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The Savannah Disputation
By Evan Smith
Directed by Michael Halberstam
At Writers’ Theatre
325 Tudor Court
Glencoe, IL
Call 847-242-6000, tickets $45-$50-$55-$58
Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 7:30 pm
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 4 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2 & 6 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 25 minutes with intermission
Through November 25, 2007
Sharp, witty and though provoking comedy shakes up our beliefs
I’m a recovering Catholic after attending Catholic grad school, high school and university. Therefore, I can relate to the discussion of Catholic doctrine contained in Evan Smith’s (The Uneasy Chair) The Savannah Disputation, now in its world premiere at Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe. Smith is a talented wordsmith equally adept at character development, sharp witty dialogue and plausible storyline. This guy is a first rate playwright.
Meet two older sisters in their modest 60’s vintage Savannah home (exquisitely detailed set designed by Keith Pitts). Mary (the fabulous Marilynn Bogetich) is the mean-spirited, tough devout Catholic and Margaret (the dotty yet funny Linda Kimbrough) the kindly trusting and accommodating sister. Their lives are changed when their beliefs are challenged by a door-to-door evangelist, Melissa (Suzanne Lang in a understated yet strong performance) enters their life.
Melissa effectively casts doubt on Margaret’s Catholic beliefs through her sincere and convincing proselytizing. Mary, the closed-minded devote Catholic, chastises Margaret for allowing the evangelist to enter the house. When Mary sees Melissa preaching her heresy to the vulnerable and slow-witted Margaret, she at first attacks the evangelist, then plots revenge to “teach the evangelist at lesson.” She arranges for herself, Margaret and Father Murphy (a strong yet subtle performance by Robert Scogin) to meet with Melissa at their home to destroy the evangelist’s religious fervor.
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Cleverly plotted by playwright Evan Smith, the confrontation doesn’t go the way Mary planned since Melissa’s sincerely scores points in her indirect and convoluted attack on Catholicism. Father Murphy, who didn’t know Mary’s plan, was caught off guard by Melissa’s presence. Murphy at first seems confused and unsure about the attacks on his faith. Margaret gets more confused by Murphy’s response to the evangelist leading to her doubting her Catholic beliefs. Just as the play seems to be going Melissa’s way, Mary and Father Murphy get into a faith-challenging debate and Father Murphy belatedly enters the religious debate. The result is a smart, often funny, play about faith, personal beliefs, the status quo that unfolds into deep themes such as loneliness, religious complacency and conformity. Weaving religious arguments within each character’s shaky belief system produces sparks of tension.
Evan Smith offers an amazingly balanced treatment of Catholic and fundamentalist beliefs through a refreshingly candid and often eloquent presentation by Father Murphy and Melissa. We see the plausibility of both Mary and Margaret doubting their core beliefs that challenge their long held faith. I’ll not detail the cleverly plotted twists Smith has weaved into this brilliant play. The surprising and truthful conclusions are character driven and plausible.
You’ll laugh, you’ll be somewhat shaken, and you leave thinking about your beliefs after seeing The Savannah Disputation. This intelligent play covers eclectic themes with unique insights consistent with human nature. I especially like the performance from Marilynn Bogetich as the nasty, bossy Mary. Linda Kimbrough is a delight as Margaret and Robert Scogin has Father Murphy’s internal pain and deep seated wisdom down pat. Suzanne Lang delivers the energetic religious fervor of Melissa convincingly. A marvelous script in the hands of four terrific actors equals a wonderful night of theatre.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2007
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