Nov 4, 2009
RECOMMENDED
By Hedy Weiss Theater Critic/hweiss@suntimes.com

They are four people in various states of spiritual hunger, with one of them binging on faith, another forgetting to eat, a third secretly snacking on science and a fourth happily omnivorous. Yet whatever the state of their "appetites" might be, the characters in "End Days," Deborah Zoe Laufer's exceedingly smart, goofily apocalyptic tragicomedy about life in these United States seven years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, provide plenty of food for thought and an array of bittersweet side dishes.

As part of a season of plays at Evanston's Next Theatre that deal with calamities of ecology, faith and war, "End Days" might just turn out to be the most restorative. And you can thank physicist Stephen Hawking, Elvis Presley, the biblical Noah, and, yes, Jesus, all in the same breath.

At the center of Laufer's play is the Stein family, nominally Jewish New Yorkers who have sought refuge in some suburban outpost. Arthur Stein (a performance of pitch-perfect understatement by the wonderful William Dick), is a man in a deep depression who still can't deal with the fact that he eluded the fate of his 65 employees in the World Trade Center. His wife, Sylvia (Laura T. Fisher, expertly driven and neurotic), also is in a state of post-traumatic stress. Terrified the world is on the brink of destruction, she has recently "found Jesus" and become a busy proselytizer, preparing her family and neighbors for "The Rapture" and eternal salvation -- something that Judaism doesn't offer.

Angered and embarrassed by her mother's radical transformation, the Steins' brainy teenage daughter, Rachel (the compulsively watchable Carolyn Faye Kramer), is going through a classic goth-style rebellion. But she also is caught quite off guard by an impossibly nerdy new classmate, Nelson Steinberg (the uncannily good Adam Shalzi), who, in his own nutty way is something of a reverse-Jesus, even if he dresses as Elvis.

Born gentile, Nelson has been adopted by a Jewish couple and is preparing for his bar mitzvah. He has a passion for science that he shares with Rachel, but he's also a natural healer who helps raise her dad from the dead and ease her mom's anxiety and isolation.

All but stealing the thunder here is Joseph Wycoff who plays Jesus (hilariously deflecting Sylvia's efforts to extract a date for the end of days), but is especially brilliant as Hawking. His portrayal of this genius (and Laufer's aptly droll lines), are worth the price of a ticket.

Shade Murray has directed with zest and a fine sense of the play's delicate balance of humor and fervor. And though "End Days" can be a tad too cute at times, and has a few too many endings, it also manages to restore faith in human nature. A neat trick.

Chicago Tribune: Comedy asks: What do you do with the unsaved?
Thanks to some very solid and honest acting under the direction of Shade Murray, you become quite involved in this funky little band of seekers, and invested in their eventual discovery that they need each other more than they think — regardless of any rapture that may await.

Edge Chicago: Review
...a lighthearted, fresh look into the ideas that make up evangelical religion, physics, the Rapture, and belief in general.

Laufer, herself a science-loving atheist, never lets these big topics overpower, and she achieves this by creating relatable, likeable and flawed characters who are all searching for some sort of meaning. Aren’t we all?

Pioneer Press: Preview - 'End Days,' examines faith, science and Elvis
The premise is reminiscent of a bad joke: Jesus, Elvis and Stephen Hawking walk into a bar...
But while "End Days" is certainly funny, it's far too outlandishly original to fit into the parameters of a predictably gauche one-liner.

Chicago Critic: New twist on religious fever a humorous fable
Who said religion can’t be funny?... Without being ‘preachy’ or condescending, End Days unfolds as a funny look at the role of faith in human relations. This show is hilarious and healing.

SteadStyle: Review
Faith and Renewal! ... a wonderful theatrical experience.  This is indeed a story of faith, not just in the religious sense, but faith in humanity and in family.

Examiner: O Holy Stephen Hawking? Next Theatre talkback to delve sacred and scientific
A standing savior, a sitting scientist –Who wins the debate in the Stein's fractured household? Wycoff answers with a quote from the Dalai Lama’s book Kindness, Clarity and Insight: "Different medicines are prescribed for different diseases, and a medicine which is appropriate in one situation may not be appropriate in another."

End Days was awarded The American Theatre Critics Association Steinberg citation in March, 2008. It received its NYC premiere at Ensemble Studio Theatre in March, 2009 through an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant. It debuted in October, 2007 at Florida Stage, The Phoenix Theater in Indianapolis and Curious Theater in Denver through a National New Play Network rolling premiere and will have received nine productions by the end of the year. End Days is listed in the Burns Mantle Yearbook as one of the best regional plays of 2008, and is published in The Best Plays of 2008.

“Who knew The Rapture could be so funny?" – Theatremania

"…rapturously funny play about a family trying to survive in a world hurtling toward Armageddon, proves that the right playwright can inspire healing laughter in even the most sobering subjects."
-The Miami Herald

"A satirical dark comedy with a moral edge."
"The universality of the denouement brings this comedy full circle, leaving us to admire the relevancy of Laufer's humor and wisdom of her message." -Variety


“Enormously funny, warm and uplifting!” - CurtainUp

"… both poignantly redemptive and often hilariously funny."
"I hope others will have the opportunity to see this special play. It begs the question of what we would hold most sacred if we knew the end was near. And it brings to life our broad range of choices, including laughter, and the treasured traveling companions who are there even when we face our own personal Armageddon." -The Huffington Post