The Daily earlier this semester reviewed the Speakeasy Stage Company production of "Next Fall." This is a preview of the on-campus production of the same play.
This Thursday evening ushers in the premiere of Pen, Paint and Pretzels' (3Ps) "Next Fall" at Balch Arena Theater. This piece is a relatable, comedic and touching drama about religion and relationships, friends and lovers and everything in between.
Senior Ann Noling directs 3Ps' major production of Geoffrey Nauffts' Tony-nominated play. "Next Fall" examines tensions that arise from being both religious and gay and casts new light on how relationships can endure in spite of differences. The play attempts to answer the questions "What do you do when crisis hits you? What do you do when you don't have a plan?" in a courageous, yet modest, manner.
The play centers on Luke (senior Kevin McDonald) and Adam (senior Kyle Cherry), a gay couple that has been living together for five years in present day New York. Luke is an actor and a devout Christian, while Adam is a staunch atheist. Despite this fundamental difference, their relationship has survived and flourished.
"Next Fall" begins after Luke is hit by a taxicab and has fallen into a coma, as his friends and family wait in the hospital for news about his state. The audience is introduced to a host of Luke's friends and family, including Luke's well-meaning boss, Holly (freshman Claire Fey), the slightly uptight, Bible-clutching Brandon (junior Zach Gillette), his overly chatty mother, Arlene (senior Alexa Chryssos), and Luke's homophobic — and aptly named — father, Butch (freshman Andy De Leon). Finally, Adam arrives at the hospital to find Luke's parents, who are completely unaware of their son's sexuality and love life, already waiting.
"Next Fall" travels back and forth between the hospital of the present and scenes from Luke and Adam's past, depicting their relationship as it grew. Their relationship begins with a flirtatious rooftop meeting before the two spend the night together. The following morning, they have a conversation about Luke's faith in Adam's apartment. Luke says that he, like everyone else, is a sinner, and that being gay is his sin.
Adam hones in on this declaration, and after many pointed questions about God, Luke reluctantly admits that if the killers of Matthew Shepard — who was tortured and murdered in a 1998 due to his sexual orientation — had asked Jesus for forgiveness, they would go to heaven, while if Matthew himself had done the same, he would not.
While Adam may have won this ideological battle, it's fair to say that Luke wins his fair share of arguments as well. This conversation repeats and expands, changing shape and form throughout the play. Noling said that, although the play is not a perfect representation of religion, "it portrays an intelligent conversation about religion and what it means to be faithful in the modern world."
These issues of faith are not only relevant to gay couples, but to all couples. Noling's direction presents the themes and questions of "Next Fall" for a night of thoughtful, intellectual drama. The skillful execution of the play allows its themes to leave the context of the stage and pervade the viewer's mind.
As a testament to each of the actors' authentic portrayals of their characters, audience members will see pieces of themselves in each character in ways that are sometimes unnerving and uncomfortable.
"No matter what people think about the characters or their beliefs, people will end up talking about the issues that it raises," producer Lina Stolyar, a senior, said.
More importantly, the 3Ps decided to perform "Next Fall" this semester because it relates closely to the Tufts community. Noling said she was motivated to direct this particular piece because it "is a community with many gay members, and to do a show that presents that on stage is very exciting."
"Next Fall" is a play that questions sexuality, asks difficult questions of religion and deals with differences in relationships in a tasteful and realistic way without the rigidity of formal debate. Though Tufts students may confront the above issues on a regular basis, "Next Fall" poses these tough queries skillfully and wittily, and presents them to viewers to genuinely contemplate.
Though this play probes themes of religion and faith, it also champions the importance of faith, and, maybe even more so, the importance of acceptance. Noling wrote in her director's note, "No one's the devil here, we're all just trying to get along." Though the characters differ dramatically from one another, they prove that there is always a shared common ground between family, friends and lovers. Though that shared ground is occasionally obscured by differences, "Next Fall" under Noling's direction proves that it's there — it just may take some time to discover. "As sad as the play is, it's also filled with hope,"Chryssos said.
