Review: The Savannah Disputation – A Witty, Thoughtful, and Must-See Production

The Savannah Disputation by Evan Smith is the current play at the Burlington Players, and we think it is absolutely worth seeing. A simple description would say it is a play about a religious argument between two devout Catholic sisters, an evangelistic missionary, and a priest. But there is much more going on here; various flavors of Christians will enjoy the disputation, but this is vital, engaging, live theater and anyone from any religious realm can enjoy it.

Janet Ferreri plays the self-described “mean” sister Mary, and she totally inhabits her character. Teri Muller plays Margaret, the sweet and sometimes befuddled sister, and she is equally true to her role at every turn. Becky Ruccio plays the enthusiastic blond missionary and is a force of nature: When she insists on entering the house after being asked to leave, she does it in a way that is forceful but somehow graceful and utterly convincing. Bill Stambaugh delivers another powerful performance as the visiting friendly priest who thought he was coming to dinner and ended up in a theological debate. (Bill is one of our area’s strongest actors but has been offstage for a while and it was a great pleasure to see him again.)

The playwright grew up in Savannah, and he knows his people. One of the many positive aspects of this production is that our Yankee actors did the southern accents and characters well, not as caricatures.

This is a play that comes to life under the hand of a masterful director. Nancy Curran Willis, who has been an award-winning director for many years in the Boston area, clearly helped each character to develop a distinct persona, and as the play moves on each character goes through many phases as the disputation cycles forward.

While the play is built around a series of Christian religious and Bible issues, there is an entirely other level at work: The characters are also jousting with each other for power and dominance, and they each face the challenge of holding onto their opinion or belief and convincing others of the truths of their ways by any means necessary. The characters go through enormous changes as the play unfolds, giving us all of the great aspects of live theater.

There is a great deal of humor here, riding on top of the deep religious debate. We recommend this play for people of all faiths, or no faith. Another aspect of the play is that, initially, most characters are talking a lot, expressing their deeply held beliefs. But by the end, they are all nearly exhausted and unsure of themselves, so the dialogue becomes slower and each person becomes more human and less rigid.

Dave Fisher created an exquisite, detailed set that uses the challenging Burlington stage in a brilliant way. Locating the exterior foyer in a visible and prominent spot adds depth to the space but also allows the audience and the characters to anticipate what (or who) comes next. Endless items of decor were chosen carefully to decorate the inside and outside, each of which rang true: a perfect home for this production.

The Savanah Disputation runs through September 20 at the Park Playhouse. More info at the Burlington Players website.