THE STORY: Two elderly sisters forget all about southern charm when a young door-to-door evangelist comes knocking. This theological comedy blends Smith’s trademark sharpness of wit and depth of character, while telling a story in which a crisis of faith arises when seemingly similar beliefs are discovered to be worlds apart.
“The theological back-and-forth shines a light on the combatants’ personalities, so we get a glimpse into, if not the souls, then at least the hearts and minds of four people who are secretly grappling with doubt, fear, loneliness, and regret about paths not taken. Along the way, there are plenty of laughs…In other words, faith is a complicated business—and even sometimes, as DISPUTATION shows, a funny business, too.” —Boston Globe.
“Smith’s script is, above all else, VERY funny; it’s comedy rooted in situation and character in the best way…blissfully entertaining. But at the same time, Smith never shies from the important subjects at the heart of his play…This is a play filled with heady and fascinating theological and philosophical debate.” —NYTheatre.
“[Smith] knows what we’re anticipating, and defies it at nearly every turn, squaring off devotees of opposing ideals with sly exactitude…Smith understands that the strange boundaries separating Christianity and Catholicism may be innocuous to the casual observer, but to those in either camp, they’re as distinctive and divisive as race or ethnicity.” —Time Out New York.
