Josh Krause and Jamal James Photo courtesy of Forward Theater Co.

The story concerns Ryan (Josh Krause), a low-wage worker at a yogurt plant, and Keith (Jamal James), a bottom-level mortgage broker, who meet when Ryan comes to apply for a mortgage so he can buy a plot of land on which to buy a house. It turns out they knew each other in high school in the small town of Twin Falls, Idaho (pop. 53,000).

While they hardly spoke in high school, Ryan and Keith (the "gay Black teen" in his school) gradually become friends during the course of the play. In addition to being in professional dead ends, they each have a daughter–Crista is Ryan's natural daughter by his estranged wife, and Willa is Keith's foster daughter, soon (he hopes) to be his adopted daughter, if the biological mother doesn't renege on the deal within the first two years (the child is nearly two). If Keith can't find Ryan a loan soon, Ryan's ex-wife will make the case that Ryan, currently living in a crumby one-bedroom apartment, is not a fit parent. And if Willa's biological mother decides that she doesn't want a single gay Black man being Willa's father, she'll yank the kid. Plenty of dramatic tension to keep the story going.

As the play goes on, Hunter heaps on the biographical details, which increase the pressure for the characters. How all this comes to a head is fascinating to watch, and the ending is truly a surprise.

The staging–unusually, for Forward, in the round–comprises a raised square space floating on a turntable, which rotates 45 degrees or so between scenes, thereby giving everyone in the audience a good view of each character at least some of the time. The choice increases the claustrophobic quality of the staging while reducing the need for in-the-round blocking, which can be a pain in the butt (director, Jen Uphoff Gray). On the square rests a white desk and filing cabinet. Most of the play takes place in Keith's office, though it migrates to his place and to a playground (set design, Noele Stollmack).

As they move from banker and client to drinking buddies to friends, the characters' backgrounds pose bumps in the road to intimacy. While Ryan was popular in school, he suffers mental-health issues that make it hard for him to fit in, and he comes from a miserable, drug-infested childhood. Keith comes from a privileged background, with a lawyer father who takes him traveling all over the world. He gets a degree in early music and English, which leads him nowhere. Lighting from directly above increases their sense of alienation (lighting design, Noelle Stollmack). Composer and sound designer Joe Cerqua adds solo string elements to incidental music and muted sound effects. Costumes are jeans and rumpled shirt for Ryan and business casual for Keith (costume design, Jason Orlenko).

A Case for the Existence of God, presented by Forward Theater Co., runs through April 13, 2025, at Overture Center, Playhouse Theater, Madison WI. For tickets and information, please call 608-258-4141 or visit forwardtheater.com

Additional crew: Props designer, Kaya Sarajian; Stage manager, Shawn Galligan.