Unbinding Isaac was the latest production of the Redmoon Theater. This company is what theater is all about in my book. Geeeawd it’s tasty theater.

The show is a meditation on the biblical story of Abraham who, for those of you who did not have to suffer through endless hours of catechism, was the bloke who was told to off his son as an offering by and for God. Abraham was a dutiful sort of chap and had his son bound and the knife sharpened before God said "Okay, that’s enough buddy. I was only kidding." His son, Isaac, survives the ordeal and goes through a lifetime of counselling to get over the shocking horror.

Well, that’s how I remember it from my catechism days anyway. I’m sure Billy Graham might have a few issues with the interpretation provided.

The play, though, places Isaac in the relative present and follows his train of thought as he considers the value of sacrificing his own pleasure to benefit others who are in greater need. Peter Singer would have gotten a lot out of the moral of this production.

Anywho – the most incredible part about this play was the fact that Isaac had exactly one line and that came as the curtain was falling at the end. The entire production to that point was Isaac and three spectre-like women, all named Magritte, interacting via some outstanding choreography, shadow puppets, and Isaac himself running through his daily routines in a manner patterned after the great Buster Keaton. Words cannot do this play justice because its message was delivered by a series of images. The choreography was meticulous, the acting tremendous, and the lasting impression continues to reverberate between my ears.

The set was another creative marvel. It was simultaneously simple and complex. The imagery laden pieces were sparse, but strikingly detailed, something like Edward Hopper would do as an eleven year-old. Panels that slid out from the eaves were incorporated into the choreography and as the characters played out their string on stage, they were involved in changing the set for each scene in a way that did not leave the audience thinking, "Act I, Scene 2." It just flowed from Isaac’s studio, to the street below, to the bus, to work, to the pub, and back home. Work was exceptionally cool as two Magrittes had these awesome fold-out desks and pretended to talk using the perennially silly, "hum-in-a hum-in-a, hmmm, uh-huh, uh-huh?, hmmm" phraseology.

And, oh, the kite scene. . . yes. . . Okay, I’m back.

Equally stunning was the treatment of Sarah, who was Isaac’s mother – again for the catechismically impaired. No one really ever addresses what had to have gone through her mind when she found out ol’ hubby had been up in the mountains with her son, ready to gut him because the dog told him to. This isn’t to say that Sarah wasn’t a pious woman, but it’s been Fezboy!’s experience that chicks tend to be pretty protective of their offspring. Kudos to Redmoon for touching on this angle.

So, needless to say, Unbinding Isaac was exceptional, as is everything Redmoon Theater does. Do not miss another production they put on or else Fezboy! will "Send ’round the boys."

Coming soon, Fezboy! reviews Wit