When I saw The Mysteries last weekend, I opted to take the plunge and see both parts on Sunday, turning my day into a marathon of - ahem - Biblical proportions. I must admit, going in I was a little skeptical at how I'd hold up to all that hot God-on-humanity action. Even though I knew it would amount to only about 4 hours in the theater (and, let's face it, I'm guilty of watching more TV than that in one sitting), the idea still seemed risky. Which is exactly why I opted to do it. But how often does the opportunity for long-form storytelling in theater present itself? I figured I'd be a good guinea pig for what we were subjecting our audiences to.

And I'm really glad I did. After seeing both parts of The Mysteries in one day, I couldn't imagine seeing the show any other way. While watching The Creation was pretty analogous to any other engaging production, I was truly surprised at the velocity of The Passion, both in the performances and my investment. Already knowing how everything would end just made me more eager to return quickly to the theater after dinner. And there's something magical about experiencing the modern mythology which affects so much of our culture in one sweeping day.

So, if you haven't seen The Mysteries yet, I highly recommend the Sunday experience. And if you have, you might want to consider going back, for a continuity and motion that is completely different from the two parts individually. From my personal experience, I can tell you it makes for an even more compelling play.