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I Am Herod
Losing religion one false beard at a time.
Life of Brian meets the millennials.
Reporting from Inside the Fraying Hem of Christ Himself
On a whim, armchair-atheist Richard Kelly Kemick joins the 100-plus cast of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play, North America's largest production of its kind and one of the main tourist attractions in Alberta. By the time closing night is over, Kemick has a story to tell. From the controversial choice of casting to the bizarre life in rehearsal, this glorious behind-the-scenes look at one of Canada's strangest theatrical spectacles also confronts the role of religion in contemporary life and the void left by its absence for non-believers.
In the tradition of tragic luminaries such as David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Goldstein, and David Sedaris, I Am Herod gives its congregation of readers unparalleled access to the players of the Passion: there's Judas, who wears a leather jacket even when it's 30˚C; the Chief Sadducee, who is ostracized for his fanaticism; Pilate, the only actor who swears; the Holy Spirit, who is breaking ground as the role's first female actor; and the understudy Christ, the previous year's real-deal Christ who was demoted to backup and now performs illicit one-man shows backstage.
Life of Brian meets the millennials.
Reporting from Inside the Fraying Hem of Christ Himself
On a whim, armchair-atheist Richard Kelly Kemick joins the 100-plus cast of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play, North America's largest production of its kind and one of the main tourist attractions in Alberta. By the time closing night is over, Kemick has a story to tell. From the controversial choice of casting to the bizarre life in rehearsal, this glorious behind-the-scenes look at one of Canada's strangest theatrical spectacles also confronts the role of religion in contemporary life and the void left by its absence for non-believers.
In the tradition of tragic luminaries such as David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Goldstein, and David Sedaris, I Am Herod gives its congregation of readers unparalleled access to the players of the Passion: there's Judas, who wears a leather jacket even when it's 30˚C; the Chief Sadducee, who is ostracized for his fanaticism; Pilate, the only actor who swears; the Holy Spirit, who is breaking ground as the role's first female actor; and the understudy Christ, the previous year's real-deal Christ who was demoted to backup and now performs illicit one-man shows backstage.
- GenresNonfictionCanada
226 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2019
3 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Richard Kelly Kemick
6 books15 followersRichard Kelly Kemick’s poetry, prose, and criticism have been published in magazines and journals across Canada and the United States, including the Fiddlehead, the New Quarterly, and Tin House (Open Bar).
He has won the poetry prizes of both Grain magazine and Echolocation. He lives in Calgary.
He has won the poetry prizes of both Grain magazine and Echolocation. He lives in Calgary.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 9, 2025
This is Kendal and Gramps book club pick and joint review - this was a niche and wonderful book, incredibly funny, heartfelt, and relatable both in its descriptions of the oddities of small town Alberta and conflicts of faith.
We just might have to make the pilgrimage to see the Drumheller Passion Play now!
We just might have to make the pilgrimage to see the Drumheller Passion Play now!
January 28, 2020
Interesting look into the Badlands Passion Play - the people in it, the people behind it, and Richard's role as Herod. It’s a strange piece of theatre, as are some of the people in it, and the chaos of writing and rewriting the script to fit the actors skills certainly doesn’t help. I’ve never had a desire to see the play - but the book intrigues me just a little bit.
March 8, 2020
This was a very amusing and sweet book about acting in the Badlands Passion play in Drumheller, Alberta. I laughed out loud several times and learned a lot. Part of me is amazed that this book got published, not because it is bad, but because it is so incredibly specific. I also felt the story had a universal appeal. It's about questioning, seeking and wanting to be part of something larger.
Richard, the author, decides to act in the Passion Play and is cast as Herod. He tells everyone in the play that he is working on a book and interviews them. (No undercover journalism) The characters are all named in the book by their roles in the play, so the characters are named things like Villager's Wife, Abel, Pilate and Judas. It's also amazing that this epic production can keep going on a shoestring budget with volunteer actors and staff! Richard unveils an interesting microcosm and an Albertan tourist attraction.
I'm not Christian, but now I really want to go to Drumheller and see the Passion Play.
Richard, the author, decides to act in the Passion Play and is cast as Herod. He tells everyone in the play that he is working on a book and interviews them. (No undercover journalism) The characters are all named in the book by their roles in the play, so the characters are named things like Villager's Wife, Abel, Pilate and Judas. It's also amazing that this epic production can keep going on a shoestring budget with volunteer actors and staff! Richard unveils an interesting microcosm and an Albertan tourist attraction.
I'm not Christian, but now I really want to go to Drumheller and see the Passion Play.
March 16, 2020
I find reading modern, real-people-memoirs (as opposed to dead and/or famous-people-memoirs) a bit surreal, as they can be followed up with an internet snoop on those involved. This one was even more surreal for me as I’m friends with many of those people. I found the book amusing, but not laugh-out-loud funny; decently, but not flawlessly written; and relatively gentle with these good-hearted people. I think the most scathing comments were reserved for those who can bear them. I hope Richard continues to seek answers to the questions that he raised, and appreciated his open attitude and insights. I would add, finally, a language warning for anyone expecting a particularly wholesome tale. Between the author and Pontus Pilate, there are a fair number of less-than-wholesome words.
