Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
Review by Catherine Siggins
If you enjoy intellectual conversations, thought provoking argument, and quick wit, then you will most certainly enjoy Freud’s Last Session currently running at The Odyssey Theatre. Inspired by a book by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. called ’The Question of God’, playwright Mark St. Germain has laid out a fictitious meeting between the father of psychoanalysis, Dr. Sigmund Freud (Martin Rayner), and the novelist and Oxford scholar, C.S. Lewis (Martyn Stanbridge) based on their actual writings. Freud had made his name debunking the existence of God as an “obsessional neurosis”, while Lewis, previously an atheist, returned to God after experiencing an epiphany while riding in a motorbike sidecar, though he claimed he was “the most reluctant convert in England”.
(Photo: Enci Box)
It’s September 1939 and Britain has just declared war on Germany, sparking WWII. Freud has invited Lewis to his home. He is late as his train has been delayed due to evacuations of children, the sick, and prisoners from London. Much to Freud’s annoyance, their meeting must be cut short as he is to be visited by his doctor, who is treating him for oral cancer that has destroyed his upper jaw and palate. The reason for the invitation, Lewis believes, is because of a book he has written which satirizes Freud rather savagely as a ‘vain, ignorant old man’. However, as the discussion unfolds we learn rather it is curiosity and respect for each other’s work that has caused the meeting.
What follows is a riveting, passionate, and often humorous exchange around the questions that have fascinated man since the dawn of time – the existence of God, Love, Religion, Faith, Morality, Free Will, Sexuality, Mans destructive nature and yearning for war, Jesus Christ the man or the myth, Hitler as the devil or god’s tool. Both men are expert debaters, but where this play becomes truly dramatic is when they veer into each other’s personal lives, family histories, and relationships as a way to illustrate a contradiction or bolster a point, often in a manner that is very blunt. Their discourse is only interrupted by the outside world inserting itself into Freud’s cozy study through phone calls from his daughter or doctor, shocking radio news reports from the BBC, or most disturbingly by the howl of an air raid siren, which sends both men into a panic and a scrambling for gas masks. As the argument reaches a crescendo, Freud’s illness, which he names The Monster, makes its presence forcefully known. Lewis must save Freud from choking on a prosthetic palate that replaces his own, lost to the cancer. This is one of the most gripping scenes, more so as it follows a discussion on sexuality and oral fixation.
There is a real sense of urgency in this piece. From the start, time is in short supply, and for many it would run out with the arrival of war. Freud himself was to commit suicide two weeks later. One begins to wonder if the real reason Freud invited Lewis to his home was to see if his legacy could withstand the test of time, or could it be overthrown in the same way the once devout atheist Lewis could “abandon truth and embrace and insidious lie” of faith. Lewis for his part does a great job at psychoanalyzing Freud, goes even so far as to accuse him of being afraid to feel any emotion, and using his intellect as a defense against his fears. In truth, one man protects himself with faith, the other with intellect. In the end both confess that they are equally frightened of death.
Under the expert direction of Robert Mandel, this exciting 75 minute exchange never drops its energy or focus. Both Martin Rayner as Freud, and Martyn Stanbridge as C.S. Lewis are exceptional, hitting each beat change with precision, and they are razor sharp in their delivery, be it a barb or a quip. Mr. Rayner, who returns to the role of Sigmund Freud, captures Freud physicality so that you feel he may keel over at any moment when he is not giving the younger Lewis a verbal thrashing. His performance is subtle, varied and thoroughly believable. Mr. Stanbridge, the more imposing physically of the two, gives us a complex and moving C.S.Lewis, on one hand the calm self-assured strength of a true believer, and on the other the fragility of one facing his doubts.
The set, Freud’s study, is beautifully realized by designer Pete Hickok, complete with books and religious objects by prop designer, Josh La Cour. With lighting by Derrick McDaniel, sound design by Christopher Moscatiello, and period accurate costumes by Kim Deshazo, it is very easy to feel you have traveled back in time.
This is indeed an excellent evening of entertainment.
The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles. Performances through March 4th. Fridays & Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Additional weekday performances on Thursday, March 1st at 8pm. For tickets visit odysseytheatre.com
