An Undivided Heart 

Reviewed by Terry Morgan 
Atwater Village Theatre 
Through April 22 

Any play that starts with a kid standing next to a burning typewriter holding a knife in one hand and a dead cat in the other is off to a good start in the “well, I haven’t seen that before” department. Unfortunately, such unusual visual tableaux aren’t really representative of the bulk of Yusuf Toropov’s An Undivided Heart, a Circle X Theatre Co. and Echo Theater Company co-production. Instead, the play is a well-acted if somewhat familiar examination of the differences between Buddhism and Catholicism and action versus inaction.

Catholic priest Mike (Matthew Gallenstein) has written a book encouraging the victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy to sue. The Cardinal (John Getz) wants him not to publish, and to instead allow the Church to deal with the issue in house. He also inquires if Mike has concrete proof about any child-molesting priests. Meanwhile Mike’s brother Max (Tim Wright), a Buddhist, is trying to determine what to do when he becomes involved in the life of angry pregnant Lynne (Alana Dietze). Both brothers end up helping each other as their stories dovetail in an unexpected way.

Gallenstein brings a searching moral intensity to his role and is particularly fierce in his confrontation with another priest toward the end of the play. Wright, in a calm and centered performance, is very good as Max, who is still struggling with the intricacies of his faith. As Lynne, Dietze is a picture of righteous fury, and Getz scores as the amiable but manipulative cardinal. Jennifer A. Skinner is cheerfully enigmatic as Buddhist teacher Janice, while Sigute Miller is moving as Lynne’s sick mother Ruth, and Michael Sturgis (as the cardinal’s odd assistant Keenan) steals the show with a gloriously over-the-top rendition of “Stand by Your Man.”

Director Chris Fields gets strong work from the ensemble, but the dream sequences seem underpowered compared to the rest of the show. Playwright Toropov has a sure hand with drama — his confession sequence in the second act is riveting — and a gift for comedy revealed in a clever “fill in the blanks” scene about how to compose a sermon. His thematic concerns are interesting, but they are ultimately resolved in a standard dramatic fashion that feels a bit disappointing considering the intriguing setup.

An Undivided Heart is a production that’s full of good acting and compelling moments that regrettably doesn’t quite attain all of the lofty goals it sets for itself.

Note: Some of the roles are double cast. This review is of “Cast B.”

Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles; Mon., 8 p.m;, Fri.- Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; through April 22. www.EchoTheaterCompany.com. Running time: approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission.