SJ Rep Announces FREUD'S LAST SESSION Cast

With almost 60 years of theater experience between them, Ben Evett and J. Michael Flynn will be co-starring in the Mark St. Germain intellectual hit Freud's Last Session, directed by Stephen Wrentmore and co-produced with the Arizona Theatre Company.

Freud's Last Session has captivated crowds and critics in both New York and Chicago, and San Jose Rep will continue their season with this work that includes provocative ideas and strong talent. The thought-provoking, one-act play presents an imagined debate between two colossal, charismatic thinkers of the modern age: legendary psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud (Flynn), and young professor and author, C.S. Lewis (Evett). 

The encounter takes place the day before England enters World War II, and just two weeks before Freud, dying of oral cancer, will choose to end his own  life. Freud has inviTed Lewis to his home in London desperately wanting to understand how Lewis, who once shared his atheism, has become a recent convert to Christianity. Meanwhile, Lewis believes that Freud wants to confront him about his satirical sketch of Freud in a recent piece of writing.  

Freud and Lewis clash over the issues of love, sex, the existence of God, and the meaning of life - with humor, intelligence and, in the end, compassion. The New York Times concluded that Freud's Last Session is, "not just a powerful debate, [but] a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time."

Playwright St. Germain was inspired by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr.'s book, "The Question of God," in which Nicholi speculates on the possibility and implications of a meeting between the two intellectuals. St. Germain tackles the question with an award-winning production, pacing the exploration of issues over 90 fast-pace, uninterrupted minutes.

This astute comedy takes a strong, even-handed look at one of life's most thought-provoking discussions. Bloomberg News calls it,"Delightful! A brainy fencing match of Olympic caliber."

Freud's Last Session will run from October 11  through November 4, with Press Opening Night at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, October 17.

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