Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Theater Review: "The Christians" Set In Unusual Setting — An Unidentified Evangelical Church

  •  Jeff Hudson 
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 | Sacramento, CA
Rudy Meyers Photography
 

Rudy Meyers Photography

Sacramento’s B Street Theatre has a well-earned reputation for staging comedies. But they also stage edgier plays as part of their B3 series. Their current show, "The Christians," is set in a rather uncommon location for a play. 

When’s the last time you saw a drama that takes place in an unidentified evangelical church? It’s a large congregation in a big sanctuary, and as the play begins, Pastor Paul, the founder, announces that they’ve just paid off the mortgage.

Then he launches into a sermon charting a new direction. He tells his flock that they should stop thinking of hell as a bad place some people go when they die. Rather, he suggests hell is closer to a frame of mind, where people suffer in the here and now because of substance abuse, poverty and worse.

Pastor Paul tells them “there is no reason to tell people they are going to hell, because they are in hell. They’re already there. You need to pull them out of the hell they are already in.

He realizes this is a radical departure from his past teaching, saying “We are no longer a congregation that says my way is the only way. We are no longer that kind of church.”

Now, people in the church, and in the theater, have discussed the nature of hell for centuries. In the 1590s, Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote about the conjurer Doctor Faustus and the demon Mephistopheles, who Faustus summons to his cozy study.

Faustus, a proto-scientist, asks the demon, “Where are you damned?” and Mephistopheles replies, “In hell.” Faustus asks, “How comes it then that thou art out of hell?” The demon says “Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it.”

But back to the contemporary play at the B Street. The pastor’s new message is not well-received. Gradually, an assistant pastor, a deacon, a choir member and even the pastor’s wife express their doubts. And while the setting is today, one can't help but recall how American denominations ripped apart during the Civil War over slavery, and some congregations are splitting now over same-sex marriage.

Playwright Lucas Hnath grew up evangelical, so he’s placed this probing drama in a context he understands. But a different writer could have located this story in a synagogue or a mosque. And this thoughtfully staged production, which includes some strong acting, doesn’t really take up sides. It’s a compelling character study about  sincere people, deeply invested in the community they’ve built, as they disagree over just what it is that they ultimately believe. It’s not the sort of story you often encounter in a theater, and that’s part of what makes this unusual play rather special. 

The B Street Theatre production of “The Christians” continues in Sacramento through Feb. 12.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

 B Street TheatreReviewtheatre reviewtheater

Jeff Hudson

Contributing Arts Reporter and Theatre Critic

Jeff Hudson has been contributing arts-related stories to Capital Public Radio since 1995, with an emphasis on theater and classical music. He attends over 100 performances annually, ranging from modern musicals to medieval masses.   Read Full Bio 

 Email Jeff Hudson

More Stories

AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File

Colorado River deal: What does it mean for California?

May 23, 2023

AP Photo/Tran Nguyen

Fentanyl bills advance at the California Legislature, but divisions on approach remain

May 26, 2023

Courtesy California State University

The new president of Sacramento State is also an alumnus

May 24, 2023

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.