The penitent man will pass. Photo courtesy Bob Lohrmann/Capital Fringe

By DCist Contributor Missy Frederick

Matters of faith and religion tend to lead to provocative material and Priest/Penitent is no exception. Wally K. Daly’s work is two plays in one, with the first focused on a cheerful, zany priest about to enter into his favorite time of the week: Saturday night confession. The second play turns the focus onto an individual confessor unloading his sins. Both roles are comfortably inhabited by the versatile Bob Lohrmann.

The first play is snappy and surprising. The unnamed priest’s attitude toward his parishioners, his duties and his faith are at turns amusing, pragmatic and a little disturbing. His cavalier approach to such minor sins as swearing and masturbating is funny and refreshing; his dismissal of birth control as “cheating” less so. It’s consistently interesting to get inside the priest’s head and motivations, and his voyeuristic attitude towards the sins he’s about to hear is rather relatable.

While the first half of the show is light and diverting, Priest/Penitent transitions into something darker and disturbing when the confessor enters the church. The man reveals his entire personal history with Catholicism to the priest. It takes longer than it should to reach the inevitable climax of the confession, but the big reveal and the motivations behind it still both pack a punch.

Priest/Penitent plays at the Tree House Lounge. Remaining performances are:

Thursday, July 16 at 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 18 at 1:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22 at 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, July 25 at 12:45 p.m.

More Capital Fringe reviews here.