The Bruins, Bulger and bin Laden.

There has been a trio of interesting pieces of public theater recently. Perhaps not theater in the sense of deliberately crafted artistry, but stories bearing the structure and important cultural features of theater, nevertheless.

One was the capture of Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, who has been "on the lam" for decades after playing both sides with the FBI. Another was the assassination of 9-11 mastermind Osama bin Ladin. And the third was the Boston Bruins' winning Lord Stanley's Cup in hockey, taking it from a Canadian team after a two-decade dry spell.

What makes these events theater? The normal circumstances of theater - storytelling in a controlled space with some form of reenactment - are generally absent or have to be stretched to embrace these events. But there was significant pageantry in all three cases, however different they are in their particulars. Two are high drama, and the third a comedy.

First, all three events are full of symbols and meaning. The capture of Bulger and the assassination of Bin Laden were fulfillment of naratives of our cultural sense of right and wrong and retribution. These were the plots of melodrama. Here were the major players in a years-long story line that has been nurtured in the public's mind and played out for a decade and more in a kind of parable. There was an unwritten plot that, in the case of Bulger the fabled gangster, continues to be played out through the media at as much length and intensity as the public attention will stand. There are many lines to the story that translate into acts of plays about Bulger and bin Laden - their rise and fall, their capture, and our retribution. All sides of the story are examined and measured against the public sense of justice and our moral and cultural imperatives as human beings.

In the case of bin Laden, the curtain finally seems to be coming down. We continue to maintain our inevitable conspiracy theories, but the meaning of the story line generally was resolved with his death. As for Bulger, the last act remains to be performed. We've come to know the actions of the villain and brought him back onto the stage, but we haven't persuaded ourselves that all of those who share the blame are yet included in the resolution. Indeed, we suspect that there are subplots in play of which we know little - yet.

The Cinderella story of the Boston Bruins hockey team brought the audience to its feet in a celebration of joy. This story was crafted for the most dramatic result. The Bruins overcame huge obstacles and a two-decade history of failure to compete for the top prize. They captured it from a team in the country that owns the history of the game. And they brought pride and glory to their patrons, as they finally joined the local football, basketball and baseball teams in achieving the top prize in their sport.

There was suspense and fulfillment as the Bruins went the distance, hanging on to win the last game of the best-of-seven series. Sports writers whipped up fans with metaphors and the meaning of victory. The final scene was an immense parade in the winding narrow streets of Boston, which must have rivaled some of the biggest in a town that loves a parade. There were heroes along the way, and perhaps a few minor villains, but it was a story of winning through, of the struggle to achieve the top prize of the sport, and snatching victory from the brink of disappointment.

It's turning into a good year for cultural theater.