The Christians
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Cititour.com Review
We’ve all had a change of heart, but can one really have a change of faith? That’s the question at the center of Lucas Hnath’s well-intentioned but somewhat underdeveloped play “The Christians,” receiving its New York premiere at Playwrights Horizons.
Hnath has created a clever situation. Megachurch leader Paul (a well-cast Andrew Garman) delivers a surprising sermon one Sunday. After a recent conference in which he heard another cleric declare that an “unsaved” missionary who died after rescuing his sister from a fire is nonetheless going to Hell, Paul tells his vast congregation that he has decided there is no Hell, after all, and engages in Biblical semantics with associate pastor Joshua (Larry Powell) to prove his point.
While Joshua storms out, it appears that Paul has the support of his congregation, his wife Elizabeth (Linda Powell), and church elder Jay (Philip Kerr). But that support doesn’t last long, especially when seemingly meek-mouthed chorister Jenny (the excellent Emily Donahoe) points out (to those who missed this at the beginning) that the sermon was delivered on the exact day the church paid off its enormous mortgage. Coincidence or calculation?
Moreover, Elizabeth – who is silent for most of the play – soon tells her husband that her belief in Hell is steadfast, and she is unsure their marriage can survive. Ms. Powell delivers her words with full emotional heft, and her exchanges with the befuddled Garman are among the play’s strongest sections. And the best moments are actually left to Mr. Powell, who reemerges late in the play to deliver a gorgeous monologue about how his final moments with his mother have shaped his faith. All of this, while effective, is nonetheless fairly superficial, and one keeps waiting for Hnath to go deeper into the questions he’s raised.
I also think the work might benefit from a more intimate space than Playwrights’ proscenium space (despite Dane Laffrey’s pitch-perfect set) and a more creative production than the one devised by Les Waters. Sure, it’s kinda cool that there’s a seemingly real church choir on hand to sing some hymns, but we really should feel like we’re the congregation. Where are the hymnals? Why don’t the actors come into the audience? Ultimately, we feel removed, in ways that are perhaps unintended, leaving “The Christians” more satisfying as an intellectual stimulant than an engrossing drama.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/christians
Cast
Emily Donahoe, Andrew Garman, Philip Kerr, Larry Powell, Linda Powell
Open/Close Dates
Opening 8/28/2015
Closing 10/25/2015
Box Office
212-279-4200
Theatre Info
Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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