March 26, 2020
I purchased this after hearing the author at a reading, it sounded like a pretty funny read. Part-way through reading it I put it down because the whole “losing my religion” them doesn’t interest me. Other than that, the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere. But I’m glad I picked it up again because, yup, it’s pretty darned funny!
February 24, 2021
I completely enjoyed this book. As others say, I laughed out loud, I felt tears pricking my eyes. I cheered & jeered for the characters. I learned so much. I had no idea about the Badlands Passion Play. I highly recommend this book.
September 25, 2020
This book made me laugh out loud. Pure entertainment (I loved the footnotes!). Great writing and witty comments. A refreshing summer read!
December 14, 2020
Funny, honest, and tender. I was totally engaged and interested. I heard Kemick talk about his book on a podcast and was not disappointed in the book!
April 2, 2021
Laugh out loud funny.
"Who the f*#@ is Vienna?" Pilate says.
"Mike and Heather's daughter."
"And who the f@*# are Mike and Heather?"
A microcosm of humanity. Delightful!
"Who the f*#@ is Vienna?" Pilate says.
"Mike and Heather's daughter."
"And who the f@*# are Mike and Heather?"
A microcosm of humanity. Delightful!
January 29, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s funny and light hearted but also really interesting. I honestly had never heard of the Passion Play in Drumheller. I highly recommend 😊
February 14, 2020
Technically this is 3.5 stars, but Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars.
Laugh out loud funny, thoughtful, and full of clever observations.
I've worked at the Passion Play myself (in the years of The Best Jesus Ever), so I find this extra funny. Richard captures the sincerity and absurdity and contradictions and beauty of the entire play really well. I expect I probably find it funnier because I wasn't there that same year, and thus not at risk of being mentioned.
It's a great combination of a fun romp through a giant production of the life of Jesus, and a thoughtful memoir on what it means to have (or not have) faith.
Laugh out loud funny, thoughtful, and full of clever observations.
I've worked at the Passion Play myself (in the years of The Best Jesus Ever), so I find this extra funny. Richard captures the sincerity and absurdity and contradictions and beauty of the entire play really well. I expect I probably find it funnier because I wasn't there that same year, and thus not at risk of being mentioned.
It's a great combination of a fun romp through a giant production of the life of Jesus, and a thoughtful memoir on what it means to have (or not have) faith.
January 1, 2020
"This story is about stories -- the ones we tell to make our lives liveable."
When I read the cover, I asked, "Why?" Why would anyone write of such a thing? How could anyone ever be interested in such a recounting? Why should I read it? "It's good," Phil said, so I took his offer, took it home, read the first page, and I couldn't stop. It is funny, but I did not laugh. It is sad, but I did not cry.
Kemick shows humanity through our wanting to be divine. Unlike most non-fiction, this book is not a history nor is it an argument, rather, it is a thematic recounting of spending a summer as a member of the Badlands Passion Play. The main theme is the struggle we all face trying to balance higher concepts of immortality with our mundane mortality -- "We live in both a moment and an eternity. We're all half-divine and half-guttural." Kemick never offers a reconciliation; because there is none. You either believe or you do not. He also refers to most by their stage names. We do not learn who Pilate, Diablos, Gabriel, or anyone else really is. They are suspended in limbo, in character, between reality and fiction, between each story, never fully becoming either. The endings of each of his scenes -- I found it cute he called chapters scenes as it is about a play -- are paradoxes that dangle unanswerably. Kemick is, after all, a poet, and poets strive for ambiguity. I was technically impressed with this technique and his writing in general.
When it finished, I was neither satisfied nor disappointed but was left with a reinforcement that there are no logical answers, only believe in story.
I certainly recommend anyone read it.
When I read the cover, I asked, "Why?" Why would anyone write of such a thing? How could anyone ever be interested in such a recounting? Why should I read it? "It's good," Phil said, so I took his offer, took it home, read the first page, and I couldn't stop. It is funny, but I did not laugh. It is sad, but I did not cry.
Kemick shows humanity through our wanting to be divine. Unlike most non-fiction, this book is not a history nor is it an argument, rather, it is a thematic recounting of spending a summer as a member of the Badlands Passion Play. The main theme is the struggle we all face trying to balance higher concepts of immortality with our mundane mortality -- "We live in both a moment and an eternity. We're all half-divine and half-guttural." Kemick never offers a reconciliation; because there is none. You either believe or you do not. He also refers to most by their stage names. We do not learn who Pilate, Diablos, Gabriel, or anyone else really is. They are suspended in limbo, in character, between reality and fiction, between each story, never fully becoming either. The endings of each of his scenes -- I found it cute he called chapters scenes as it is about a play -- are paradoxes that dangle unanswerably. Kemick is, after all, a poet, and poets strive for ambiguity. I was technically impressed with this technique and his writing in general.
