Mitchell, Nicholas Patricca, Steven Philp, Rabbi David Levinsky
November 11, 2013
In anticipation of the world premiere of Motti Lerner's PAULUS, an artistic interpretation of the latter years of Paul of Tarsus as imagined through a psychological lens, Silk Road Rising hosted a conversation with scholars, clergy, and the playwright.
Read MorePaulus /
November 7–December 15, 2013
The World Premiere
Written by Motti Lerner
Translated from Hebrew by Hillel Halkin
Directed by Jimmy McDermott
A compassionate but wary 62-year-old Jesus and an egomaniacal Emperor Nero torment the ailing psyche of the Apostle Paul as he struggles to universalize monotheism against fierce opposition from a Jewish religious establishment threatened with spiritual extinction.
Read MoreThe Hijab Cycle /
2013 - Present
Everything you’ve wanted to know about the four hijabs, but didn’t think to ask! This ground-breaking initiative adapts the scholarly work of Dr. Manal Hamzeh, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies & Gender and Sexuality Studies at New Mexico State University, situating her work within artistic and pedagogical inquiries around feminist ijtihad, Muslimness, and gender justice. Rooted in feminist interpretations of sixteen Koranic verses relating to the visual, spacial, ethical, and spiritual hijabs, The Hijab Cycle challenges traditional readings of sacred texts—a process best illustrated in the animated short film The Four Hijabs.
Read MoreJamil Khoury Speaks Out About Silk Road Rising's Latest Production /
Chicagoist
August 27, 2013
Silk Road Rising [...] is causing quite a stir with its newest production, Invasion!... We caught up with Founding Artistic Director Jamil Khoury to chat about the theater community’s reaction to this highly charged, thought-provoking play.
Read MoreRacial Profiling Presumes Guilt /
Chicago Sun-Times
Op-Ed By Jamil Khoury
August 20, 2013
An 80-minute full-frontal assault on the racial profiling of Muslim and Arab men, Invasion! is a torrent of humor, irony, and self-reflection. And it has certainly sparked controversy.
Read MoreStereotypes of a Dark-Skinned Man Are Confronted On Stage in Invasion! /
Chicago Magazine
By Catey Sullivan
August 14, 2013
With Invasion!, the Swedish playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri bombards his audience with a barrage of poetry, dialogue, and shape-shifting characters.
Read MoreCritical Praise for Racial Profiling: Responding to Hedy Weiss /
In her review of Silk Road Rising’s Midwest premiere production of Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s play INVASION! (August 6, 2013), Chicago Sun-Times theatre critic Hedy Weiss begins by asserting that “The global terror alerts dominating the news in recent days certainly do not help the arguments being made by Jonas Hassen Khemiri in his play, Invasion!...” It is from there that Hedy proceeds to make the case for racial profiling...
Read MoreCritical Praise for Racial Profiling: Responding to Hedy Weiss /
Silk Road Rising
By Jamil Khoury
August 8, 2013
For those not in the know, Invasion! is a play that challenges and deconstructs the racial profiling of Muslim and Arab men in the West. It is a play that humorously disentangles terror scares in the Middle East from how we perceive the Muslims living next door.
Read MoreInvasion! arrives at world’s divisive time /
Chicago Sun-Times
By Hedy Weiss
August 6, 2013
[To] be sure, [playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri's] talent (verbal pyrotechnics, deftly delineated characters, sly humor) is palpable in this Chicago production that features sharply etched direction by Anna Bahow, and a bristling good cast of four capable of morphing on a dime.
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