''Marcinkus'' is a 2006 one-man play by American author Tom Flannery, based on the life of Roman Catholic Archbishop

Paul Marcinkus Paul Casimir Marcinkus (; January 15, 1922 – February 20, 2006) was an American Catholic prelate who served as president of the Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank, from 1971 to 1989. He also served as pres ...

Background

''Marcinkus'' is a one-man dramatization of events in the life of Catholic Archbishop

, whose tenure as head of the

Vatican Bank Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

was "surrounded by scandals from missing funds to murder implications," and included suspicions of money laundering, Ponzi schemes, and even assassination.

Plot

The

stageplay A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging f ...

takes place in a small office in what may be purgatory, but looks very much like the archbishop's office in

Sun City, Arizona Sun City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, that is located within the Phoenix metropolitan area. The population wa ...

, his last residence as a retired man of the cloth . Marcinkus relates directly to the audience stories from his youth, growing up in

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and how he eventually became a priest. As the piece unfolds he tell his version of the Vatican Bank Scandal, his appointment as head of the bank, the death of

Pope John Paul I Pope John Paul I (born Albino Luciani; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal h ...

, and his job as "bulldog" to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. Although dramatic, the piece is lightened by the humor that Flannery has instilled in his version of Marcinkus, who was popularly quoted as saying ''"You can't run the church on Hail Marys"'' .

Production history

The

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

had its debut in

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the summer of 2006, at the Arts YOUniverse center for the applied and living arts. The production was under the direction of Paul Winarski and starred Greg Korin as the Archbishop. After several revisions by the director and author to streamline the piece, the play was remounted in

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

in 2007, in February at the Old Brick Theatre, where it was covered by ''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN radio and WGN tel ...

'' as a "local boy made good (or bad)" piece. The new production ran 15 minutes shorter, and is considered the final version of the play. As of this date, a

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

production of the play was in planning, which was expected to feature original star, Greg Korin.

Critical response

The original production in Wilkes-Barre in the summer of 2006 "opened to rave reviews". A niece of Archbishop Marcinkus, afraid that the play would be a "hatchet job", contacted

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Flannery, who sent her a copy of the text. She expressed agreement that the play was a balanced look at her uncle's life, and offered suggestions that the

Flannery Flannery is a bridge convention using a 2 opening bid to show a hand of minimal opening bid strength (11-15 high card points) with exactly four spades and five (or sometimes six) hearts. It was invented by American player William (Bill) L. Flann ...

included in a rewrite.

References

{{reflist 2006 plays American plays Plays for one performer Plays based on real people Plays set in the 1920s Plays set in the 1970s Plays set in the 1980s Plays set in the United States Plays set in Italy Plays set in Rome Cultural depictions of American people Cultural depictions of religious leaders

Background

Plot

Production history

Critical response

Further reading

References