Christopher Durang, the playwright who gave us “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You,” and has now offered us “Sex and Longing,” says that his detractors “claimed that my criticism was anti-Catholic.” He adds that they “confused criticism with bigotry.” Really? If that is true, then it means that the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the American Jewish Committee–as well as the Catholic League–also suffer from confusion, as all of these organizations have branded his work bigoted.
But not to fear, Durang’s “Sister Mary Ignatius” was performed this fall at Fort Hays State University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (the latter school had a particularly vile advertisement for the play). Durang may be the only one left who thinks his work isn’t anti-Catholic: just ask the students at these two state schools (anyone for separation of church and state?) what they think his message really is.
