How rare is it to be able to sit back in the theater and watch a pair of believable and hugely talented actors bring a show to life? With Dezart Performs’ production of A Case for the Existence of God, that’s just what happens.
The play is written by Samuel D. Hunter, whom you will remember for his award-winning script The Whale, as well as A Bright New Boise, which was presented last season by Dezart. This newer piece won the 2022 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and Hunter’s writing is so natural and spontaneous-sounding that in the very capable hands of great actors, one can truly relax and believe it.
This play’s set, designed by the amazing Jimmy Cuomo, shows us a corner of the grey office where Keith works. Although the setting remains stable for 95% of the play, Cuomo will surprise you with a huge change near the end.
Right away, we are plunged into the situation that Ryan, played by Jacob Alden Roa, has created: He wants to buy 12 glorious acres of land outside of town, and build a house on it for himself and his little daughter. Problem is, he doesn’t have the money for it—but he feels strongly that this is where they should be … and he refuses to back down.
He is making an appeal to Keith, a mortgage broker, played by Dennis Renard. (This all takes place in Twin Falls, Idaho, and if you’ve ever been there, you’ll know it is very beautiful and rather remote.) Keith knows his stuff about mortgages and banks, but the two men eventually bond over being new single dads of baby girls. They talk about day care and parenting and eventually get back to the topic of the financial system, which Keith admits is “convoluted.” Ryan might be out of luck with getting this property, but Keith genuinely tries to help him.
As the stories unfold, we learn why each of these men is raising his child alone—and there is a lot to learn about why Ryan wants this particular property, and why Keith goes so long without talking about his child’s mother. As they move from one scene to another, we learn about the families from which they come, and how that influences them today. At one point, it is unforgettably said, “We share a specific kind of sadness.”
Keith’s rich vocabulary is a source of curiosity to Ryan. He eventually discovers he is actually learning new words from Keith, who is highly educated in music and English. Keith’s complicated life is unusual to Ryan, who works in a yogurt-making facility—but he is thinking of taking on a second job if it makes the difference in getting this property.
The author has fleshed out both men remarkably. The two trade stories of their youth and their parents and their losses, allowing us to venture deeper and deeper into both their lives.
This play involves little more than two men talking with each other, and it is astonishing that it manages to leave the audience spellbound and motionless. It shows the power of great writing by an author whose thinking is deep; he delivers one surprise after another to keep us on our toes.
Hats off to the lighting designer, Rick Bluhm, who subtly switches the lighting between scenes, giving us a feeling of progression as the stories unfold.
The combination of Michael Shaw’s exceptional direction and the care taken by Dennis Renard and Jacob Alden Roa to bring this play to life leads to something extraordinary. These actors are so conversant with their lines and so fluent in their delivery that one truly believes they are speaking from their own hearts, rather than just repeating lines they have learned. There was not a single stumble in the entire performance. The body language, always kept to a minimum, is effective and concise.
There are a few laughs to break things up, but this play is hardly a comedy—and neither “god” nor “higher power” is even mentioned, so if the title made you worried that you’d be preached at, you can stop worrying.
Just five performances of A Case for the Existence of God remain after today (plus one this evening, if you’re free). Go see it.
Dezart Performs’ production of A Case for the Existence of God is performed at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m., Sunday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, March 10, at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $48, and the show runs 90 minutes, with no intermission. For more information, call 760-322-0179, or visit www.dezartperforms.com.
