Theater Review: The Revival

Just How Far Will This Preacher Go? Pretty Far -- Unbelievably So
By Lauren Yarger
Instead of trying to tell you what Samuel Brett Williams’ The Revival is, it might be easier to tell you what this play, receiving its world premiere by the Project Y Theatre Company at Theater Row Off-Broadway, is not.

The dark drama about Eli (Trent Dawson), a young preacher returning to his Arkansas home to take over his father’s church, isn’t about getting out the Gospel message, though a five-person choir in a loft constructed above the action on Kevin Judge’s simple, but effective set sings a number of hymns, most of them during the audience load in. It’s also not about exploring the relationship between Eli and his wife, June (Aidan Sullivan), though they certainly have a lot of issues to work out.

It also isn’t about church life or the preacher’s relationship with his congregation, though Trevor (Raymond McAnally), head of the church’s finances, spends a lot of time with Eli advising him on how to become a more dynamic speaker to ignite the congregation and bring the church to the attention of the Southern Baptist Convention (membership in which would solve some of their financial woes). Putting the small, declining church in better position to compete with nearby Gospel Light, a growing mega church, would be helpful too.

Harvard-educated Eli is more interested, however, in stimulating the church members to think about complex, abstract theological issues, helping them to "know" rather than "feel" what they believe. Perhaps because he‘s struggling with that concept himself.

This really isn't the motivation behind The Revival either, though. Eli’s struggles with his feelings for Daniel (David Darrow) with whom he’s having a homosexual relationship in a remote cabin where Eli’s father used to hide his alcoholic wife. He truly is conflicted by his feelings for Daniel, but seems more concerned about lying to his wife or having the congregation find out instead of whether or not the homosexual relationship is a problem. He’s allowed one area of indulgence, he reasons, and “this one my one thing.”

His solution to eliminating the conflict is so over the top and bizarre that we have to wonder about the preacher’s sanity.

So if the play really isn’t about fully exploring any of those situations, what is it about? I’m really not sure, but one thing it definitely is not is boring. The bizarre and over-the-top decisions made by most of the characters definitely hold your attention. We just have a crisis of faith that anyone would actually do the things they do.

Director Michole Biancosino uses drill-team-precision scene changes to keep the action brisk and lights the choir (Ben Hagen, lighting design) from time to time as a constant reminder of God watching over what’s taking place below. She places “members of the congregation” in the audience to shout out “amens” and the like during the preaching.

Dawson is perfect as the clean-cut, southern pastor who admits that his faith is the product of acceptance over time rather than a life-altering meeting with Jesus.

Sullivan effectively displays a wide range of emotions transforming from the meek, submissive pastor’s wife to an angry, conniving woman trying to scare her husband into being faithful. Finally, she is a motivated mother, stronger than her husband, who takes matters into her own hands to protect her son and her family’s place in the community.

McAnally, as the redneck Christian who can have a religious experience gutting a deer gives the play its much needed comic relief. He’s chilling, however, when he violently beats Daniel and ties him up in what he obviously considers doing the Lord’s work, all while conversing in sweet tones on the phone with his “baby girl." Darrow’s performance is a bit shallow, perhaps because the character doesn’t really develop beyond an intense anger that drives him to, among other things, beat up a cow. Like I said, the action holds your attention if nothing else.

So while there doesn’t seem to be a neat, definitive answer for the purpose of this play by Williams (who, according to the program was raised in a “strict Southern Baptist” environment in Hot Springs, AK), it’s certainly interesting, and different from other plays with the apparent goal of portraying Christians as hypocrites.

The Revival runs through Sept. 25 at The Lion at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd St., NYC). Tickets are available by calling 212-239-6200.

Christians might also like to know:

Homosexual activity
Language
Sexual dialogue