THE HANGOVER REPORT – In A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, Samuel D. Hunter makes a case for men’s capacity for feeling and sensitivity

Will Brill and Kyle Beltran in Signature Theatre Company’s production of “A Case for the Existence of God” by Samuel D. Hunter at the Pershing Square Signature Center (photo by Emilio Madrid).

This week, Signature Theatre Company’s production of A Case for the Existence of God by Samuel D. Hunter opened Off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Set in a small, economically stagnating town in Idaho, Mr. Hunter’s new play tells the story of an unlikely pair of soulmates – Ryan and Keith – who initially meet for professional reasons (Keith is a mortgage broker, and Ryan a prospective homeowner). As the play unfolds, they develop a deep friendship that reaches across the chasm of their differences (Keith is gay, educated, and guarded; Ryan is financially irresponsible yet empathetic), bonding over their similar life predicaments and profound shared sadness.

Mr. Hunter’s emotionally coiled two-hander is a quiet heartbreaker. In his drama, the playwright makes a much needed case for men’s capacity for feeling and sensitivity. This is in fascinating and stark contrast to Selina Fillinger’s new Broadway comedy POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, which I recently reviewed and goes the other extreme to point out that women can be just as crass and brazen as men. The play also makes the case that good can come from even the most dire of circumstances, another idea worth highlighting in our current cynical times. The play’s strangely cathartic final scene pans out in a breathtakingly surprising and dramatic manner (no spoiler here) that’s well worth putting yourself through the emotional turmoil and uncertainty that precedes it.

In David Cromer – a director I’ve long admired – Mr. Hunter has found the ideal collaborator. Mr. Cromer’s uncannily sensitive directorial work brings the same attention to the unspoken bond between Ryan and Keith that he does to Mr. Hunter’s tender, searching dialogue. In terms of performances, Will Brill (Ryan) and Kyle Beltran (Keith) give performances that dig deep and hit hard. Their chemistry is palpable, and together they create a unique symbiosis that’s neither bromance nor romance. Design-wise, the production is striking; sets, lighting, and sound artfully conspire to paint the metaphoric and literal barrenness that is the backdrop of these two men’s life experiences.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
Off-Broadway, Play
Signature Theatre Company at the Pershing Square Signature Center
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 15

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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