Religious humor deserves resounding 'Amen!'

    The lights may come up on over-stuffed, doily-laden furniture in "The Savannah Disputation," but the dotty set is not portentous of what's to come.
    Written by a young Savannah, Ga. native, the play follows a few days in the lives of two elderly, Catholic sisters whose beliefs are rocked when they are visited by a young, beautiful and fervent evangelical missionary. Unwilling to give in to the young woman's rhetoric, the sisters invite the missionary back to their home along with an unsuspecting Catholic priest, providing the audience with an unorthodox, oftentimes hilarious, sometimes meditative, theological discussion of a sort hitherto unseen on stage.
    The irony that playwright Evan Smith creates so effectively in his script is beautifully highlighted by director Paul Daigneault through his depiction of opposites. In the beginning, the audience hears loud, lively gospel music before the lights come up on a small, Southern home clearly inhabited by elderly women.
    The appearance of a young, female missionary (Carolyn Charpie), who is promptly turned away by the alpha female of the pair of sisters, Mary (Nancy E. Carroll), immediately sets the comedic tone of the show. When the unfazed young woman shouts through the door that "Jesus loves you!," a disgruntled Mary mutters "I know Jesus loves me. It's you he hates."
    The show strikes a masterful balance between quick, biting comedy and actual soul-searching. Though the overwhelming majority of the show is fast-paced, well-written hilarity, serious themes save it from being a complete fluff piece.
    Early in Act I, a woman from the doctor's office leaves a message stating ominously that Mary's test results are in and she should schedule an appointment with the doctor. The significance of this message is never explained, but its connotations create a dark, looming background to the show's light comedic ambiance.
    Age and what happens after death are themes constantly alluded to in the actors' discussions, and this keeps the audience grounded in real-world concerns despite all of the sisters' humor.
    The play's premise is strongly reminiscent of the 1939 play "Arsenic and Old Lace," as it centers on two friendless, elderly sisters luring young folks into their home under false pretenses. This has been done before. But Margaret and Mary differ from the main characters in "Arsenic." The "Savannah" sisters are aware of problems that they and others face, and are not naïvely attempting to put people out of their misery. Half of the jokes poke harmless fun at religious culture in America, but the other half reflect a very real religious uncertainty that any audience member likely can relate to.
    "The Savannah Disputation's" small cast is absolutely brilliant in this production. Boston theater veterans Carroll and Paula Plum are both extremely winning as sisters Mary and Margaret. Charpie is a true highlight as Melissa the missionary; Charpie's youth and ever-flowing spring of energy create an interesting dynamic on the stage.
    Timothy Crowe as Father Murphy, the sisters' local priest whom they hoped would serve as their holy attack dog on Melissa, brings another compelling angle to the show. The three other characters are all easy to sympathize with, but all three grow hysterical at different points throughout the play. They get upset over their religious disagreements, but Crowe spends most of his time seated on the couch, an anchor of calm in the storm of the other characters' antics.
    Audience members at any stage in life can relate to the old ladies of "The Savannah Disputation" because they do what any human of any race, gender, or age does: They question the world around them about truth, about God and religion, and are not satisfied until their discussion reaches a conclusion, or until they conclude that there is no conclusion and that satisfies them once and for all.