Why do you think people squirm or become uneasy when the topic of religion is brought up? Have you ever engaged in a discussion where you were disturbed by someone else’s religious comments, or maybe you voiced your opinion and created a rise?
What’s incredibly interesting is the large audience that religion brings forward. Think about it – some of the most popular movies and television shows are cultivated around the concept or theory of religion. The History Channel’s popular show, Vikings averages a little over 2 million viewers. The show is about men and women serving their God. The Pagans fight with others, who believe in Christianity – all in all, the disagreements all stem back to a God. Another popular show, inspired by religion and therefore revealing religious themes, is Game of Thrones – a.k.a. GOT. In several interviews, GOT creator George R.R. Martin has revealed the Faith Militant religion inspired the series.
Martin told Entertainment Weekly in 2015, “If you look at the history of the church in the Middle Ages, you had periods where you had very worldly and corrupt popes and bishops. People who were not spiritual, but were politicians. They were playing their own version of the game of thrones, and they were in beg with the kings and the lords. But you also had periods of religious revival or reform – the greatest of them being the Protestant Reformation, which led to the splitting of the church – where there were two or three rival popes each denouncing the other as legitimate.”
With all this in mind, it’s not uncommon to also see these unexpected religious themes in Broadway plays. Not only are these playwrights extremely popular, they’ve also inspired films and other spin-offs. Let’s take a closer look at your favorite Broadway plays.
