Do the ends justify the means? Even if the means involve the misappropriation of body parts from a graveyard to claim as miracle-working relics of the church? In Michael Hollinger's farce of faith, Incorruptible: A Dark Comedy About the Dark Ages, stretching the rules of morality becomes hilariously necessary for the monks of a down-on-its-luck French monastery, which houses the skeleton/holy relic, Saint Foy. Unfortunately, said relic hasn't produced a miracle in 13 years, the local denizen refuse to pay the obligatory penny to pray before it, and the monks are finding it near impossible to feed themselves and carry out their mission of helping the poor. Complicating matters is a nearby convent that claims ownership of the very same relic and theirs is working miracles. Enter a one-eyed wandering minstrel, who shares his sleazy but shrewd money-making ideas with the monks and motivates them to improve their finances by using the only resources at their disposal: dead bodies. Philadelphia-based playwright Hollinger has won numerous awards; his play about a beleaguered string quartet, Opus, was a hit with New York critics this summer during its run at NYC's Primary Stages. Incorruptible opens Hat Trick Theatre's 2007-08 season; Joe Winskye directs. Through Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Silver Meteor Gallery, 2213 E. Sixth Ave., Ybor City, $14 adults/$9 students and seniors, 813-833-6368, HatTrickTheatre.org.
