The Fundamentalist
Written by Juha Jokela, Directed by Jason Beckmann
Presented by The Scandinavian American Theater Company
Theater Lab at 357 W 36th St, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10018
March 13-16, 2025
As I sat in the white-washed room on the 4th floor, I turned my head to the far wall. It was covered with tinted pages torn out of books. The kind of paper that turns brown over time, popping faint color into the room. Printed pages had sections highlighted in yellow. Someone was searching for something.
When we were addressed directly by our storyteller, my fellow audience members and I listened with open ears and intense stillness. Little did we know, we would become a character in his story. He was the one searching. We quickly found out what he was searching for. It was something we all presently and always will desire. Truth.
But what is Truth? How can you tell the difference between fact and fiction, especially when it comes down to one scripture people have been reading and interpreting for thousands of years?
Can there be more than one truth? Does truth push our belief or does our belief prove our version of truth? Is there even such a thing as an objective truth? These are the philosophical questions at the center of The Fundamentalist.
I can see why The Fundamentalist won the 2008 Nordic Drama Award. In the Finnish play (translated to English by Eva Buchwald), the story of Markus and Heidi dives deep into human intellectualization of emotions, belief, and their effect on our thoughts and well-being.
It shows how we as humans justify our emotions with intellect — or what we believe — are facts. The play conveys how desperately we want to grab and hold onto things, even if they’re the catalysts to our hurt and downfall. It touches upon the qualities and tendencies that make us imperfectly (or perfectly, depending on your perspective) human.
I felt deeply connected to Juha Jokela’s play, regardless of my religious beliefs. What’s unique about this play is that it displays the multiple points of view surrounding the debate of what is morally right and wrong in every faith.
Should points of view even be considered? Heidi (played by Claudia Godi) certainly doesn’t think so, as she tries to convert Markus (played by John Hickok) to her religion. Meanwhile, she’s not dishing out the very consideration and open-mindedness she so desires from Markus.
That raises another question. What is the message of religion? It’s supposed to make us feel safe, comforted, and part of a community. Alongside the word Truth, I wrote down this word multiple times in my notes: Love. Love is the message, but there are layers to Heidi and Markus’s individual relationships with faith. Love includes consideration and open-mindedness.
Under the direction of Jason Beckmann, The Fundamentalist is a true testament to the multifaceted and polarizing nature of faith and its role in our individual lives. Nothing is black or white, right or wrong. It’s a layered, tinted mess of gray, and our lives are spent searching through its tinted pages for the truth.
The Fundamentalist is running until March 16th, 2025. Get your tickets at the link below to see this profoundly exquisite display of human complexity that’s both entertaining and thought provoking.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Amanda Montoni
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on March 14th, 2025. All rights reserved.