Life and death take on new meaning in Marquette University's production of "Dead Man Walking," playing at the Helfaer Theatre.
"Dead Man Walking" follows Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, as she writes to, meets with and begins to help Matthew Poncelot, a man convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death. Sarah Winiarski, a College of Communication junior, plays the naïve and strong-willed Prejean with a maturity and sincerity many would not doubt belonged to the real-life nun.
Winiarski's solid performance is heightened by a chemistry of friendship with College of Arts & Science junior Michael Miro, who plays the arrogant, yet relaxed Poncelot. Their open communication and honest dialogue provide the meat of the show, which revolves around Poncelot's acceptance of his own guilt and imminent death as much as it delves into the potential immorality of capital punishment.
Prejean spends a great deal of time searching for her own answers. She looks up facts of Poncelot's case, finds Hilton (College of Communication freshman Kevin Wleklinski), a lawyer willing to help write Poncelot's final appeals and meets with his mother and the victims' families in order to better understand each side's position. She never doubts Poncelot's guilt but she can't seem to feel hatred for him; it is this inconsistency that creates forgiveness in her mind and causes her to struggle against the reasons behind the use of the death penalty.
Through various conversations with Delacroix (College of Arts & Sciences junior Nicholas McIntyre), Warden Hartman (College of Communication junior Lamar Gardner) and Chaplain Farley (College of Communication sophomore Nicholas Saadipour), Prejean both asks and deflects tough questions. She mulls over her religious beliefs, forgiveness, the poverty that death row represents and the treatment of prisoners as human — battles she fought throughout her career working with death row inmates.
She was often asked how and why she "wasted her time" on those "evil creatures," and she couldn't explain it except to say that she was acting as Jesus did, loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable.
The cast makes creative use of the multi-purpose set. Two blank prison walls are suspended in front of a catwalk, creating a backdrop for the projection of various statistics and facts about the death penalty throughout the show. Pipe-like boxes create the illusion of chairs, tables and beds. The ensemble serves as stage crew, and their background movements join overlapping conversation and various sound effects to emphasize the confusion and importance of each issue addressed.
In the end, Poncelot's execution brings neither answers nor complete solace to those affected by his actions. Poncelot's story, told in a beautiful and powerful way, represents the opportunities for people to explore life lessons. In the end, death was able to bring peace and new life.
Grade: A
"Dead Man Walking" is being staged by the Department of Performing Arts at the Helfaer Theatre through Sunday. More information is available by calling 288-7504.