After receiving a disturbing visit from a young, beautiful evangelical missionary, two older Irish Catholic sisters invite her and their unsuspecting parish priest to a dinner at their home where they hope to set the girl and the record straight. All hell breaks loose as the pair engage in a dogmatic battle to the finish.
Much of the credit for the seemingly endless side-splitting moments in “The Savannah Disputation” goes to the incredible comic timing of SpeakEasy newcomer Carolyn Charpie. As Melissa, a sexy, young religious zealot hellbent on saving the world, Charpie delivers one-liners with Southern-style, pageant circuit authenticity and the gritty determination of a network marketer.
Her chief foil in the yuckfest is Nancy E. Carroll’s Mary, an angry divorcee who’ll fight to the death in defense of a religion she really knows little about. Carroll captures the bitter essence of Mary with blistering delivery of caustic barbs and a tinge of sad resignation that gives her some much-needed vulnerability.
Paula Plum and Timothy Crowe round out the ensemble with solid, understated performances as Margaret and Father Murphy, respectively.
Though the story takes place in present day Savannah, Eric Levenson’s set is perfect old school Irish Catholic, complete with statues of saints and crucifixes galore.
Warring religious factions have never been so much fun to watch.
‘The Savannah Disputation’
Through Oct. 17
BCA Roberts Studio Theatre
539 Tremont St., Boston
Orange line to Back Bay
$30-$50, 617-933-8600
www.bostontheatrescene.com