Samuel D. Hunter has received a lot of attention in recent years, with Little Bear Ridge Road now receiving rave reviews at Steppenwolf, and the success of The Whale, a movie based on Hunter’s play. A Case for the Existence of God is another Idaho-based drama that explores the lives left on the fringes of American society, and the result is a poignant and captivating 90-minute two-hander.
Steep Theatre is in the process of moving to a new location, so A Case for the Existence of God is playing at the Edge Off Broadway, in a tight black box that fits the play’s small scope. After a chance encounter at daycare in Twin Falls, Ryan (Steep ensemble member Nate Faust) meets with mortgage broker Keith (Debo Balogun) to secure a loan for a piece of his family’s ancestral land. Their initial conversation seems straightforward but forms the start of an unusual friendship.
Under Robin Witt’s tight direction, Faust and Balogun’s connection is luminous, with both actors crafting subtle, multi-layered performances. Ryan is a new father and recent divorcee grappling against the cycle of poverty and mental illness—he tells Keith that he feels like money is the only thing that gives him “the right to exist.” Keith, a Black, gay man out of sync with rural Idaho, keeps his emotions under a tight lid but they bubble to the surface as he experiences the frustrations of the foster-to-adopt system.
The play’s title poses an obvious question: What is the case for the existence of god? Throughout the play, there is a tension between the two men’s obvious differences—class, race, sexuality, upbringing—but their improbable friendship grows, and deepens. They share what Ryan calls “a specific kind of sadness”—the feeling of being lost in a system outside of their control, perhaps. The play makes a case for their friendship, with Hunter suggesting that just as random, awful things can come out of nowhere, spontaneous connections can also materialize from the void.
Although the setting is simple, scenic designer Sotirios Livaditis and props designer Amanda Herrmann have filled the stage with lovely little details, while Brandon Wardell’s lighting design marks the shifts in time and place over the course of the play. Lauren Lassus is the stage manager, Aly Amidei does costumes and Christina Gorman serves as the intimacy and violence consultant.
A Case for the Existence of God performs a small miracle by packing one mortgage broker’s office with so much pathos. This summer, Witt and Hunter have made Twin Falls, Idaho, a place worth visiting.
A Case for the Existence of God has been extended through September 7 at the Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. Tickets are $10-40. Running time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Get your tickets here or by phone at 773-649-3186.
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
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