Centaur Theatre mixes Torah with a twist

Young Montreal rappers attract 'homies' and 'bubbies' with biblical spinoff

As MC Cain and MC Abel strutted onto the stage of the Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal, draped in their respective black and red Old Navy track suits and matching do-rags, it became clear that this was to be a theatrical performance of biblical proportions. The play Job is a modern-day version of the Old Testament story about a wealthy farmer who is called upon by God to prove the constancy of his faith after He has stripped Job of all that is dear to him. Foqué dans la tête Productions, however, has put a new school spin on this old schul story in their hip hop musical that is nothing short of sensational.

When you think hip hop, you probably don't generally envision a couple of white Jews from the Montreal suburb of NDG, but Eli Batalion (MC Abel) and Jerome Saibil (MC Cain) aren't your average run-of-the-mill rappers. In fact, the two not only wrote and directed the play, but they interchangeably portray all of the characters, from Job Lowe and his wife, to our hero's belligerent Texan co-worker, William Dodd, all the while using only a plain white hand towel as a prop.

The main character of the play is Job Lowe (pronounced Joe Blow), an ambitious and obedient employee of the New York-based Hoover Records, who has worked his way up from a janitorial position to that of general manager. Although hard work has earned him well-deserved success in the industry, owner Jonathan Hoover's envious vice-president Louis Saphir is convinced Job's motivation goes no farther than a desire for personal gain. He convinces Hoover to test Job's loyalty to the company by gradually taking away everything that he has worked for, until he is left with nothing--at which point they fire his sorry ass. Saphir expects that Job, when pushed to the limit, will curse Hoover Records, thus proving his infidelity.

Pious audience members, however, are forced to do a double take towards the end: contrary to 4,000 years of tradition and biblical history, Job does end up cursing Hoover Records (to a string of inaudible bleeped out swears). Yet Hoover inexplicably rewards Job with his old job, at double the pay! Shit, Mad Libs retain a higher level of poetic justice!

Despite this fairly significant deviation from the original plot, the content of the show can only be described as phenomenal. Batalion's outstanding acting skills, combined with Saibil's sensational verbal abilities, have earned the young duo significant critical acclaim. The long list of accolades includes "Best New Play" at the Montreal English Critics Circle Awards.

Mixing in samples and beats from a vast array of music both past and present, Batalion and Saibil put on a refreshingly unique display of theatrical and lyrical genius. From "Without Me" to "Let it Be", no genre of music is left untouched. Even Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" was sampled, which more than compensated for the predictability of the occasional P. Diddy reference.

The success of this play can perhaps be accorded to the seamless intertwining of pop culture and historical biblical allusion, creating a story that is both entertaining and socially relevant. The harmonious resolution of this apparent dichotomy is characterized in one particular rhyme from the play that preaches, "You're a sinner, I've got the keys to ya beemer."

Combining clever lyrics with innovative beats, the Bialik High School grads avoid the potentially dreadful monotony of a 60-minute rap song by depicting the voices of the different characters to bring the music together. With simple lighting schemes, elementary but hysterical choreography and virtually no props, this show's strengths are raw talent and creativity.

The revamped story of Job leads us to question God's (Hoover's) intentions. It calls to mind that old episode of The Simpsons, when Homer makes Bart give blood to a dying Mr. Burns with the false hope that they will receive "lots of riches". He survives, and when Homer finds nothing but a card from Burns in the mail, he curses him, leading to his sinister boss arranging to have him beat to a bloody pulp. Only Smithers' gentle pleading changes Burns' mind and he buys the family an extravagant giant sculpture head named Mr. Extopolotoketl. The perhaps undeserved rewards for Homer and Job lead us to ponder as Lisa Simpson did, "maybe there is no moral..." This seems the only appropriate conclusion.

— Danny Chodos and Sophie Guité