L-R Eric Reiberg & Eric Thomas.
With a title like “A Case For the Existence of God,” which I saw Friday, April 12, and not having researched its content prior to seeing it, and I anticipated a theological exercise of some sort. What I did not expect was playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s 90-minute, tender, two-hander that explores human connection.
L-R Eric Reiberg & Eric Thomas.
The moving drama stars Eric Reiberg as Ryan and Eric Thompson as Keith. Ryan who is straight and white plays an undereducated, rough edged single dad with a 15-month daughter, Krista. Sophisticated Keith, who holds a degree in Early Music and English is Black and gay and fosters a little girl, named Willa, who is about the same age as Ryan’s and who he hopes to adopt. The two meet at their daughter’s day care center but we later learn they were high school classmates a decade earlier.
The intimate play is set in Twin Falls Idaho, in a mortgage office where Ryan has come to secure a loan to buy property to build a home for himself and his daughter. The entire one act play takes place in an office cubicle where Ryan meets regular with Ray. At first, they seem to have little in common other than their desire to be dads as well as their woundedness. However, during the course of the action, a deep connection and bond they develop with one another unfolds. Though lacking in depth, Ryan is perceptive enough to say things such as “I think we share a specific kind of sadness.” upon meeting Keith. His observation sets the stage for the kinship that grows between them.
Eric Thomas.
Hunter’s drama which its multi- themes of loneliness, male bonding, economic insecurity, and institutional discrimination against single men, draws you in until its final heartbreaking conclusion.
Artfully directed by Andrew Kramer, actors Reiberg and Thomas are convincing as the rough edged, inept Ryan and bound-tight Keith. Both are impressive in their roles and the chemistry they depict is believable.
Regarding the shows production elements — though there is no credit listed in the program for set design, whomever was responsible for the realistic and detailed design of the mortgage office cubicle in which the characters almost never leave their seats throughout the play. deserves recognition. Tim Dick’s lighting design effective incorporates quick blackouts during scene transitions that denote passage of time.
As far as the choice of the play itself, American Lives Theatre remains true to its mission of presenting works that shine a spotlight on ordinary lives and the human condition, evoke empathy and are relatable.
“A Case for the Existence of God” continues through Sunday, April 28. For tickets visit phoenixthreatre.org.
