GENESIS, Pegasus Players. Whether you believe Genesis was written by Moses with divine guidance or think it belongs on the mythology bookshelf along with Gilgamesh and the Odyssey, there’s no question that the Bible’s first book is compelling literature–poetic, morally complex, and rich in incident. But east-coast actor Max McLean’s evening of theatrical storytelling drains the text’s dramatic potential rather than enhancing it. Alternating between affected narration and sometimes kitschy impersonations of various biblical figures (birthright-bartering Esau comes off like Bobcat Goldthwait), McLean displays impressive memory and articulation but not an ounce of honest emotion. Every awed whisper, every climactic crescendo is calculated for effect rather than an artist’s response to genuinely felt experience. Director Jonathan Wilson’s efforts to heighten key moments (strobe-light lightning during Noah’s flood, for instance) only emphasize the artifice; and the smarmy attempts at humor, almost all based on condescending attitudes toward women, made my skin crawl.
