OUR VIEW: Green and gray

John Green writes plays that stick with you.
The words and actions of the actors last longer than the fleeting on-stage moment. They nag at you, make you think, trouble you, frustrate you. That’s one of the reasons the playwright of “Doubting Thomas” and “The Liquid Moon,” both of which were sponsored by the Washington County News, has grown used to controversy.
“The Liquid Moon” set off a mini-firestorm, complete with protests and the obligatory packed-house backlash against the protests. All because of nudity?
Well, maybe not. Naked is naked, one sign from that season stated. But really it’s not. We all know that. Lewis Grizzard pointed out long ago, for those listening, that “ ‘naked’ means you don’t have any clothes on. ‘Nekkid’ means you don’t have any clothes on … and you’re up to something.” We are, we hope, able to draw even finer distinctions when necessary.
Besides, nudity was something that happened in “The Liquid Moon.” The play isn’t about being nude, naked or nekkid. It is about moral choices – right, wrong and the huge patch of gray in between. In a way that’s what “Doubting Thomas” is about too.
With lines plucked directly from the mouth of the Rev. Ted Haggard, before he was caught up in his own homosexual sex scandal, “Doubting Thomas” isn’t short of controversial elements. Instead of nudity, Green this time around uses a hot-button issue that can always be counted on to spark discussion, debate and passions.
In the atmosphere of Washington County today, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another round of protests. Maybe there should be, especially if those protests pack the theater night after night. The play has a lot to teach us about the good intentions that pave the proverbial road to hell. It’s a lesson all sides of the Lee Smith debate – all of which are equally sure their position is the right and just one – could stand to learn.
Love or hate his work, Green cannot be dismissed as simplistic. Green’s world is filled with gray, and it’s a beautiful, if sometimes uncomfortable, color.
It’s a lot like the real world, Green’s world is.