Samuel D. Hunter’s Dramedy Touches Personal & Political Third Rail

by Mary Lou Herlihy

Samuel D. Hunter’s beautiful, stirring play, “The Case for the Existence of God,” evokes a deep sense of dread and a spark of hope in two single dads who struggle to raise their young daughters. Their friendship provides a bulwark against social and financial rules designed to wear them down and keep them isolated.

Keith, played with sensitivity and brilliance by Tarig Elsiddig, is a caring mortgage broker who knows that a loan without collateral is doomed. He is faced by down-and-out factory worker Ryan, played with expressive detail by Simon Winheld, who wants to buy a plot of land in Twin Falls, Idaho, once owned by his family.

A lovely set design by Ashley Mendez includes a raised wooden platform that, through the magic of the skillful production team, becomes an office, a living room, and a playground. The office is surrounded by a dry, sandy circle of Idaho scrub land. The sparse landscape seems navigable—in contrast to the murky deals negotiated in the office.

In a brilliant twist, playwright Hunter presents Keith as a sophisticated English and Music grad, stuck in a dead-end job. Keith is middle-class, Black, and Gay. Ryan is white, unpolished, and straight. They inhabit opposite ends of the American spectrum.

Ryan squirms as Keith rattles off confusing mortgage terminology. Frantically flipping through a stack of documents, Ryan pretends to understand but his body language screams discomfort and confusion—it’s hilariously realistic.

Director Will Detlefsen’s subtle and effective light and sound cues indicate time shifts, days or weeks later. Over several months, Keith and Ryan become friends and secrets spill. Ryan disarms Keith with: “We share a specific kind of sadness.” And Keith admits that every time daycare calls, he fears his daughter has died.

Ryan confesses that money is the only thing that gives him permission to be alive, making his poverty even more tragic. But money cannot solve Keith’s dilemma, as he tries desperately to adopt his foster daughter, Willa. His future lies in the hands of a convoluted adoption system, which like the financial swamp, is loaded with booby traps.

Thoughtful sound design by Lana Palmer matches the moment. Whirring office equipment fits the tedium of Keith’s daily routine and quiet jazzy music compliments the warmth of Keith and Ryan’s growing friendship. In the eye of their intense emotional storm, a black hole of sound threatens to suck them up in its wake.

Then a glorious twist propels us forward and fills us with wonder.

Keith’s and Ryan’s challenges are our challenges. Intentionally complex financial and bureaucratic systems are fraught with ‘gotchas’ that can ruin individuals and families. The rules do not care about a poor dad with mental troubles or a parent who wants to provide a loving home.

Let’s hope that last night’s blue tsunami extinguishes the infernos that threaten the poorest, most vulnerable, and isolated Americans. People like Keith and Ryan are willing to risk all for a better future.

Don’t miss this gem of a play. Like all the plays I’ve seen at NCTC, “The Case for the Existence of God,” is a top-notch production, full of heart and soul.

 

“The Case for the Existence of God” by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Will Detlefson, set design by Ashley Méndez, lighting by Nic Candito, sound by Lana Palmer, props by Matt Owens, and costumes by Corrida Godbold, by the New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco.

Info: – nctcsf.org – to November 22, 2026.

Cast: Tarig Elsiddig and Simon Winheld.

Banner photo: Simon Winheld and Tarig Elsiddig. Photos by Lois Tema