Locusts Have No King
About the show
INTAR presents the Off-Broadway premiere of 'Locusts Have No King,' a dark and comedic drama about two gay couples and the one simple choice that threatens to change all of their lives forever. More…
Two gay couples get together for a dinner party. They work together. They even live in the same building. And, they are closeted. But when one of them ponders his resignation, the others fear the exposure of their hidden relationships. They cannot allow this to happen. They won’t allow this to happen. So, all hell breaks loose…literally.
"Christopher’s play is a revelation. 'Locusts' is a play that does not avoid spectacle. And yet Christopher’s brilliance as a playwright is that he keeps the characters genuine in the face of such dramatic given circumstances...Every detail of the production on this show is excellent, full of as much nuance as the writing and acting...'Locusts' is not afraid to get weird, and you should not be afraid to go. INTAR has created a night of deliciously complicated drama that will stick with you." Full Review
"The layers and depth of this revelational play were so mentally stimulating...Director David Mendizábal has fashioned a powerful production full of sensitivity and authentic moments that exposes him as a master of his craft...His ability to pull the audience into the inferno with such subtle flair is seductive...'Locusts Have No Kings' delivers a hefty punch right into societal pretense. It’s funny and phenomenal...Devilishly good!" Full Review
"I was not prepared to be blown away, and that’s what happened...Christopher exposes backstory deftly, delaying reveals and leaving much of the mystery unexplained, which feels right...The ensemble’s acting is pretty terrific. So are the design choices which lifts the play’s spectacle of an ending into a more magical, ethereal space and serves, I think, Christopher’s wildly original vision." Full Review
"Well-crafted and well-paced, 'Locusts Have No King' is a sharp new play by J. Julian Christopher...Mendizábal does a stellar job directing Christopher’s script...The cast do a phenomenal job fleshing out their characters. Unfortunately, there is a decidedly weak link in the casting...Tackling homosexuality in the priesthood, and finding the balance among humor and the occult, while offering the audience human characters, is not a simple task, and yet this production makes it appear effortless." Full Review
"Under the sly direction of David Mendizábal, the truth behind this wickedly delicious play reveals itself in a tantalizingly slow striptease....Unfortunately, the playwright squanders the tension he and Mendizábal so meticulously build up on a somewhat incoherent finale. Still, the drama up to that breaking point is palpable, inescapably driven by a volatile mix of fear and disillusionment. 'Locusts Have No King' smartly captures the lengths to which we will go to protect our privilege." Full Review
"Funny though the play is, the surprising and rather lovely thing about 'Locusts Have No King' is that it never treats its characters or their vocation as punch lines...Strange things happen throughout the evening...All of this eeriness is meant to build toward a culminating, heightened moment that unfortunately doesn’t work. Neither does the argument that leads up to it...The strength of 'Locusts Have No King' is in its emotional and philosophical underpinnings." Full Review
"This situation is ripe for culturally dramatic possibilities but Mr. Christopher descends into unexplained and distracting outlandishness by taking mystical detours in his narrative...The dialogue is witty and there is an engrossing debate about being gay and in the priesthood but the fantasy elements don’t really gel. Still, the 80 minutes are overall entertaining and intriguing if not totally satisfying...'Locusts Have No King' is partly fascinating and partly bewildering." Full Review
"What begins as a bitchy gay domestic comedy gradually morphs into an apocalyptic morality tale with one very deep hole in its plot...Whether the over-the-top climax is intended as a true and proper celestial punishment, is open to interpretation...The production is first rate...The acting is terrific...David Mendizábal, the director, made a monumental effort to make all the ups and downs of the plot move seamlessly along, sometimes thwarted by Mr. Christopher’s convoluted writing." Full Review
"'Locusts Have No King' is a pretty turgid affair, with leaden exposition and endless foreshadowing of the crisis to come...I can't explain any of this except to add that it leads directly to the nuttiest ending of any play I've seen this season. Under the sometimes awkward direction of David Mendizábal, they do their best to put some sting into their wisecracks...There's probably a good, maybe even great, play inside this material, but Christopher doesn't have the skill to get at it." Full Review
See it if You like strong, resonant, challenging work. It's tough, funny with strong notes of magical realism.
Don't see it if You are offended by gay people, or humorless about faith/spirituality.
See it if you are interested in challenging material that is well executed by a strong artistic team.
Don't see it if you struggle with text-focused work or non-realistic worlds.
See it if Tight ensemble work & a truly funny, frightening and unexpected script. The less you know, the better. Was on the edge of my seat!
Don't see it if Gay stuff makes you feel squidgy or if you like your religion and spirituality tales served squeaky clean. Stay home.
See it if enjoy great acting and writing.
Don't see it if if you are conservative.
See it if You enjoy smart, edgy plays that show a crisis of faith among gay priests. Funny, surreal, and intense.
Don't see it if You're too Jesus-y and can't get past it.
See it if you like smart, funny contemporary plays that toy with your theatrical expectations
Don't see it if startlingly ambiguous/provocative endings aren't your thing
See it if Two couples of gay Catholic priests live it up in the Rectory. Interesting premise almost hits the mark. Bitchy religionists find guilt.
Don't see it if Some supernatural elements were symbolic but the final scene just did not work. Some of the acting was off-base. A nice, intimate space.
See it if you just want to watch actors struggle with bad material
Don't see it if you want something that makes sense and has a message
See it if Join "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" with personal & divisive dogma laced with duplicity--the results are funny, revelatory & mind blowing!
Don't see it if You're in the mood for a mindless show--or pretentious "art" posing as groundbreaking theatre.
See it if you want to see a messy but fascinating take on the intersection between homosexuality and religion.
Don't see it if you don't like when supernatural things happen without any satisfying explanation in a show that is for the most part naturalistic.
Cast & Creatives (7)
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