Reclaim it.

Not knowing that he was answering to a candidate for Lutheran pastorhood, Christian (Josh Adams) made it clear upon meeting Daniel (Michael J. Mainwaring) that he prefers to be called Chris. “I am not much of a Christian,” he explains. While the tensions of meeting someone new makes great theater, the tension between Chris and Daniel was entertaining and eye-opening.

Chris and Daniel brought to their meeting different experiences and relationships with the church.  Those experiences shaped who they are, how they relate to their creator, their sexual identity and behavior, and how they related to each other.

The play’s exploration into religion provides many laughs such as when Chris discovers that Daniel goes to church. “You go to church?” he asks. When the two potential partners finally have their big fight over religion while playing their favorite video game, Daniel simply says, as he leaves, “I think I have enough wins for tonight.” Playwright Benjamin Benne even creates humor as Chris’ father explains to him that “men” only shake hands for “two seconds.”

However, like life, the play in not all laughs. The production includes scenes mentioning conversion therapy and suicide. While those scenes provided some uneasy moments, the stage design and lighting made following time, and change of space and activity easy. Tony Cisek’s stage design with William D'Eugenio’s lighting featured a soothing black stage with strips of arc lighting spanning the performance area.

This gay rom-com (romantic comedy) lived up to its definition of a rom-com. The big difference between romantic stories that end happily and a romantic comedy is that in the later the heroine (or hero) must learn something about himself/herself/themself.  In this colorful production, the characters learn to look at the world, explore their rejections, and reclaim the world on their terms.

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At DC's Mosaic Theater, now through Sun, Jul 17. Worldwide, via Video On Demand, Wed, July 6 - Sun, July 17, 2022. $40.