The Heretic
Saturday, January 15
Westmark Whitehorse 11pm $15

Vancouver actor John Murphy plays Tom, “a lapsed Catholic in a 12-step program working on excommunication” in this side-splitting, irreverent, one-man play about a man struggling to break free from the terror at the centre of his life. Tormented by his religious upbringing, Tom calls upon his alter ego, Jesus Murphy, an atheist evangelist. Once unleashed, Murphy tears a strip off God, Catholics, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Americans, Mother Teresa, Puff Daddy or anyone else that unwittingly provokes his ire (except the Muslims–he knows noting about the Muslims!) In a desperate attempt to retain his fading power over humanity, God sends an envoy to deal with this heretic. Driven by his desire to speak the truth, but daunted by fear for his life, Tom struggles, hilariously, to decide if intellectual freedom is worth dying for.

John Murphy is an actor, writer, director and producer of theatre and film. He has worked as an actor with The Arts Club, Touchstone, Shameless Hussies, Horse Raven, New World, Playwrights, AH EM, Savage God, Rumble and Virtual Stage. John is co-founder of (r)evolution theatre, for whom he created The Heretic–which has became a huge fringe hit in 2003. Among his many film and TV appearances are recurring roles on Cold Squad and Peacemakers. He’s a series regular on Point Blank and recently appeared in the hit Canadian movie The Delicate Art of Parking. Some of his favorite directing projects include Sick for AH EM Theatre, Sex Drugs Rock and Roll, Jeff Gladstone’s Bouquets and Elegies and Trouble at the Pork and Strike at this years fringe. John has co-written and directed two short films. This Christmas, for (r)evolution, he co-directed Steven Berkoff’s Harry’s Christmas. John sends a big thank you to his beloved, Michelle, for all her support.

“… a wild ride of a play that’s both hilarious and deadly serious–extremely well written and equally well executed. ~Linda Harlos, CBC Winnipeg

“ Vancouver actor John Murphy’s wickedly funny one-man revue is so stupefyingly irreverent, we’re probably going to hell just for laughing at it. Murphy aims to be provocative and succeeds.”
~Pat St. Germain, Winnipeg Sun

“… John Murphy’s slyly hilarious one man show, The Heretic, is one of the most stellar productions of this year’s Fringe.”~Colin Thomas, The Georgia Straight