Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 28, 1995                   TAG: 9511290049
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KATHERINE REED STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`WOMAN IN LIGHT' FITS HOLIDAY

A more fitting beginning is available at Virginia Western Community College, where the one-woman play "Woman in Light," starring Barbara Johnson as Mary, the mother of Jesus, opens tonight.

And it matters very little what particular religious preference one brings to this play. It is, no matter what, a fascinating, beautiful portrait of an ordinary woman fated to live an extraordinary life.

The set is as simple - a plain, wooden doorway, several clay urns, and a bench - as the play's premise. Mary is being "interviewed" by Luke, who is researching his treatise for Theophilus, the addressee of the Gospel of Luke.

Mary, who is an older woman now, tells the story of the birth of her son and his awakening to his spiritual mission. Her observations do not challenge the orthodox view of Jesus' life in any way. Most of her "memories" are familiar to those familiar with the New Testament.

The newness lies in Mary's more ordinary, mother's-eye view of her child, whose choice of friends she questioned. After all, they lacked refinement and "smelled of fish."

Of John the Baptist, she says, "I shall never understand why someone who looked like that was used to prepare the way."

Of the mystery of Jesus' sacrifice, she admits that the truth is too big for her to hold.

Johnson has played this role before, and it shows in the most positive sense. She has a light touch with humor and a passionate sense of a mother's attachment to her child. She also conveys the humility of a simple woman trying to understand the unfathomable: Why her son, whose life was in the hands of God, had to die like all ordinary mortals.

Written by Charles Turner, "Woman in Light" begins a run at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon early next year.

"Woman in Light," today through Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m., at Virginia Western Community College. Tickets are $10. Call 362-2628 for more information.