Freud's Last Session
Sigmund Freud, "the atheist of the 20th century" meets the popular Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, in Mark St. Germain's 75-minute one-act. It's September 3, 1939: Freud is 83 and will die in three weeks; Lewis is 40 and has yet to write his master works (among them The Screwtape Letters), and Nazi Germany invaded Poland on the first. Freud wants to know why such an "intelligent" man (and avowed atheist) as Lewis would convert. The play is both refreshing and a bit bland: refreshing to hear ideas -- the Big ones -- contested on a stage; bland because, as staged at the North Coast Rep, the conflict's a mite muted, as if the attempt is to present, but apparently not offend, both sides. The Rep benefits from detailed performances by Bruce Turk, a spry and youthful Lewis, and Michael Santo's crusty Freud facing his demise and wondering what if. Best of show: when Melanie Chen's sound design blares air-raid sirens, Turk and Santo cringe on Marty Burnett's handsome set. So maybe there are no atheists in fox-holes [Note: the North Coast Rep has extended the run].
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 7pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm & 8pm |