The Busy World is Hushed

Erin and I went to this play (The Busy World is Hushed by Keith Bunin) last week because I got free tickets from work. I didn't know anything about it, except that Jill Clayburgh is in it, and I like her. It turns out her co-stars are two very cute boys (Hamish Linklater & Luke McFarlane), so that was a bonus. It's a play about a minister who's hired a young writer to help her write a book about a newly discovered Gospel (perhaps the earliest), and whose son is staying with her for a short time to try to find out more about his father who may or may not have committed suicide before he was born. Brandt (Linklater), the writer, wrestles with the fact that his father is dying, and tries to determine what kind of faith he has in God, and Thomas (McFarlane), rails against his mother's faith while simultaneously trying to absorb his father's through old, note filled Bibles that his father has left behind. Brandt and Thomas fall in love, and things seem to be going well until Thomas realizes that his mother approves of the match, and then he runs off, leaving Brandt to deal with his father's death alone unless he will accept the minister's comfort.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable play, and I thought there were some really great, thought provoking scenes, but Thomas was a problem for me. In the climax, he tells his mother she has to choose between faith in God, or her son. I found this ultimatum ridiculous and over the top, which would have been fine if one of the other characters called him on it, but they don't. The final scene (the minister and Brandt at his father's funeral), gives no resolution whatsoever. I understand that some plays are better served this way; leaving the audience to think about it themselves, but I felt it was unfair of Bunin to bring up so many issues about the nature of faith and Christ, and then leave us hanging without at least an opinion of his own to offer.