'The Saviors' Off-Broadway review — coming of age into a crisis of faith
Read our review of The Saviors off Broadway, the latest collaboration between playwright Bubba Weiler and director Jack Serio following Well, I'll Let You Go.
Summary
- The Saviors follows two altar boys and a stranger who shelters at their church
- Playwright Bubba Weiler and actors Ivan Howe and Julius Rinzel excellently portray the changing relationship between the two boys
- The show is recommended for fans of Weiler and director Jack Serio's Well I'll Let You Go and of stories that deal with faith; queerness; and coming of age
In some of the strongest scenes of Bubba Weiler’s new play The Saviors, directed by Jack Serio, the audience realizes altar service is kind of like admin work or data entry. Its religious context may add more heft, but there’s a similar mindlessness to it, a giving up of oneself to snuff out candles, clean the table, update the hymnal numbers on the board. There’s either comfort or tedium in this routine. Altar boys Michael (Ivan Howe) and Paul (Julius Rinzel), soon to be confirmed and sorting out which saints' names they’ll adopt, find relief primarily in each other as they make games out of their tasks.
Michael's devotion to God gels with the path set for him: get confirmed, attend Catholic prep school, attend the Catholic college an hour away. His devotion to his best friend is similarly unbendable. But the arrival of Julian (Stanley Simons), a homeless man seeking shelter in the church during a blizzard, prompts a shift in Michael and Paul's relationships to God, their futures, and each other.
Weiler has an easy, naturalistic style of dialogue that keys into Michael’s one-track mind and codependence on Paul, as well as Paul’s blossoming crisis of faith. There’s both a magnetism and a friction between the two: Michael’s growing awareness of the change in their friendship makes him double down on his piousness, which, in turn, drives Paul further into doubt. The friends' push and pull feels lively and realistic, the pain of growing apart compounded by the overwhelming existential questions that nag them. When Michael has nightmares, he calls Paul. But Paul begins to confide in the mysterious Julian, who, rather than pushing him towards atheism, confesses his own wistfulness at not having God and the church in his life.
Rinzel telegraphs Paul's growing frustration, both with Michael and the religious framework offered to him, with steely and staccato gestures, as if the uncertainty in his life makes him more precise with his movements. Conversely, Howe contrasts Michael’s supposed sureness in his faith with quakes and awkwardness in his body, vibrating with desperation to do good at the level of Paul, who offers to care for Julian. Personal and existential instability course through Howe’s body, and you can hear the waver — of what he believes, of who he is, of how he feels about Paul — in Howe’s voice.
It’s when the focus is on the other characters that The Saviors comes up short. Though Crystal Finn gives an excellent performance as Judy, the youth group leader and Michael’s confirmation sponsor, the character feels thinly sketched; the bulk of what we know about her is backloaded in the last 10 minutes. Similarly, Simons gives a decent performance as Julian, but he’s mostly presented as so enigmatic, with cherry-picked details to foreshadow the play's climax, that the character feels absent of the rich inner life Michael and Paul are given.
There’s a strange neatness that arises from the characters, a clear mathematical equation as to who’s saving whom: Michael wants to save Paul, who wants to save Julian, who wants to be saved by Judy, who is tasked with saving Michael. The Saviors could use a little more complexity, a bit more texture to make its world as real as the two young boys who inhabit it.
The Saviors summary
Altar boys Michael and Paul spend their days preparing for Mass and talking about their commitment to God — well, Michael does, anyways. When a stranger arrives during a blizzard, seeking shelter in the church, his appearance causes both boys to examine their relationships to God, their futures, and one another.
What to expect at The Saviors
Set designer David Zinn provides a modest, pale brick-colored altar, with Jesus on the cross in the center and the Virgin Mary and Joseph on either side of him. Exit signs (lighting by Stacey Derosier) give the space an ominous red glow during one scene in the dark, fueling the show some much-needed atmosphere. Yet, the space feels, much like the play when it’s not focused on Michael and Paul, a tad generic.
What audiences are saying about The Saviors
The Saviors has an 81% audience approval rating on Show-Score, aggregated from 104 reviews. Theatregoers particularly praised the performances of the two young leads.
- “The play is a coming of age story about two 14 year old altar boys who are also friends… I thought that this part of the play was done well. However, the parts of the play involving the two adult characters and their interactions with themselves or with the boys did not seem to go anywhere.” - Show-Score user BRUCE F 7160
- "Powerful show with wonderful young actors and fine writing.” - Show-Score user Craig 8036
- "Terrific acting by the two young protagonists in a interesting drama with humorous moments. Subjects of religion, coming of age, family relationships areall [sic] well handled." - Show-Score user Stephen 18
Read more audience reviews of The Saviors on Show-Score.
Who should see The Saviors
- Ivan Howe and Julius Rinzel give breathtakingly realized performances, keenly detailing the shifts in their friendship and attitudes towards their faith. Performing Michael's frantic passion for God masking his unraveling life, Howe proves he’s a star on the rise.
- Audiences interested in stories about the intersection of faith and queerness, or of just one of these topics, will want to see how the show deals with young boys on the precipice of teenagehood, and of figuring out who they are in the Catholic world.
- Fans of Bubba Weiler and Jack Serio’s Well, I’ll Let You Go will be intrigued to see how the playwright and director have evolved from a large ensemble show to the more intimate four-person cast of The Saviors.
Learn more about The Saviors off Broadway
Howe and Rinzel's portraits of altar boys at a crossroads are filled with life, even if the other elements of The Saviors don't feel completely fleshed out.
Photo credit: The Saviors off Broadway. (Photos by Ahron R. Foster)
Frequently asked questions
What is The Saviors about?
The Saviors is a moving new play about a man who enters a church, the two altar boys who receive him, and the questions of faith that follow.
Where is The Saviors playing?
The Saviors is playing at Atlantic Theater Company - Linda Gross Theater. The theatre is located at 336 West 20th Street, New York, 10011.
How much do tickets cost for The Saviors?
Tickets for The Saviors start at $33.
How do you book tickets for The Saviors?
Book tickets for The Saviors on New York Theatre Guide.
Originally published on
