First, let me tell you what The Saviors—set in a Catholic Church and involving two altar boys—is not about: It’s not about a predatory priest or an inappropriate/illegal relationship of any kind.
The intimate, semiautobiographical second play from Bubba Weiler, who burst onto the scene in 2025 with the quietly devastating Well, I’ll Let You Go, is about something far more surprising: how two teenage boys make sense of their faith and their friendship, which seem inextricably entwined. Paul (Julius Rinzel) is 14, and Michael (Ivan Howe) is 13, and here’s the brilliant thing about the Jack Serio–directed production: Both roles are played by, as Weiler’s script dictates, “age-authentic actors.” And in a meant-to-be twist, The Saviors is playing at The Atlantic Theater, formerly the parish house for St. Peter’s Church. (Incidentally, David Zinn’s set design, from the crucifix to the statues to the baptismal font, could not be more accurate.)
When we first meet Paul and Michael, they’re talking about saints, and as any Catholic—lapsed, devout, or C&E—knows, that means they’re choosing confirmation names. (For the uninitiated: The idea is to choose a name of a particularly inspirational saint. It’s a pretty fun project; if you went to Catholic school, it’s probably the most creative thing you ever did in religion class.) Michael is talking up Saint George, likely because he was tortured with hot lead, lacerated on a wheel of swords (“which actually I’m not really sure what that means—but you know—probably super painful,” he says), whipped, punctured by nails, pierced by arrows, and, eventually, beheaded. “Why do you like all the saints with horrible deaths?” Paul asks. Michael sighs: “That’s like all the saints. Have you been researching at all?”
[Read Michael Sommers’ ★★★★☆ review here.]
Alas, Paul has not been brushing up on his saints—our first sign that his faith might not be as strong as his friend’s. His actions, however, prove otherwise, when a stranger (Stanley Simons) unexpectedly enters the church seeking solace as well as refuge from the cold. Paul suspects the man doesn’t have a home—“There’s a shelter across the highway,” Michael interjects—and tells him he can stay in the church. Later, he returns with foil-wrapped sandwiches, Cheetos, and juice boxes. Matthew 25:35: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Paul’s absence at youth group—which consists of one member, Michael, plus the overeager leader, Judy (Crystal Finn, perfectly cast as the exhausted but enthusiastic parish helper)—puzzles Michael, but nothing bewilders him more than his BFF’s sudden declaration that he doesn’t believe in God. “You’re just going through a time of doubt which is like, totally normal,” insists Michael, who’s sure that Paul will “probably believe in God tomorrow.” Is he worried that Paul has lost his way? Or is he worried that he’s lost a friend? “I shouldn’t have to believe in God to be your friend,” Paul tells him later.
Judy will go through her own crisis of faith, but Weiler is more concerned with where Paul and Michael are headed. (Perhaps it’s because he wrote The Saviors, which he has said is set in his hometown parish, when he was 19.) He hints, but doesn’t make any grand proclamations—a wise choice, considering the subjects. Could any of us have looked at our 13- or 14-year-old selves, and predicted what we’d believe?
The Saviors opened July 27, 2026, at The Atlantic Theater and runs through Aug. 15. Tickets and information: atlantictheater.org
