9th play - Church & State by Jason Odell Williams

I had NO idea what this play might hold, but once again, the title drew me in! At first, I wondered if I was reading a MAGA play, as it starts off deep in the South (okay, NC is not that deep, but…) with a voiceover for a clearly Republican candidate, complete with “good Christian values” and “voted to block a restrictive ban on firearms,” not to mention a character coming in with a “JESUS IS MY RUNNING MATE” T-shirt. Oh boy. Most of the characters are North Carolinians, and having grown up there, I can attest to the their accuracy: “It’s Game Day … The Wolfpack are playing the Tar Heels! It’s the flippin’ game of the week!” (Okay, most NC folks don’t get as excited about football as basketball, but many do, and Carolina vs. State is a big one!) “What’s the matter you need some iced tea should I pour you a glass of sweet tea.” But then the play gets moving and things start to slide in a direction I did not expect. This play’s characters become less stereotypical as the day goes on and there are twists and surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a comedy about gun control and mass shootings that goes deeper than you think it could.

Summary: “Three days before his bid for reelection, in the wake of a school shooting in his hometown of Raleigh, NC, a Republican U.S. senator makes an off-the-cuff comment to a blogger that gets leaked on “the Twitter,” calling into question the senator’s stance on guns and God in this political comedy.” Concord Theatricals

Laura’s thoughts in brief: As a former Southerner, I really did recognize the characters. Yes, they’re slightly stereotypical at first, but stereotypes exist for a reason. The playwright wants us to see them as stereotypes at first, so we understand their roles in the world of the play. When we start to see things changing, we recognize that the characters are more nuanced than we thought. And, we care about them - at least we care about Charlie, the protagonist. I would argue we come to like the other characters too by the end of the play, but not all the reviewers agree. This play would definitely need nuanced actors to keep them three-dimensional.

I also thought it was interesting that some reviews complained about the fact that a play with a message about something as important as gun control would be a comedy. Seriously, have you never read Lysistrata? Or watched Saturday Night Live? Comedy goes deeper sometimes, and can have more power to make you rethink things. I LOVE a play where people are laughing hysterically and then all of a sudden hushed with surprise or a moment of tragedy. Personally, I think lessons with humor teach better, but that is my opinion.

There’s a few BIG twists in the play, from almost the beginning, so I’m choosing not to talk much about the plot, but I really enjoyed it. It seems to be a crowd-pleaser, and has gotten a lot of productions around the country, although I’ve not heard it talked about much. Maybe it’s seen to be too commercial? Well, I would be interested in seeing it in Chicago, although some of our reviewers might criticize that, and distrust some of the big shifts in the play. I don’t know, though, (tiny SPOILER) seeing a Republican candidate have a real change of heart about an issue gave me some hope, in a time with a very divided country where hope is bleak for that sort of thing. Is it believable? I want to believe it is possible. Maybe it’s okay to hope.

READ MORE! Here’s what some of the critics had to say about productions:

https://swfringegeek.blogspot.com/2017/10/review-church-and-state-minnesota.html

https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/church-state

https://berkshireonstage.blog/2019/10/08/review-church-and-state-circle-theatre-players-at-sand-lake-center-for-the-arts/

https://www.onstagentx.com/reviews/church-and-state-stage-west