During out recent family trip to Las Vegas, we took in Mystere, one of the Cirque du Soleil shows playing in town.
I loved it. It was like seeing a classic Ace sci-fi double of the 1950s or 60s brought to life. There were a couple of different story threads going on -- something to do about science and another to do about 2 grown ups acting like kids (tho they never interacted with one another) and something about an obnoxious clown (only dressed like an audience member) harassing cast and audience and perhaps something about Alice In Wonderland.
Who cares, whatever it was, it was great. I found it especially interesting that while the show invited us to appreciate to grace and sensual beauty of the performers (male & female), we never seemed to cross the line into viewing them as sexual objects. (This is pretty remarkable since the male balancing act is one of the most homo-erotic G-rated circus acts I've ever seen.)
As I was preparing this mini-review, I came across this blog post by Sola 5 Comix on "the cool church" that specifically takes churches to task that veer too much towards Cirque du Soleil's style.
To be perfectly honest, I think they're off the mark here re the big picture though they may be on the mark re specific incidents. Mystere seems to touch a very primal, archetypical chord in viewers; it's conflicting stories don't help it gel into a single satisfying theme (though as noted, it is tons o'fun to watch).
I think the Cirque du Soleil style could be quite effective for certain parts of the Bible, particularly those parts that seem to lie under and behind the more carefully drafted historical portions. I wouldn't try to depict the entire Bible in this manner (that would reduce it to the level of Jesus On Ice) but I think the Genesis story could be more effectively told this way than through some heavy handed pedantic preachment.
Whatever works, guys.
In any case, let me recommend Mystere for anybody who finds themselves in the Las Vegas area.