Wakefield Mystery Surprises

Last night, I took a much-needed study break to check out The Wakefield Mysteries. Even though we'd read one of the plays from the cycle in class, I really had no idea what to expect: I have a friend in the chorus, and I remember asking him specifically if the plays would have a lot of modernization. "The mystery plays are really known for being contemporized in their day, right?" I'd asked. "Is that an adaptation that Whitworth will be making?" My friend just kind of looked at me funny and was like, "huh?," so I assumed that the plays would be performed pretty close to what they would have been like a couple centuries ago. This was not a correct assumption.

Like Lee, I really enjoyed the contemporary aspect of the plays. I think their modern-day costuming and humor helped (at least me) have an interest in the stories that was immediate and not just religious. While I intellectually understood that this was an element for the original audiences of "The Second Shepherd's Play," it really wasn't a part of my reading--I thought it was funny and I appreciated Mak and Gill's humor, but the shepherds' complaining and Mak's punishment went way over my head (probably because I didn't feel like I really had a cultural context for them). I personally had a hard time relating to the social conditions of the characters. However, with the modern adaptations (like giving Cain a tractor), I could understand the issues a little bit better: my grandparents still live on a farm, so I have a basis of understanding for what it's like to have a bad harvest year. (I don't have a basis of understanding for what it's like to be a tenant farmer.) Anyway, I was glad to be able to personally appreciate how the mystery plays' contemporary aspects changed the enjoyment level for medieval audiences.

Also like Lee, I must say that "The Second Shepherd's Play" was not my favorite of the cycle, and I was really surprised by some of the changes that they made. For instance, when the shepherds decide to toss Mak in the blanket, it seems funny but also kind of mocking and mean in the Whitworth production. While Mak is definitely not a good guy for stealing a sheep, the three shepherds seemed really reminiscent to me of elementary school bullies who think up weird and humiliating punishments just for fun. In the version that we read, though, it's really clear that the normal punishment for sheep-stealing would be death, so the three shepherds are actually being merciful to Mak when they decide to toss him in the blanket. This kind of changes the meaning of the most crucial element of the play: the meeting of baby Jesus. If the three shepherds are seen as ultimately good-hearted people, then their goodness is rewarded because they are chosen to see Jesus first. However, if they are kind of gruff bullies (which is what it seemed like to me in the Whitworth production), then it's less that they are pure people and more just a sense that Jesus came for gruff, bullying, flawed humans. I think that both interpretations are good, but it's just interesting to see the different interpretations that can come from a pretty small detail.

At any rate, I really enjoyed the humor, contemporization, and energy that the Whitworth theater department put into The Wakefield Mysteries. While there were times when the rapping, dance breaks, and jazz seemed a little outrageous, I think the department did a good job at retaining the spirit of the plays, which were reverent but didn't take themselves too seriously. There are two more shows next week, and if you guys haven't been yet then I definitely recommend it!