West Orange’s amazing Luna Stage presents us with a tough, moving picture of two men forging an unlikely yet deep friendship in Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God. Staged by Luna’s Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, it is a sensitive study of two men separated by the divides of race, class, and sexuality. Yet they both love their daughters deeply, desiring to give their girls everything, no matter the cost.
We first encounter Ryan (Matt Monaco), a struggling white working-class man and divorced father raising a daughter, as he seeks to buy property. He has met mortgage broker Keith (Chauncy Thomas), a single black gay man fostering a little girl of his own, at the day care center their girls attend. Ryan decides to explore his financing options with Keith and the two bond over their mutual parenting situations. Further encounters, both business and social, show the slow yet bumpy progression of their growing friendship. Mutual frustrations in their private lives lead to arguments involving issues of race, social class, and family histories.
The acting is, and I say this cautiously, superb. Real-life friends Monaco (brilliant as the incarcerated brother in last season’s Rift) and Thomas perform as though these roles were written just for them. Under Kreith’s sensitive direction they give persuasive performances of deep emotional power. It is to playwright Hunter’s credit that he is able to show an emotional yet non-sexual connection between two men. This is a much-needed reminder in these days that we have more in common than outside-imposed barriers of race and class and sexuality would have us believe.
I cannot more strongly urge you to take the time to visit Luna Stage in West Orange, always a home for thought-provoking drama, to watch two fine actors, a skilled director, and a brilliant playwright make A Case for the Existence of God!
A Case for the Existence of God is presented by Luna Stage in West Orange through Mar. 16 2025. For more information or to get tickets, go to lunastage.org or call 973-395-5551.
