Play Review: “A Case for The Existence Of God”
Clover Davis | November 29, 2023
Life throws many obstacles at you, and “A Case for The Existence of God” is a perfect story to see just how tough things can get.
NC Stage Company put on an extraordinary play, “A Case for The Existence of God” By Samuel D. Hunter. This story is much more than its title. Walking into this play, I felt uneasy. The title to me suggested that this may be religious and it had made me feel such a way. As someone who is often uncomfortable with religion and what many people stand for in religion, I had my doubts and suspicions. However, to my surprise, this play was far from what I could have imagined it could be. While rummaging through the files in my brain of religious torture and persecution, this play has created an entirely new section for itself.
This story is about two very drastically different men: Philip Kershaw as Keith and Ben Mackel as Ryan. Keith is a black gay mortgage broker who is fostering a baby girl and Ryan is a yogurt plant worker who is attempting to buy land to “give his daughter the life of her dreams.” Of course, nothing will go either of these characters' way, as Keith is fighting for custody of his self-proclaimed daughter. Rightfully so, as he has had her for 2 years and the birth aunt wanted nothing to do with her until the aunt found out Keith was gay. Ryan has also been fighting financially and in court for custody of his daughter.
My heart could not resist feeling horrible for the situations these two have been put in. As a queer person, knowing that fostering and adopting will be affected due to my sexual preferences and gender identity is heartbreaking and enraging. As a working-class human being, living paycheck to paycheck is all too familiar. Ryan had to fight tooth and nail for a loan just enough to attend an auction for the land he dreamed of having for his daughter. Both men fighting for the custody of their children and enduring the long processes of the court system reveal a lot about their characters and make it evident how familiar these issues are to many families. Through and through, this play on a personal level was very relatable and heart-wrenching to watch.
However, this wouldn't have been possibly as effective as it was without the help of the outstanding actors, lighting effects and set.
I had the honor of sitting front and center to have a great look at the set. The theater is a black box-styled theater. The amount of space is limited but was utilized efficiently and effectively. The set was a small office, including a functional computer that played a key part in multiple scenes. This worked very well with small bits that needed some improvisation between the lines and gave the show even more life. The office space was filled with many different office supplies such as a phone, printer, calendar, etc. The lighting was very well done and it simulated a beautiful golden hour which brought forth a feeling of nostalgia as the two characters watched TV before having one of their fights. It also simulated time jumps throughout the play with the lighting going purple then blacking out with a ringing fading in and out. After that occurred, we would jump to the next scene with the characters already in position.
There could not have been a better casting than Phillip Kershaw and Ben Mackel. The chemistry between the two of them played a massive role. The emotions the actors evoked from me were potent. I don’t imagine I’d feel the same way with a different casting. It was just perfect. I particularly remember seeing tears streaming down Phillip’s face as I sat right in front of him and not many people can cry on command. Ben did an amazing job at keeping his role very complex. Ben had so much depth and I was begging to learn more about him. Ryan was a man who needed a friend, but also he needed money, which ultimately meant he had a lot of manipulative behavior between each line. Ben kept the tone of this perfectly throughout the play which can be a confusing job for many actors out there. As I mentioned before, these two actors worked very well together. The screaming, the crying, and the beautiful dynamic relationship that was formed could not have been better without them.
What does this play have to do with God?
I thought the same thing towards the end. So far no mention of God and no one mentions their religious affiliation or relationship with God.
It then clicked in my head that the title of this play was subjective. “A Case for The Existence of God”? This is indeed the case. God (beliefs aside) can be seen as the way life wraps itself around the end of things. Life can be shit but ultimately something good can come out of it. There wasn’t a happy ending for this play. Keith lost his daughter and Ryan did not get his land and was also laid off from his job, ultimately losing full custody of his daughter. While this was truly saddening, there was a time skip as the two men held hands looking into the sunset while birds chirped, observing the land that wasn’t meant to be. The two men began speaking as if they were their daughters. Their kids ended up meeting years and years later. Ryan’s daughter urged Keith to reach out to her father and to my surprise, the two men stayed friends all these years.
Life might have given them the short end of the stick over and over, but in turn, they got an amazing friendship. In the end, they experienced the beauty of reconnection. That was the case for the existence of God.
The next show for the NC Stage Company will be “Jeeves Takes a Bow” with performances beginning November 24th. If you’re a student, tickets are only 10 dollars! I encourage everyone to give this theater a chance as I always enjoy watching their small black box theater come to life with the performances they have to offer.
Tickets to the “Jeeves Takes a Bow” here! https://www.ncstage.org/productions/jeeves-takes-a-bow/