Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Wild Rice (styled W!ld Rice) recently staged The Christians, written by Lucas Hnath. The play ran from 9 April to 2 May 2026 at Wild Rice’s Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre in Singapore.
The Christians tells the story of Pastor Paul (Shane Mardjuki) who has a sudden radical shift in his take on Christian ideology, and the resulting tension that arises within the church and its congregation.
Photo by Ruey Loon
Director Glen Goei creatively transformed the theatre space into a megachurch where the audience found themselves congregants of this religious order, thereby giving us a truly immersive experience. With Pastor Paul and his wife Elizabeth (Oon Shu An) greeting the audience upon entering, and then Pastor Paul directly preaching to us, followed by the choir’s beautiful singing aimed at the audience, this critic noticed a couple in the audience who actually closed their eyes and lifted their hands in prayer. The line between make-believe and reality had blurred, if only for a moment.
In one scene, an audience member seated just in front of me had an opened Bible in her lap. Did she really think this was a Christian service? I wondered. As it turned out, she was a member of Pastor Paul’s flock – from the “real” church assembly in the play, in other words, an actor (Zee Wong). It was thrilling to be pulled into the play in such a way, as Goei managed to have the audience effectively straddle both worlds: as part of the play and as onlookers/audience too.
Shane Mardjuki and Zee Wong (Photo by Ruey Loon)
Having said that, the play itself felt draggy and its length could’ve been shortened drastically to keep it tight, succinct and dramatic.
However, this play is a rare find in that it presents all sides to the conundrum of, basically, how to get to heaven. Playwright Hnath doesn’t lean more toward one side over the other, and thereby presents a very objective approach to the matter.
I’m sure this production gave plenty of food for thought to audience members who are fervent Christian believers, those who are nonbelievers, and the unsure people in between.
