The Great God Pan is a terrible and wonderful new play written by Amy Herzog.  It is terrible in that it tells the story of a young man who finds out he may have been sexually exploited as a young child. However, it is wonderful in that the discovery of this and the emotional journey that Jamie (Jeremy Strong) goes through is so wonderfully acted and scripted.

Over the course of the play Jamie plays out an inner battle with himself about the unrealistic nature of the allegations and the fact that past actions can’t have any effect on him now against the growing evidence to the contrary. Although horrible to witness, Jamie’s slow acceptance of what the truth really is and how he can deal with it is wonderful to watch. Jeremy strong gives a delightful performance and truly gets into the psyche of this complex character.

No less important is the subplot between Jamie and his long time girlfriend Paige (Sarah Goldberg) involving her unplanned pregnancy. The interactions between these two seem so real, the constant and loving bickering of a couple. Paige’s interactions with a young girl, Polly (Joyce Van Patten), who she is a helping recover from an eating disorder is also wonderful to watch. This smaller divergence from the plot on whole mirrors the relationship and issues that Paige’s has with Jeremy, providing a unique insight into both sides of the story.

The acting is wonderful to watch; but the set design is no less wonderful. A wall with forest images on it serves as a backdrop for the unused space on stage, yet also can pull back and push out from different laces to create dining tables, offices and homes all in the negative space of the wall. This unity in the set ties the play together and makes the transitions between scenes smoother, resulting in a play that does not stop and start but tells a continuous narrative start to finish.

The end of the play is a supreme example of Carolyn Cantor’s amazing direction, as Jamie’s inner battle comes to a head in an emotional scene with Frank (Keith Nobbs), his childhood friend. As the play comes together and to a close, both the story of Paige’s pregnancy, Polly’s disorder, the future of Jamie and Paige’s lives together and of course the issue of Jamie being molested all come to a neat and satisfying conclusion with a spectacular sudden ending.

Image source: Playwrights Horizons