Wisemen on the case

Weisenheimer continues to court divine electrocution by partaking of theatrical productions that treat the events of Dec. 25, 4 B.C., with something short of reverence. So far, we've made it through Three Men and a Baby Jesus, Inspecting Carol, the Mayan-predicted apocalypse, and now Wisemen without getting singed.

L-R: Matt Fulbright, David Bestock, and Gavin Cummins are
associates of the law firm investigating the paternity of the baby
Jesus in Wisemen. Photo by stone photography.

Wisemen, written and produced  by David Bestock and Eli Rosenblatt (Rosenstock Productions) and directed by Mathew Wright, is a hilarious musical comedy. The premise is pretty simple. Joseph (Rosenblatt), not sure he's buying Mary's immaculate conception story, sets out to find the real father of the baby Jesus. He enlists the help of the Wisemen law firm and its associates Goldberg (Bestock), Frankenstein (Gavin Cummins), and Murray (Matt Fulbright).

Through their investigation the Wisemen learn that Mary (Dorcas Lewis) has "known" just about every guy in town, so there are plenty of candidates for the papa. They also encounter the Pope and a gangsta-rapping Easter Bunny (both played by Bestock), and a cutthroat CEO Santa (Cummins). A madcap trial scene at the end has the actors making rapid on-stage costume changes to hilarious effect. The three wrangle a surprise confession from the real father, but Judge Santa throws out the case on the grounds that Christmas is all about toys.

The original score is great and draws from a variety of styles, from salsa to hip-hop, and the band (Rosenblatt, Sam Esecson, Bryant Moore, and Cameron Peace) is top notch. The Wisemen are good singers, too, and Lewis can really belt out a tune.

We had a great time at Wisemen, and I wish I could tell you to go see it at ACT. Sadly, today is the last performance; they're probably about to intermission as I write this. They debuted the show at ACT last year. Let's hope it comes back for 2013.