The Cambridge Geek

The devil is generally fertile ground for comedy or drama. One of my favourite series is Old Harry's Game (occasionally re-broadcast here, or acquirable here), and I'm currently enjoying Lucifer.

So you would have thought that this Drama on 3, about the Passion of the Christ seen from the side of Satan would be right up my street. It has a lot to recommend it, being an adaptation of a successful stage performance and possessing David Suchet in the title role. Unfortunately, it falls a little flat.

The story places Satan as an intelligence officer of sorts, acting to prevent the rise of the fundamentalist radical preacher Jesus. The events of Jesus' life are brought partly into the modern day, with surveillance by drone intermingling with the old fashioned tools and activities of the past (such as Crucifixion). It feels a little half-hearted in that the trappings of modernity are added to try and make a controversial point about religion, while still clinging to the stories of Jesus in the mostly original form. A more thorough updating might have allowed it to thrive more.

This uncertainty doesn't help with the main character of Satan either. There is a positioning of Satan as a force for good, acting as the source of strife necessary to drive man to heights of morality or to generate a reflective good. It's a philosophical idea of evil that has reasonable merit and has been considered previously in the actions of Judas. Could Jesus have undergone the resurrection and final deification if not for the betrayal? That aspect is only really considered at a surface layer here, coming mostly from Suchet's well delivered rants. There is not much philosophising to be done. The rants are well written, though, but unfortunately given a rather fake-sounding chorus of yes-men.

I think my main problem with this is that it is almost entirely true to the original form of the Bible. There is no unexpected twist, no deeper exploration of Satan's motivations and the updating has no real impact. And as a lapsed Anglican, I have rather heard all of the tales before. I now tend to need some re-imagining to really enjoy something like this.

That's not to knock the presentation though. It's a very well assembled piece with a wide and deep soundscape and an excellent voice in Suchet, with some excellent work from the other major characters. There's a couple of bits where the effects get a little iffy, mainly in terms of understanding the voices through fake replay static, but overall it's a compelling listen. It's just a shame that it sticks to the classic form so closely.

If you just want to enjoy "The Rise and Fall of the Jesus Empire", you'll enjoy it. If you need something a little more off-piste, skip it.

Recommended.

Tagged: Radio Drama Cast Fiction Fantasy