Stage Review - A Case for the Existence of God
Stage Review - A Case for the Existence of God
Presented By: A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) - Seattle, WA
Show Run: February 2 - February 18, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, February 8, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
What does one think of when seeing a title like “A Case for the Existence of God”? When I saw that on the bill as the next show up on the schedule at ACT (A Contemporary Theatre), I figured that it had to be something overtly religious. Moreover, I wondered which god, exactly, I was going to be convinced of the existence of. Well, after attending the opening night performance of this show, my conclusion is that I should be a little more careful about judging a proverbial book by its cover, or the content of a play by it’s title. Don’t get me wrong, the title isn’t exactly misleading, but the point of the show is nothing like I thought it would be, and that’s really the point. It’s a tale of heartbreak, and of hope, of friendship, and of pain, of the unique way in which men build and deal with relationships, and ultimately about the purpose of life, and how it might not be what we think it is.
In A Case for the Existence of God, two single men, both with young daughters in the same daycare, come together and build a relationship that starts nervously and progresses into something that sees the men sharing their thoughts, fears, and joy, all with a particular sadness that seems to bond the pair inexorably together. In the play, directed by ACT’s Artistic Director John Langs, and running onstage through February 18, Connor Neddersen plays Ryan, a man going through a divorce and fighting for custody of his daughter, who is looking to buy a piece of property, and Nathaniel Tenenbaum as Keith, the mortgage broker hoping to help Ryan, a gay man with his own struggle, fighting to keep the daughter who he has been fostering, and wants to adopt, from her birth family. Their relationship starts professionally, but after Ryan overhears Keith’s side of a tense phone conversation, the two begin, albeit gradually, to open up, building a friendship, one that is uniquely male. Men aren’t always open with each other, especially when it comes to feelings of sadness, but sometimes, usually when they find common ground, they do start to open up and form a uniquely strong bond, and when there’s a challenge in that relationship, men tend to handle it directly, then find a way to move on. The depiction of this quintessential male relationship in this play is spot on, and these two actors portray each side of it without fail.
There’s a lot of emotion here. The play is certainly done with more humor than I thought it would be, given its title and some of the early marketing collateral. I expected it to be heavy from start to finish and yes, there are some truly weighty moments, but the majority of it is told with a good deal of humor. Nathaniel is quite the comedic actor, his ability to generate a laugh through a pregnant pause, a facial expression, or movement is uncanny. But when he is called upon to stretch the emotional boundaries of his range, he’s all in. Anxiety, sadness, anger, he puts it out there with no hesitation and really sells this role through his emotional aptitude. His character Keith is one who lives through hope, always looking through a positive lens, but for me, it’s a privilege to watch this actor play Keith, the character’s emotional stability a thin meniscus against what lies beneath. His counterpart in the endeavor, Connor Neddersen is no slouch either. His Ryan’s attempts to hold down emotion are not so thinly veiled. Men aren’t supposed to show the struggle, or the pain behind it, at least in Ryan’s mind, but when he does start to open up, he’s not so different from Keith. In fact, it’s Ryan who identifies the commonality of their sadness, an observation early on that informs the building of their friendship and the drama that ensues in the play, and it’s through Ryan that Connor shows his depth as an actor, especially as the play progresses.
The play also tackles our ability, or desire, to put past transgressions behind us. It seems that Ryan and Keith have a past, albeit a distant one. How do events from the past inform our present? This is a key piece of the play and one that is examined very well in how the drama is constructed. Throughout this piece, it’s as if we’ve pulled back the curtain on these two and are getting an intimate look at their lives, their relationships, including the one they’re building, and their innermost feelings. Which brings me to the creative side of the production, specifically the build of the set. At first, Parmida Ziaei’s set looks simply like an office cubicle. There is a great attention to detail here, with nothing left out, no piece of office furniture or any supply is missing, there’s a real authenticity to it. But what strikes me the most about the set is the ceiling. It’s not the ceiling itself, which is a typical office ceiling with tiles, florescent lights, smoke detectors (powered on, by the way, another excellent detail), but rather its position in relation to the stage. Suspended maybe ten feet (or so) above the stage, it’s oriented at an angle, which provides a sense not just of motion, but one of having a lid pulled back, exposing the set, as if we’re peering into a scene from a higher vantage point. It’s brilliant, actually, as is how it’s used in conjunction with Connie Yun’s lighting to reflect location. You see, the set looks like an office, but there are times when it’s not, as other locations are implied and set through lighting. It’s clever how the ceiling lights are used along with opaque panels to show location, especially when the two characters aren’t together. Further, lighting and sound (Maggie Rogers) come together in a unique, and sometimes shocking, way to mark scene changes. It’s a real lesson in how to present time and place in a small space through the creative use of light and sound.
A Case for the Existence of God is a play that runs the gamut. It’s funny, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking. Conner Neddersen and Nathaniel Tenenbaum bring Samuel D. Hunter’s work to life through performances that feel genuine and true. Director John Langs has put together a team of storytellers that present this “case” uniquely and creatively. Altogether, it’s a show that will have you wondering what it’s really about, and at the end, when you see the point, you’ll realize that you won’t have seen it coming.
A Case for the Existence of God runs onstage at ACT’s Falls Theatre through February 18. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://acttheatre.org.
Photo credit: Rosemary Dai Ross
