Portland Stage Company closes its season with a thought-provoking comedy about religion, faith and beliefs.
Evan Smith’s “The Savannah Disputation,” will run through May 18 at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave., in Portland.
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The play features aging sisters Margaret (Maureen Butler) and Mary (Cristine McMurdo-Wallis), who are thrust into soul-searching examination of their Catholic faith after a visit from an evangelical Christian missionary. The visit comes at a time when the sisters are waiting for the results of a medical test one took.
When Melissa, the young missionary played by Courtney Moors, offers literature and tries to lure Margaret away from Catholicism, the older woman is forced to examine her relationship with religion.
Margaret’s newfound curiosity and visits with Melissa upset Mary, who is devoutly Catholic. Mary later arranges a dinner with Mary, Melissa and their priest, Father Murphy (Charlie Kevin). Over dessert, the four debate inconsistencies in the Bible and the sisters’ lapses in theological education.
According to a description of the play, “Melissa and Father Murphy are evenly matched opponents, with Melissa frustrating the priest each time she answers one of his challenges with her own justifications. At times, things look dire for Catholicism. Mary excommunicates herself from the church and ‘breaks up’ with Father Murphy, and Margaret gets more and more convinced by Melissa’s logic. But after Melissa bursts into a vehement tirade against the pope, Margaret kindly kicks her out, Father Murphy admonishes the two sisters for their obvious gaps in knowledge and things begin to return to the way they were before.”
Though light and comedic, the play asks how far our cares and creeds will carry us before we start asking questions.
Sunday’s performance at 2 p.m. will be followed by a discussion about the play with director Anita Stewart and a guest speaker.
Another program, “Finding room for debate when talking about the eternal soul,” will be held at noon Tuesday at April 29 in the Portland Public Library’s Rines Room.
A discussion with the cast of “The Savannah Disputation” will be held following the 2 p.m. performance on May 4.
For tickets, call 774-0465 or send an email to boxoffice@portlandstage.org. For more information, go to www.portlandstage.org.
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