Review by Nicole M. Robertson
It’s the end of the world as we know it. And to think it ends with cheese and Champagne.
In the world premiere of David MacGregor’s “The Antichrist Cometh,” John and Lili are happily married with a comfortable home, established careers and a randy affection for one another. They have no religious attachments, so they’re surprised to learn a newcomer to their circle is a devout Christian.
John (played by Ryan Patrick Welsh of Okemos), while awaiting the arrival of his college buddy, Duncan, and Duncan’s new fiancee, Fiona, discovers peculiar marks on his scalp. He frets that it could be a cancerous growth, but Lili (Hope Shangle of Dexter) makes light of it. She says it looks like “666,” the biblical “mark of the beast.” John doesn’t find that funny.
Duncan (Ryan Patrick Welsh of Okemos) greets his frat brother and best friend with a four-way hug. As John and Lili pop Champagne to toast the engagement, Duncan asks John to be his best man. But things get weird when the alcohol flows and Duncan tells off-color tales of John’s “power over people, like Rasputin … Charles Manson.”
The three old friends laugh about John’s mysterious marks, but Fiona (Ashley Wickett of Bloomfield Hills), is uncomfortable. She suddenly speaks up: “It’s not something you should joke about!”
She frantically tries to wash off the marks, hoping it’s a prank, then suspects John may in fact be the prophesied antichrist.
Fiona, who keeps a Bible handy on her iPad, pulls it out to references the text of Revelation. Then she looks up 1 John 2:18 — the number corresponding to our John’s birthdate — and is chilled to read “it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming.”
Lili dismisses the Bible as a “bronze-age book” full of fantastical stories used to support any position: “An eye for an eye/turn the other cheek.” She notes — a haunting echo of recent international news — that it’s hypocritical to praise God for saving one child in an accident that kills dozens of others.
The play raises contradictions in belief — perhaps life itself — while raising laughs, too. In defending her husband as a good man, Lili — her full name is Lilith, same as the rebellious first wife of Adam — doesn’t help her case when she bites into an apple from the charcuterie board.
Fiona, grabbing a knife, considers heading off the apocalypse by killing the antichrist — but if she does that, there will be no apocalypse and Christ will never return, Lili suggests. Hmmm … that makes sense, the confused Fiona concedes, apologizing.
When he goes out for air, Duncan follows, explaining his unexpected embrace of Fiona’s devotion. “Church today is pretty kick-ass!” he enthuses, comparing it to a frat house with coffee urns instead of beer kegs. “As an insurance guy, it’s good networking,” he says.
Special-effects lightning (by lighting designer Matt Taylor) add to the mystery, as if the good Lord himself is answering their tense discussion.
Filled with innuendo and religious Easter eggs, the dialogue is sure to move your funny bones. Come to think of it, was it coincidence that the Purple Rose chose Easter Weekend to premiere “The Antichrist Cometh?”
If you go: “The Antichrist Cometh,” directed by Rhiannon Ragland, runs through May 25 at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Performances are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with matinees at 3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $30 with discounts for seniors, patrons 30 or younger, military members, teachers and groups (12+). The play contains adult language and situations not be suitable for young children. Call 734-433-7673 or visit www.purplerosetheatre.org.
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MAIN PHOTO: Pleased to meet you — won’t you guess my name? Ryan Patrick Welsh as John and Ashley Wickett as Fiona in “The Antichrist Cometh,” playing through May 25 at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea. Sean Carter Photography
