Now playing at The Public Theater’s Cellar Theater is ‘Freud’s Last Session’ by Mark St. Germain as suggested by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr. This thought-provoking play centers around Dr. Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis as they debate about God’s existence, life, love and other subjects. It plays until Sunday May 12, and after a highly successful run, the last four performances are already sold out. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. Contact the box office at (210) 733-7258 for more information about possible waiting lists.

‘Freud’s Last Session’ is set in Freud’s office on September 3, 1939 as war with Germany seems all but certain. Freud, (Wesley Deitrick) the 83-year-old Jewish refugee from Vienna, invites Lewis (John Stillwaggon), the 40-year-old World War I veteran visiting from Oxford, to his office. He wants to meet Lewis to find out why such an obviously smart man would embrace religion. Lewis is late because the trains are being commandeered to help evacuate London’s schools, hospital and jails in anticipation of bombing raids. During their visit, the air raid sirens go off, triggering one of Lewis’ PTSD episodes. They discuss God, humor, Jesus’ teachings, sex, monogamy, Hitler, homosexuality and music, among other ideas. They examine each of their childhoods and how it shaped the men they became. The controversial topic of suicide comes up because Freud has oral cancer and has considered it many times because he is in constant pain (he passes away weeks later from medically assisted suicide). Everything is going smoothly until after a heated discussion, Freud is undone by the immense pain from his sickness. The only other interruptions are the radio news bulletins from the BBC. It ends on an ironic note, as King George VI addresses the British people, telling them that “with God’s help” they would prevail over Germany.

Even though Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis probably never met in real life, St. Germain makes effective use of their writings and those of Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr.’s ‘The Question of God’ for this excellent meeting of the minds. It is not an attempt at conversion either way, just a civilized discussion of differing ideologies. Such discussions are often heated, but Freud and Lewis part as friends, not allowing their differences to go beyond points of view. Highlights include when Lewis tells Freud that history is filled with monsters, yet humanity survives and Freud counters by stating that humanity cannot survive without villains; and when Lewis gets defensive when Freud grills him about his book “The Pilgrim’s Regress” to which Freud responds “when you put your opinions to the public, expect the public to react.” Under the direction of David Rinear, it is relevant to today’s volatile society because it makes the point that it is possible to have differences of opinions without resorting to name calling and vicious vitriol. With strong performances by Deitrick and Stillwaggon, ‘Freud’s Last Session’ is recommended for audiences who appreciate smart debates and it is sure spark discussions about the topics mentioned. Definitely a must-see.