Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote four differing gospels and created Christianity. These four evangelists actually never met, but they do—as members of a comedic literary synod—in Four Evangelists Walk into a Fog by Douglas Lackey. The results are hilarious and profound.
These various disagreements provide food for fun and amicable debate in the play, with the contradictions providing natural comedic tension. It could be mistaken for a debate between philosophy professors in the faculty lounge of an American college. The foursome are aware that their writings will become the foundation of a major world religion, so their tone is collegial and good-natured. If there is any intellectual critique, it is based on logic. Comedic anachronisms heighten the satire as the evangelists struggle with the weight of shaping a new faith, bickering over details while Mary Magdalene, their “reality check,” cuts through their abstractions with raw lived experience. It’s done with rapid-fire dialogue, shifting alliances and moments of deep introspection. Think No Exit meets The West Wing with a theological twist.
