Review Roundup: THE CHRISTIANS Opens Off-Broadway

Playwrights Horizons and Center Theatre Group's co-production of the New York premiere of THE CHRISTIANS, a new play by Lucas Hnath, opens tonight, September 17. Directed by Obie Award winner Les Waters, the limited engagement runs through Sunday, October 11.

The cast features Emily Donahoe, Andrew Garman, Philip Kerr, Larry Powell and Linda Powell. The production also features a rotating 20-person choir, drawing singers from all five boroughs.

Ten years ago, Pastor Paul's (Mr. Garman) church was a modest storefront. Now it houses thousands, with a coffee shop in the lobby and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundation of his congregation's beliefs. Backed by a live choir, THE CHRISTIANS is both epic and unexpectedly intimate, an unflinching look at faith in America -- and its power to unite or divide.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Charles Isherwood, The New York Times: Religious beliefs evolve, just as people do, in ways good and bad. But they rarely change quite as suddenly as in "The Christians," Lucas Hnath's softly mesmerizing drama about a schism that arises in an evangelical megachurch. In this terrific play about the mystery of faith, and how religion can tear people apart just as it can bring them together..."The Christians"...has been ingeniously staged by the director, Les Waters, as a stylized Sunday service...Mr. Hnath...is one of the freshest playwriting voices to emerge in the past five years or so..."The Christians" is Mr. Hnath's most penetrating work, but what you take away is the play's ruminative gravity, and how each character is given an authentic voice and a complexity of feeling...The conflict is explored with a refreshing lack of condescension.

Marilyn Stasio, Variety: The problem with the play is that the cleric who sets off the hullabaloo that tears the congregation apart is just as bland as the scenery. To heighten this emotional distance (and spiritual alienation) between the preacher and his flock, all the characters whisper-speak into handheld microphones - even in intimate scenes between the pastor and his wife, Elizabeth, played with becoming modesty and a nice flash of passion by Linda Powell. But if Pastor Paul is personally insipid (and suitably played so by Andrew Garman), his spiritual crisis is dynamite...Thoughtful, earnest, sincere - all that can be said of Pastor Paul. But if he wants to win debating points, he could really use some help from a wise old rabbi or a smart-aleck Jesuit fresh out of the seminary.

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter: It's so rare to see religious beliefs depicted onstage without condescension that Lucas Hnath's new play becomes all the more intriguing. Depicting the internal fissure that develops within an evangelical megachurch when its head pastor declares a dramatic shift in doctrine during his weekly sermon, The Christians is an ambitious, thoughtful effort that deserves attention. But even though attention must be paid, the work ultimately proves disappointing in its overly stylized presentation and lack of dramatic impact.

David Cote, Time Out NY: Lucas Hnath's new play shows a megachurch pastor pushing concepts of salvation and forgiveness to their logical conclusion, raising the legitimate question: Who will save Christianity from Christians?...The Christians is not religious satire. It's not an avant-garde deconstruction...But it's also not a naturalistic drama...Instead, the play interrogates articles of faith in a cold but earnest light...Although The Christians has been superbly staged by Les Waters on Dane Laffrey's tacky-creepy set and the near-constant use of handheld microphones serves to both amplify and distance the cool, coiled language, Hnath seems to lose nerve as he goes...Perhaps Hnath wanted to avoid surreal or grotesque twists in favor of sympathetic, intellectual simplicity, but we aren't invested enough in the characters as specific people or as idea generators to maintain our engagement.

Linda Winer, Newsday: When a big, modern, evangelical church with a charismatic preacher has a crisis -- at least in a play -- it is hard not to expect another sex or embezzlement scandal. This is far from the case, fortunately, in "The Christians," Lucas Hnath's compact and thoughtfully provocative drama...The arguments are rolled out with clarity and accumulating outrage in director Les Waters' production, narrated by Paul but acted out by everyone using intentionally alienating hand mikes. The positions are neat, but not too tidy, as a leader preaches forgiveness -- and the people really don't like it.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post: "The Christians" is a white-knuckled drama about . . . a theological battle. But there are no clear winners or losers in Lucas Hnath's deeply affecting new play...Beyond the evenhanded, utterly compelling doctrinal discussions, the play also deals with leadership and sharing in institutions and relationships alike -- the visiting pope could get a few pointers...As heated and heady as the disputes become, Hnath and director Les Waters keep the show absorbing on a very human level. This is a production we can believe in.

Matt Windman, AM New York: A pastor's well-meaning but sudden and strange change of faith leads to tragic consequences for his once-popular church and his family in Lucas Hnath's provocative and potentially polarizing new drama "The Christians"...Even if you do not have a theological background, "The Christians" is captivating as a modern-day tragedy. Les Waters' production is first-rate. As portrayed by Garman, Paul is an enigmatic, sincere and somewhat selfish protagonist who is unprepared for the consequences of his decision and loses his credibility.

Jonathan Mandell, DC Theatre Scene: What's most unexpected about The Christians...is that there's not a scintilla of satire. Hnath, whose mother is an ordained minister and who at one time considered becoming a member of the clergy himself, treats each character with respect. His aim seems not to score points but to explore the nature of faith and the politics of a church like this...As in a real megachurch, every character holds a microphone when they speak...It's an intrusive choice, imbuing some scenes with oddly stilted performances...There is also something intriguing in contemplating the emotional effects on someone who is being forced to question their long-held beliefs, whatever these happen to be. There is even an interesting lesson here about group dynamics and the psychology of leadership.

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Photo Credit: Joan Marcus