Savannah Disputation, The

Here's the setup for Evan Smith's The Savannah Disputation at Playwrights Horizons: two sisters, one acerbic (Dana Ivey), one simple, sweet and quirky (Marylouise Burke), both Catholic, are visited by a young, spunky Born-Again Christian (Kellie Overbey) who wants to convert them. The sisters invite her and their priest (Reed Birney) to dinner. What follows is a smart, insightful play - a funny, and ultimately moving, battle with great theological arguments and contrapuntal bible references performed by four dynamite actors on John Lee Beatty's fine set, with appropriate costumes by David C. Woolard, who is smart enough not to put the priest in a white clerical collar-- just a sportshirt. What a pleasure to be at a play with ideas.

To me, the basic subtext is the destruction of people's souls (by countering their basic human empathy) by the dogma and sectarianism of religions and their narrow boundaries. And the play also shows the basic sincerity that well-meaning people have in the security they find in the doctrines of their religions. It was so engrossing that I wanted to come back the next night to continue the disputation, even though it was clear that solid boulders cannot be moved by wind.

To quote from my own book "HYPHEN: A Spiritual Adventure Between Two Dates," "Anyone who thinks HIS way is the ONLY way hasn't found `The Way'". The Savannah Disputation is terrific theater for anyone who likes to cross intellectual/spiritual swords (or be present at such a skirmish).