The Christians
Closed 1h 30m
The Christians
80

The Christians NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(83 Ratings)
Positive
83%
Mixed
12%
Negative
5%
Members say
Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Intelligent, Great acting, Great writing

About the Show

The first show in Playwrights Horizon's 15-16 season, 'The Christians' by Lucas Hnath is an idea-packed drama about a pastor of a megachurch whose changing beliefs send his congregation spiraling.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (83)

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214 Reviews | 61 Followers
80
Intelligent, Original, Thought-provoking, Resonant, Absorbing

See it if you like plays that deal with big ideas.

Don't see it if you are looking for strong plot and action.

hw
288 Reviews | 54 Followers
78
Thought-provoking, Profound, Great acting, Ambitious

See it if you are interested in a philosophical challenge.

Don't see it if you want something fluffy and light.

170 Reviews | 162 Followers
78
Great acting, Great staging, Intelligent, Thought-provoking, Resonant

See it if Once it gets going (about 40 minutes in) dramatic tension soars with no let-up. The production, the ideas & the debate are all superb.

Don't see it if you don't want to feel you're in church and don't want to experience terrific acting and effective drama.

187 Reviews | 41 Followers
77
Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if You want to confirm/disclaim if the emotional distance of religious doctrine impacts you personally or as a group. Well acted. Good dialogue

Don't see it if This topic is of no interest to you. Although you might still enjoy hearing the arguments made.

431 Reviews | 129 Followers
72
Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Resonant

See it if you're interested in considering different points of view, you appreciate thoughtful pieces, you are fascinated by MegaChurches.

Don't see it if you're uncomfortable with questions about religion.

151 Reviews | 17 Followers
70
Entertaining, Resonant, Relevant

See it if you are religious.

Don't see it if don;t want to be preached to.

108 Reviews | 27 Followers
69
Questionable staging, Good acting, Ambiguous, Poor sound design

See it if want philosophy 101 cliffnotes, to see Ms. Powell's and Ms. Donahoe's stellar wordless reacting, are conflicted or evolving on religion

Don't see it if think screaming into highly amped microphones a terrible idea, are annoyed by too-convenient plot developments, already took philosophy 101

1006 Reviews | 948 Followers
60
Disappointing, Entertaining, Interesting, Poor writting, Middling acting

See it if you have time

Don't see it if you don't like plots that don't make sense.

Critic Reviews (40)

Broadway & Me
October 7th, 2015

"Hnath treats all sides of the theological debate with equal respect and the arguments are compelling but they're delivered as mini-sermons, spoken through hand-held mics....Even though the performances, under the quiet direction of Les Waters, are impeccable, I couldn't help feeling as though I were sitting in a theology class instead of a theater. "
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Newsday
September 17th, 2015

"When a big, modern, evangelical church with a charismatic preacher has a crisis -- at least in a play -- it is hard not to expect another sex or embezzlement scandal. This is far from the case, fortunately, in 'The Christians,' Lucas Hnath's compact and thoughtfully provocative drama."
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NorthJersey.com
September 18th, 2015

"Despite a fine production, directed by Les Waters, with solid acting all around, 'The Christians' never evolves into a compelling human drama. It remains, for better or worse, a humane, fair-minded debate of clashing religious beliefs."
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WNBC
September 17th, 2015

"A play about faith and religion in a mega-church that treats its potentially fraught subject with respect...a thoughtful and artfully acted 90-minute drama...What I found most interesting about 'The Christians' is the way it compels Paul - and so, us - to think about not only what he believes, but also why he believes it."
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T
September 23rd, 2015

"'The Christians' asks some pretty hard (and fair) questions about what we believe and why we believe it - and how much are we willing to sacrifice for our faith. The reality he captures is evidence of Hnath's intimate understanding of the controversies of church life and of the personal struggles involved in a deeper walk of faith...While I thoroughly enjoyed the play, I had to wonder whether many of its subtle truths would be lost on those in the audience who haven't experienced church like this. "
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American Theater Web
September 18th, 2015

"In Les Waters’ presentational staging, which has the actors using hand-held microphones throughout, it falls to lighting designer Ben Stanton to differentiate between the open and closed-door meetings, and he does a superlative job in helping theatergoers understand when the action has shifted. Equally impressive are the performances."
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As Her World Turns
November 9th, 2015

"I didn’t know much about this before seeing it, and I can’t say I loved it. But it had powerful moments...This all builds to the pastor’s emotional breakdown at the play’s conclusion. The ideas explored by playwright Hnath were interesting enough but I wasn’t fully captivated."
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Magical MissTari Tour
September 16th, 2015

"I was still completely engaged and enthralled throughout the evening. There were so many questions and ideas being tossed around and I especially loved that there were no real answers given...All I can say is I found so much to think about, struggle with, and enjoy in this play. It's such a treat to feel invigorated by smart, original writing."
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