THE POPE AND THE LION

George Bernard Shaw’s tartly humorous 1912 play ‘Androcles and the Lion’ pits terrified Christian believers against the Roman lions. In “Androcles and the Lion – A War of the Cross,” the Firebrand Theory Theater Company sets the action in the 12th century, mid-Crusade in the Middle East, with the Pope as emperor.

Gene Frankel Theater Workshop, 24 Bond Street, East Village; 8 p.m.; $20. (Through Dec. 20.)

The New York Times – Arts & Leisure/The Guide – Sunday, November 28, 2004