A Meaningful Comedy Draws More Than Laughs

I have been attending a lot of comedies lately. This thought set in promptly as I sat down 15 minutes before the curtain went up on The Savannah Disputation.

This isn’t a bad thing, though. Quite contrary, I think everyone needs as much laughter as they can get in life. What I didn’t expect, however, was such a deep emotional and meaningful undertone in such a stark comedy as this show.

The Savannah Disputation opens quite comically, and the first act proceeds as such until intermission, which arrives rather early in the show. Yet, as you retake your seat for the second part, you’ll find yourself sitting down to a depth digging commentary on modern religious denomination and thought. The show never leaves the comedy behind, but it will close with you thinking much more about the lines between than the comedy itself.

The story progresses as two sisters who live together come into contact with an evangelical christian who attempts to “convert” the catholic siblings to a different faith. The ensuing banter between a very shy and passive sister, Margaret, the evangelical christian, Melissa, and the very aggressive and forward sister, Mary, plants a great triangle of chaos and anarchy that made me burst out laughing on more than one occasion.

While most of the comedy comes from the aggressive sister, Mary, it was actually the small remarks that drew me to her over the others. A comedy mostly understated, but still I found myself quoting some of her one-liners even after only viewing the show once.

The production will continue on September 11th and 12th at 7:30p and the 13th at 2:00p. With only one more weekend to catch this show, I highly suggest a trip downtown to Gilmer Arts to view this wonderful production of the North Georgia Acting Company.