Friday, February 25, 2011

Theater Review: Freud’s Last Session

Martin Rayner and Mark H. Dold. Photo: Kevin Sprague
It’s CS Lewis and Christianity vs. Sigmund Freud and Atheism
By Lauren Yarger
In an imagined meeting between atheist-turned-Christian CS Lewis and atheist Sigmund Freud, author of modern psychiatry, the questions of God and faith are tested and analyzed in Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session getting a second-go Off Broadway at the West Side Y.

The play was inspired when Dr. Armand M Nicholi, Jr. asked in his book, “The Question of God,” whether the two men might have met. St. Germain decided to see what might have happened and set the play on Sept. 3, 1939 in Freud’s London study (sumptuously created by designer Brian Prather).

Freud (Martin Rayner), sick with cancer that has left him with a painful jaw/mouth prosthesis, is at the end of his career, while Lewis (Mark H. Dold) is just coming into prominence as a professor at Oxford (before he wrote his classics “The Screwtape Letters, “Mere Christianity” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” books among others). Lewis had written, however, “Pilgrim’s Regress,” an allegory in which he includes a character not unlike Freud, and the doctor of psychiatry asks the young author to pay a visit.

Freud’s main interest comes from not understanding how someone as intelligent as Lewis, who until eight years ago held the same atheist beliefs as he, could suddenly change his mind and become one of the “imbeciles” who believes in God.

A polite exchange ensues, with each asking questions and switching roles from analyst to patient with some questions about how their own relationships with their fathers influence how they see God the Father. The two spar in a friendly battle of words and brains as they try to explain their views on “science vs, religion,” sex and how God could allow suffering, among other topics, with little hope that the other will be persuaded. Freud has to admit, that atheism appeals to his “desire not to be told what to do” and Lewis has to admit that the “biggest problem with Christianity is Christians.”

The intellectual battle takes place against the backdrop of the beginning of World War II with radio addresses by Prime Minister Chamberlain (Beth Lake, sound design) giving the discussions about life and death heightened meaning for the two men. Both actors give solid performances (Rayner is so believable as the sickly and pain-riddled Freud, that it’s a real relief to see him full of good health at the curtain call.)

It’s interesting stuff, but doesn’t get too preachy or deep in exploring the various issues. Director Tyler Marchant keeps the 75-minute piece tightly paced. Audience members will find themselves cheering on their champion depending what side of the controversy they’re on, but the battle isn’t clearly won, as St. Germain leaves room for discussion and debate for those having seen the show.

Freud’s Last Session runs at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, West Side Y, 10 West 64th Street, NYC. Performances are Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturdays at 2 and 8 pm and Sundays at 3 and 7 pm. Tickets are $65 and are available by calling 866-811-4111 or at http://www.freudslastsession.com/. A limited number of $20 Student Rush tickets (cash only, with valid student ID) will be available at the box office beginning three hours prior to each performance.

Christians might also like to know:
• Lewis on marriage/sex sounds a little politically correct, but overall, no big worries. Bring friends, enjoy the show, then discuss!

1 comment:

Carolyn said...

I totally agree with your review, including your comment about the response by Lewis on sex/marriage that is vague enough to be politically correct. I ordered the script to study the repartee. However, the book you mentioned, The Question of God, by psychiatrist Armand Nicholi, on which it is based, goes much deeper, and would be a great resource for an adult group discussion--one chapter at a time. Thanks for this review!!

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

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I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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