Intellect, Not Emotion Rules ‘Freud’s Last Session’

What would happen if just a few weeks before his death, notorious Jewish atheist Sigmund Freud were to meet devout, born-again Christian C.S. Lewis and lock horns in an 80-minute intellectual sparring match?

That’s exactly what playwright Mark St. Germain sets out to do in his acclaimed Off-Broadway show Freud’s Last Session, currently playing at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

The father of psychoanalysis and the young English professor and eventual novelist meet in 1939 in Freud’s London study as England heads to war.

Thanks to a beautifully nuanced performance as the ailing Freud suffering terribly from oral cancer, the ever-lovable Judd Hirsch saves this production from becoming little more than a talking heads scenario.

Equal parts cantankerous and compassionate, Hirsch captures a man whose body is failing him but whose wit, humor and intellectual reasoning remain sharp as a tack. It’s worth the price of the ticket alone to see Hirsch take on the existential questions of life and the existence of god, while staring death in the face.

Hirsch’s sparring partner in this tête-à-tête – so richly depicted in an intricately designed set by Brian Prather –is Tom Cavanagh as 41-year-old C.S. Lewis, the quick witted professor determined to convince the 83-year-old Freud, that God does indeed exist.

Despite his somewhat sketchy attempts at an upper class English accent, Cavanagh brings an ever-ready bunny quality to his role as Lewis, always up for a verbal spar and trying to challenge Freud while still maintaining an air of reverence for his iconic hero.

It’s also fascinating to see Cavanagh draw on the depths of Lewis’s faith, offering us a tiny glimpse into the man that would eventually go on to write The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and the entire Narnia Chronicles, laden with iconic Christian imagery.

Cavanagh doesn’t have the stage presence of Hirsch and at times seems almost dwarfed by both Hirsch’s arguments and his performance. However, Director Tyler Marchant makes sure the action – minimal that it is – never flags.

Most of the flaws in this play are in the writing. While St. Germain’s imagined meeting of these two minds is a brilliant conceit, the brief encounter - just one afternoon – doesn’t allow enough time for the two men to develop a real bond. Nonetheless, the characters do manage to find a few chances to connect, particularly in a moving scene when Freud finally permits Lewis to help him in a moment of extreme pain.

If only there were more time and more moments for a deeper connection between these two men. Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t really allow them to explore their emotional inner lives. You’ll definitely leave the theatre thinking a lot about some of the arguments, but are unlikely to be moved.

Freud’s Last Session runs through Feb. 10 at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. Tickets are $42 – $175 and are available online at www.TheBroadStage.com or 310.434.3200. Parking is FREE.