"Part Three -- The Thing Happens" deals with the government of the President of the British Isles in 2170 AD. It is a spirited debate about public policy and government. How could a nonagenarian who died before the second half of the 19th century have anything cogent to say about politics in the 22nd century? And if he did have something to say, would we really listen.

When you hear Shaw skewer the president and the political system, you will find a remarkable parallel with President George W. Bush. Moreover, Shaw's dialogue makes us realize how dreadfully inadequate political discourse is in the sound bite era. Shaw's comments and commentaries bite close to the bone and make us ponder the extent to which faceless Ministers and bureaucrats run our government and our lives.

Were things so bad in 1921 when Shaw published "Back To Methuselah" that he could see the future with such clarity? Surely the five parables that make up "Back To Methuselah" are meant to suggest messages and reflections to us in the future as well as those in his lifetime. In order to make sure that we at least hear his message, Shaw puts them in a theatrical context with wild characters and wonderfully funny dialogue and situations. You will find yourself laughing with Shaw and his characters as well as at the foibles of his politicians who, of course, cannot possibly behave like anyone we know on the public stage.

The first three parts (one act plays) that make up "Back To Methuselah" use only seven characters. One quickly sorts out who is who and watching them change in subtle ways from play to play make each new segment a further revelation.

The Department of Performing Arts of Marquette University's College of Communication is presenting the last two parts of "Back To Methuselah:" "Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman" and "As Far as Thought Can Reach." These are being co-produced with the Chamber Theatre, in close accord with the concept of Montgomery Davis. Let me note up front that under the capable direction of Phylis Ravel, the Marquette Theatre students perform at the level one has come to expect of Chamber Theatre productions. In and of itself, this is impressive.

"Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman" takes place on Galway Bay. It is a fine summer day in 3000 A.D. as the play opens on Burran Pier with an unhappy Elderly Gentleman. There is a list of rules posted on the back wall governing the movement of short-lived people. In a prophetic and ironic inspiration, Shaw places the capitol of the British Empire in Baghdad. The British Isles have been abandoned to the Irish and London is but a dim memory. Now the Western Islands are the home of the Temple Oracle. The long-lived people include Zoom, Zoo, and the Oracle. In addition to Elderly Gentlemen, the short-lived include Napoleon, the Prime Minister, his wife and his daughter. The delegation to the Oracle demonstrates the problem of confronting the Ancient Ones but arrive at a short-term solution.

Following the very amusing confrontations of the confrontations between the short and long lived; the scene for "As Far As Thought Can Reach" is set in a sunlit glade at the Southern foot of a thickly wooded hill. The scene opens on a sylvan scene with charming young people dancing enthusiastically. We come to find out that these young people range between eight months and a bit over three years. The year is 31,920 A.D. We are seeing the children who will become Ancient Ones over the course of centuries.

Just as Mrs. Lutesong used her hands to show that she was very old and fully mature. These young ones dance and cavort and use extravagant hand gestures that are immature but charming. Two Ancient Ones appear and interact with the children. We find that as the children reach the age of four, they abandon the childish and romantic pursuits of their youth and seek isolation for contemplation. They come close to abandoning their physical bodies in pursuit of pure thought.

There is a delightful interval where we witness a birth of a child from a large egg clearly not in our form of reproduction. There is a lively debate on Art versus reality and two scientific artistic efforts at human replication appear. They are seen to be horrid. The Ancients disappear and Adam, Eve, and Lilith appear to contemplate what they have started. The entire cycle has spun out and the audience is called to confront the future.

Shaw was a savant, a polemicist, a wit, and a critic. As G. K. Chesterton said of him, he was also a devoted Puritan. In "Back To Methuselah," Shaw, the playwright, uses living breathing actors to demonstrate his thesis and the audience must come to the conclusion that no matter how far mankind evolves, one cannot separate body and soul.

The Aristotelian Platonic division cannot be found in nature. Each of us is a unit of flesh and spirit and no amount of contemplation will allow us to divorce the spirit from the flesh. While Shaw doesn't say so, the conclusion of "Back To Methuselah" demonstrates this fundamental truth. GBS could argue until he was blue in the face but he was still honest enough to face the inevitable. His vision is theatrical play albeit of a very august level.

Taking the journey or even a small part of it with Shaw is a thrilling and inspiring experience that I encourage all of you to enjoy.

The Department of Performing Arts has shown once again that given good direction and inspiration, it can play side by side with the big boys. Their performances in New York were not just a fluke; this is another plus for Milwaukee theatre and Milwaukee audiences.

Everyone deserves praise but I must single out Darci Wutz's choreography and the physical and emotional control of the actors. The Helfaer Theater is an excellent venue and deserves many more visitors for subsequent production. Be assured that these are not merely the gushing of an old alumnus, but the considered judgment of a serious critic.