ANYONE WHO HAS EVER grappled with the matter of faith will appreciate Bruce M. Smith’s new play, Blessed Are They, premiered by Infinitheatre. Those who haven’t will at least have their faith restored in theatre as a communal experience. Directed by Guy Sprung and staged at St. James United Church, Blessed Are They can be likened to the spiritual message it embodies: a personal matter turned public.

Set in a small rural town in Quebec, Smith’s piece begins with an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a church basement. New group member Paul (Eric Davis) tells a particularly tragic and horrific tale of divorce, substance abuse, and responsibility for the fate of his daughter who freezes to death while prostituting herself for drugs he previously provided. The story ends with his acceptance of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Fellow members Violet (Joanna Noyes), Tully (Vlasta Vrana), and Boris (Igor Ovadis) look on aghast. Even Father Hewitt (Andreas Apergis), who sits in on these meetings, is completely repulsed by Paul’s story.

At the same time, he confides to his wife Kate (Juno Mills-Cockell) that he is perplexed by Paul’s unwavering faith. Hewitt is having difficulty leading his congregation. His own doubt and his conception of God as a mystery permeate his sermons. “Give them what they want,” advises Jane (Emily Bamforth), another newcomer to Hewitt’s church. What it seems they actually want is Paul. Or rather his fervor and conviction. The result is a clash of ideas and ideals between Paul and Hewitt, representative of Saint Paul and Saint Peter respectively. This tension ultimately puts to the test issues of faith, doubt and salvation.

Paul confesses to his horrid past early on in Blessed Are They and from this moment, we feel we have walked in on something very private. The cast makes Smith’s incredibly well written script not only intimate but engrossing. Ovadis, Noyes and Vrana deliver gracefully human performances as recovering alcoholics. Mills-Cockell is on task as the minister’s intelligent wife, and Bamforth is convincingly loathsome as the new, overzealous parishioner.

But what truly makes this play work is the slow mounting of hostility between Paul and Hewitt. Davis and Apergis bring this opposition to life effortlessly, underscoring contradictions in each other’s belief systems and ultimately questioning our own motives for acknowledging a higher power. One wonders if it is, to paraphrase Violet, to help save us from the tedium of excessive familiarity.
All the music in the play is provided by the choir and organist of St. James United Church, with director of music Philip Crozier and Jean-Sebastien Allaire, choral director, making it feel that much more natural. Lighting by Sarah Yaffe is subtle but effective and Elli Bunton’s set design is simple and elegant.

“I enjoy seeing people recover from their problems,” Father Hewitt says at one point. Much like the character in question, the audience can enjoy Hewitt not only recovering from his crisis of faith, but becoming the man of God he wishes to be by asking so many questions. In doing so, the piece provides a poignant, moving time.

Blessed Are They, through March 8, Tues-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m. St. James United Church, 463 St. Catherine West. For tickets: 514-987-1774 ext. 104. box-office@infinitheatre.com