With religious strife shaping the current geopolitical climate, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble's "One Nation, Under God" at the Grove Theater Center in Burbank seems quite timely.
The story involving a young man torn between scientific logic and direct orders from God is intriguing but eventually suffers from an overabundance of melodramatic creepiness.
Playwright and director Philip W. Chung's world premiere was developed through a workshop process with the assistance of his cast of seven.
The result, a 90-minute one-act, seems designed to test its audience's belief structure concerning the history and nature of Christianity. To this normally reliable company's credit, the pieces of the puzzle are all present. Cleanly implemented production values support an intriguing story peopled by actors whose work is solid, for the most part.
Unfortunately, the story's logic and set up feels strained as the need to keep the viewer engaged ends up requiring the lead character's assistance in hastening the onslaught of Armageddon. A young man covered in blood stumbles into a Catholic church seeking some form of solace. He relays to the parish priest, through a series of flashback scenes, the story of his life leading up to their meeting.
As Paul Kim, actor Ryun Yu presents a captivating portrayal of a Generation Xer whose faith replaces his scientific judgment once he receives messages from an angelic visitor.
Kim's spiritual counterpart, Father Chan, played ably by Dennis Dun, serves as not much more than a theatrical convention. His disbelief and initial skepticism mirrors that of the audience as Kim's story unfolds before us.
Both actors acquit themselves nicely, but their tendency to rush through author Chung's intricate dialogue leads to a number of jumbled line readings on opening night.
Supporting these two main characters is an evenhanded group of players who provide both individualized characters as well as an omnipresent Greek chorus.
Nechelle Fabiana's scene as a bubbly Sunday School teacher forced to deal with Paul's youthfully incessant questioning of certain Christian inconsistencies is priceless. Brian P. Nichols, Kelley Lund and Jeff Liu handle with aplomb various roles including angels, Paul's friends and even an evangelical minister.
As Paul's girlfriend, Maddie, Caroline Le Duc's work has a shallow feel at first, but develops nicely as her eventual destiny becomes clear. Aesthetically, Jakyung Seo's lighting, including fireworks and some gorgeous backlighting of onstage panels, complements the show beautifully.
Those set pieces, along with a group of portable blocks, appear courtesy of designer Angie Park. Rounding out the technical aspects is sound designer Dennis Yun's original musical compositions that serve as underscoring for the numerous scenic segues.
Ultimately, despite this show's captivating premise and sharply defined presentation, it ends in an abruptly predictable conclusion.
