Iconocamp: A Review of Gunnar Montana’s Purgatory
Gunnar Montana’s Purgatory, part of Philadelphia’s 2015 Fringe Festival, greets its audience with a smile and a handshake. For anyone who grew up in the Church, or with even a peripheral connection to a priest, pastor or congregation, the feeling is familiar: Church is beginning. The set is no typical cathedral, however. A large, ominous hook dangles from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Golden skeletons hang despondently on crosses. Gothic baptismal wells divide audience seating on two sides, next to chairs with signs reading, “Guests seated here may get a little baptized.” It is evident the service will be no comfort to the soul.