The Pope and the Witch

Find out for yourself whether this play, which piqued the ire of Strib columnist Katherine Kersten and conservative bloggers all around town, is worth the fuss. The Pope and the Witch tells the story of a fictional pontiff who, under extenuating circumstances, starts running with a witch doctor who dabbles in abortion and drugs. But beyond the inflammatory synopsis is an acclaimed political satire by Dario Fo, the Nobel Prize-winning Italian playwright who raided the arsenals of commedia dell’arte, puppetry, and clowning in imagining this absurdist softening of the papal dogma. Robert Rosen—Theatre de la Jeune Lune co-founder, French-educated clown, and master of physical theater—directs. University Department of Theater Arts & Dance at Rarig Center, 330 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-624-2345; www.theater.umn.edu www.theater.umn.edu