Review: THE UNBELIEVING at 59E59 Theaters- Compelling Play Presents A Meaningful Discussion of Religious Faith

"How did you feel as you were coming to this realization? What were the emotions?" By Linda in The Unbelieving

The Civilians, NYC's highly acclaimed downtown theatre company, is currently presenting The Unbelieving at 59E59 Theaters through November 20th. This superb, thought-provoking play is written by Marin Gazzaniga and directed by Steve Cosson.

The Unbelieving depicts meetings by researcher, Linda with clergy members who have stopped believing in God. The interviewees come from many denominations that include Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Mormons, and Muslims. The conversations are based on the actual words of people who participated in the investigative study by philosopher, Daniel C. Dennett and qualitative researcher, Linda LaScola that was conducted for the book "Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind."

The clergy discuss their backgrounds, religious work, and how their belief system changed. They also talk about the dramatic effects that realizations had on their lives. Compelling situations include the Evangelical Preacher who had to search for new employment to support his family; the conservative Jewish Rabbi who couldn't tell any of his acquaintances about his lack of spiritual faith; and the Carmelite Nun who couldn't reconcile God's will against the tragic injustices she observed in her work. Even though the subject matter is a serious one, the play has just the right touches of humor and heart.

The cast of The Unbelieving masterfully delivers the fascinating discourse that occurs in each of the research sessions. The actors deftly assume multiple characters. The company includes David Aaron Baker as Adam; Jeff Biehl as Johnny; Sonnie Brown Elizabeth and Carolyn; Dan Domingues as Joe and Michael; Nina Hellman as Linda; Joshua David Robinson as Dennis and Mohamed; and Richard Topol as Sherm and Jim.

The Creative Team has done a top job of bringing The Unbelieving to 59E59 Theaters. The team features movement direction by Sean Donovan; set design by Andrew Boyce & Se Oh; costume design by Emily Rebholz; lighting design by Lucrecia Briceño; and original music and sound design by Christian Frederickson. Jeremy Stoller serves as the dramaturg and Megan Kingery serves as creative consultant.

We applaud Artistic Director, Val Day and Managing Director, Brian Beirne for continuing to bring excellent performances to 59E59 Street Theaters. People of all backgrounds will have interesting takeaways from after they experience The Unbelieving. It is a show that will invite thoughtful conversations. Get your tickets and see it while you can!

59E59 Theaters is located at 59 East 59th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues). The performance schedule for The Unbelieving is Tuesday to Saturday at 7:15pm and Saturday to Sunday at 2:15pm. The show runs for 1 hour and 20 minutes with no intermission. Tickets to The Unbelieving begin at $25 and are on sale by visiting www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/the-unbelieving/.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine

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