When it finished, I was neither satisfied nor disappointed but was left with a reinforcement that there are no logical answers, only believe in story.
I certainly recommend anyone read it.
November 18, 2019
A lot of LOL moments in this, but some depth too. I've never been that much of a spiritual searcher myself. I think I'm comfortable with my own pseudo-science magic interpretation of the universe, which seems to accommodate any and all new information, so I've never shared Kemick's nee, d to believe anything I don't easily believe. I was confounded by this for much of the book, until near the end, when he talked about mental illness. This to me was an undersold (on the cover and website) aspect of the book. I don't know that it was his intent, but it made me wonder if a lot of the bizarre things he observed (all with sympathetic eyes, I should say, and written honestly but with an open mind) at the passion play had deeper roots in people's struggles with mental illness. The "crazier" the world gets, the more I think we're all a little cracked, which is a driving factor to this kind of religion, what you might call fundamentalist, but specifically people obsessed with the Bible. (He does get into this with one character who suffers from addictions, and wonders if the addiction that replaces the addiction--religion--that replaced the substance addictions might be worse.)
A really interesting and enjoyable read, with some fun wordplay at times and some meandering that comes together in unexpected ways.
A really interesting and enjoyable read, with some fun wordplay at times and some meandering that comes together in unexpected ways.
November 22, 2019
I was hooked at “she had hair the colour of a burning bush.”
A very honest and vulnerable look behind the scenes and into the hearts of the performers at the Badlands Passion Play. People outside the theatre community don’t really know how working on a play can challenge the actors far beyond the storytelling and the memorizing - it affects how they see the world, especially when the play confronts their comfortable belief structure, which is the essence of Herod’s journey.
This book has humour and pathos and the sublime and the mundane. It’s all about our human struggle to find out who we are and what we believe and how we live with ourselves and others, with all our quirks and foibles and, well, humanness.
This was an interesting book for me to read, as I know and have worked with a number of the people mentioned. I am thankful they were not vilified, but only described through the eyes of the author as how they affected him. Sometimes the descriptions were harsh, but they were never mean.
A very honest and vulnerable look behind the scenes and into the hearts of the performers at the Badlands Passion Play. People outside the theatre community don’t really know how working on a play can challenge the actors far beyond the storytelling and the memorizing - it affects how they see the world, especially when the play confronts their comfortable belief structure, which is the essence of Herod’s journey.
This book has humour and pathos and the sublime and the mundane. It’s all about our human struggle to find out who we are and what we believe and how we live with ourselves and others, with all our quirks and foibles and, well, humanness.
This was an interesting book for me to read, as I know and have worked with a number of the people mentioned. I am thankful they were not vilified, but only described through the eyes of the author as how they affected him. Sometimes the descriptions were harsh, but they were never mean.
October 10, 2019
Poising between beliefs, the agony in agnostic is revealed.
This story follows one human’s quest for god. Deep in Canada‘s badlands Richard finds, and joins, what is likely the most passionate passion play still being performed annually. There his agnostic beliefs are challenged as much by nature as the cast. Richard often hides sadness with laughter while exploring his ethics and moral foundations through a unique writing style mixing philosophical criticisms and humour never leaving one in doubt of the duplicitous nature of belief. This book is written as much for the atheist as it is for the devout and that is only the beginning of this magical tale.
This story follows one human’s quest for god. Deep in Canada‘s badlands Richard finds, and joins, what is likely the most passionate passion play still being performed annually. There his agnostic beliefs are challenged as much by nature as the cast. Richard often hides sadness with laughter while exploring his ethics and moral foundations through a unique writing style mixing philosophical criticisms and humour never leaving one in doubt of the duplicitous nature of belief. This book is written as much for the atheist as it is for the devout and that is only the beginning of this magical tale.
December 18, 2019
"I Am Herod" is a heart felt, belly laugh out loud and captivating story about Richard Kemick, along with his dog, Maisy, spending months living out of a tent, rehearsing and acting in a Passion Play right in the Badlands of Alberta.
He writes not only about behind the scene drama but asks some deep and personal faith and fairness questions to those around him and to himself. The answers are poignant and thought provoking.
The story is told so vividly and empathetically, I sometimes thought I was part of the production... I couldn't put it down......
He writes not only about behind the scene drama but asks some deep and personal faith and fairness questions to those around him and to himself. The answers are poignant and thought provoking.
The story is told so vividly and empathetically, I sometimes thought I was part of the production... I couldn't put it down......
December 2, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. What a fascinating insight into a bizarre bit of Alberta tourism.
This could have been a somewhat boring ride of Richard making fun of a bunch of crazy people, he found the humanity within this ragtag group of people, so the story ended up having a lot of life.
This could have been a somewhat boring ride of Richard making fun of a bunch of crazy people, he found the humanity within this ragtag group of people, so the story ended up having a lot of life.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews