Actor brings St. Francis to life for an hour

As the world mourns the death of a saint, Leonardo Defilippis hopes to breathe life into another for Catholics of the Albany Diocese.

Next month, the performer will present "St. Francis: Troubador of God's Peace," a one-man show about the life of St. Francis of Assisi, at Siena College in Loudonville.

Mother Teresa was a modern-day example of the way St. Francis lived, said Mr. Defilippis, who wrote and produced the play as well.

"She was a missionary of the world," he told The Evangelist. "St. Francis and Mother Teresa were very sacrificial and disciplined in their poverty, but mingled with the wealthy. Princess Diana was a very troubled person; however, Mother Teresa treated her with such respect. I think that's the kind of person Francis was."

The actor slipped into character and, as Francis, recited one of the saint's famous lines: "Never criticize the rich, who live in luxury....God is their creator, as He is ours. They are our brothers and sisters, too."

Original words

Mr. Defilippis takes his cues on St. Francis' personality not from Hollywood, but original historical sources: namely, a biography of the famous saint written only about 20 years after his death, used as a resource in writing "Troubador." Unlike many other productions on the life of St. Francis, this play takes all of the saint's lines from his own words.

"With some of the older movies and even some new ones, there's a temptation to romanticize or manipulate a bit and to make it sentimental," Mr. Defilippis explained.

For example, he said, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon," a well-known movie about St. Francis, "was done in the '60s, and it picks up the genre of the time." Francis' band of followers bear a remarkable resemblance to the hippies and "flower children" of the day -- and "to a public that knows nothing about a certain saint, [that] misrepresents the truth," Mr. Defilippis stated.

Critic of films

Even movies about Christ sometimes portray Him as one-sided, the performer added. In "Jesus of Nazareth," a classic movie about the life of Christ, "there were some incredible moments," Mr. Defilippis stated. "But Jesus is still a little somber in that portrayal. He's not a totally attractive, charismatic individual. Why are all these people following Him?"

Mr. Defilippis recommended "The Reluctant Saint," a film about St. Joseph of Cupertino, as an accurate portrayal of a saint's life that finds "a balance between honesty and truth and beauty." The actor added that his own play "is not trying to be a Hollywood movie. We try to be faithful to Francis."

As a result, the hour-long play explores both St. Francis' abundant joy and his unwavering faith in God. "It starts out with all the enthusiasm that is St. Francis himself, and becomes deeper, stronger, much more moving," said Mr. Defilippis. "Francis has this beautiful transformation, receives the stigmata and finally dies a beautiful death."

Years on stage

"Troubador" has been performed all over the U.S. and Canada since 1982 (incidentally, the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' birth), which may well make it the longest-running portrayal of the saint's life in the world. But instead of becoming stale, the play's tenure has only given its performer a chance to deepen his understanding of the saint of Assisi.

"As an actor, I've evolved in maturity and delivery, and the depth of how much I've gotten to know St. Francis," Mr. Defilippis told The Evangelist. "Every time I perform it, I say, `This man is so special.' There's a real beautiful beginning and ending to his life."

The actor hopes to have audiences walk away from "meeting" St. Francis telling themselves, "I love this man."

Many roles

Through his company, St. Luke Productions, Mr. Defilippis puts on eight different one-man shows, including performances of the Gospels and original scripts on the lives of Ss. Maximillian Kolbe and John of the Cross.

He recently completed filming for a movie on the latter to be released in November, and recorded music for a new, one-woman show about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, played by his wife.

Still, "Troubador" remains a favorite in the actor's repertoire. "St. Francis is just this incredible character!" he said. "There's an accessibility to St. Francis. A radical person -- a person on the left -- can admire him; and on the right, they can admire him because he's a very devotional person. He had a great love of the Blessed Mother; he started the Christmas creche movement."

Popularity

With religious orders, lay groups and even lawn statuary modeled in his image, St. Francis is such a popular member of the communion of saints that Mr. Defilippis quoted an old joke: "God doesn't know one thing -- He doesn't know how many Franciscans there really are!"

Many of those who come to see "Troubador" are families. Living in an increasingly dangerous world, young people are especially drawn to the saint.

"He's absolutely courageous," the actor said. "He wasn't afraid of any robber; he just doesn't care. He has total confidence in God, and we want that. St. Francis is a person who gives us hope."

Glimpse of saint

Mr. Defilippis called his play "a little gem to give us, in one hour, a glimpse of who Francis was." He encouraged Catholics of the Diocese to attend the upcoming performance of "Troubador" for artistic entertainment, spiritual value and "to celebrate Francis' life."

Said the actor: St. Francis "is mindful of each person in the image of Christ. He reminds me that God is love."

("St. Francis: Troubador of God's Peace" will be performed Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in Siena College's Athletic Recreation Center, Loudonville. Tickets before Sept. 26 are $10/person; send check and SASE to DSC Teaching Committee, PO Box 2037, Clifton Park, NY 12065. Tickets for religious are $5. Tickets at the door will be $12. Children under 12 are half-price at all times. For information, call 371-7911.)

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