Seeing Erin Shields’s Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary at Crow’s Theatre in Toronto provides a new perspective on Jesus’s powerful female posse; however, it may require a brushing up of one’s biblical knowledge. In this world premiere, directed by Ellen McDougall, the line-up of Marys involves, first, Mary (Michelle Monteith) the mother of Jesus. Second is Mary Magdalene (Sabryn Rock), whom Jesus cured of her seven demons. Third is Mary (Belinda Corpuz), sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus rose from the dead. And fourth is Mary (Nancy Palk), mother of disciples, power-hungry James and John, who wanted to sit on the right and left side of Jesus.
Each Mary plays a pivotal role in Jesus’s path to glory and decides to follow him on his healing journeys without receiving anyone’s permission. They pay a personal price for their devotion and in this reimagining, we get to hear the women’s perspectives. Jesus’s mother is not only branded for the virgin birth, but is exasperated by the saviour as a child who she spent hours looking for only to discover him in a temple spreading the gospel. How painful it is for her to hear her son declare, “I have no mother,” even if his meaning is that he is on a divine mission and that people should love everyone as their mother.
Mary Magdalene confides that Jesus is the only man who makes her feel loved and, aware that he will be killed, battles with her self-motivated desire to keep him alive. She expresses remorse at allowing him to face his death. Lazarus’s sister, Mary, shares her grief with the other women that Jesus allowed her brother to die, but then witnesses the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Mary, mother of James and John, sacrifices her sons to Jesus’s ministry and expresses relief that she doesn’t know where they are.
These devoted women sacrifice their own life goals to follow Jesus during his ministry, provide him with both emotional and financial support, and bear witness to his healing miracles, crucifixion and resurrection.
Amaka Umeh acts as narrator of the play while competently playing several roles including Salome; a child following Jesus; and a soldier to name a few. Umeh as Salome also creates the artistic highlight of the play when she performs The Dance of the Seven Veils, choreographed beautifully by Essie Mensah, and showcases her exceptional singing skills in a lead vocal.
During their journey, the women question all of the oppressive societal rules by which they must abide, including looking after men and preparing their meals, living separately from them, and having to live with the male idea that women on their periods are “dirty”. The women’s observations about female sacrifice are illustrated when one of the Marys observes, “The men take the fish from the baskets while the women replenish them”. Shields’s wit about male sexuality is on display when one of the Marys says that they took Lazarus’s penis in her hands and blew on it to coax him back to life. Finally, the role of men is minimized as one of the Marys holds a tiny statue to represent Joseph. Yet the women remain hopeful that Jesus’s love for all humanity will revolutionize gender disparity.
Shields inserts a modern day lens into her work with Umeh playing a video director that the women encounter while following Jesus on his healing tour. The director, intent on increasing media hype, encourages Jesus’s mother, Mary, to wince while Jesus is getting lashed in order to let the audience know what she experienced, and also questions Magdalene about sex with Jesus.
Moi Tran’s minimal, but striking set features a multi-level, floor – covered in blood red material – that is effective for both the sprawling dance sequence and the preparation of the Passover meal. The intense lighting technique towards the end of the play helps draw attention to the climactic scene. What lovely harmonizing from alll five actors in a recurring Hallelujah verse.
It is not an oversight that all four Marys are dressed in identical outfits – tracksuits and shoes – because these Marys are interchangeable since they represent powerful womanhood. Their modern, red, athletic attire symbolizes female strength and the blood of universal female suffering.
This powerful work gives agency to the often-silenced women who supported and witnessed Jesus and provides a fuller understanding of the enormous female effort required for him to accomplish his mission. The formidable ensemble cast ensures this play is seared in the memory.
Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary at Crow’s Theatre is being performed from April 7 to May 3, 2026. Run time is 95 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $101.70 and $118.65 and can be purchased online.
Crow’s Theatre is located at 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto M4M 2T1
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