Probably the hardest working actor on and off Broadway, Reed Birney, (Ken) helms this production and is basically whom the entire show revolves around Ken and his mid-life religious crisis. Kathleen Peirce (Cammie Carpenter) is his devoutly religious wife who is left to deal with the fallout. It was not lost on me that Ken was from dead-center America where religion is much more central to the lives of people. Ken meets Harry Brown , the brilliant Max Gordon Moore and Tamyra, the lovely Nana Mensah. It also did not get lost on me that in his mid-life crisis he flew the coop to London - a city that could not be more different than Nebraska. Mr. Letts seemed to be hinting at these disparities in quite a bit of the dialogue - (Ken: "I lost my faith", Tamyra: "They throw you Yanks out for that these days?").
Part blistering critique of religion and America, part human condition, Mr. Letts shows us what happens when man questions long held beliefs as provincial and narrow as they might seem. He may or may not find something more satisfying out there. He may come back. Or maybe he won't. Despite the rather hum-drum and depressing Nebraska life that Ken leads, we do find that he is able to expand his horizons if even for a brief period.
Frankly Mr. Letts' play doesn't really answer the question it merely scratches the surface and explores the topic. If you are looking for definitive answers you won't find them here.
Adam Rapp has penned a tense, emotional, and darkly brilliant work that recently debuted at 
quiet introspection, hesitation and curiosity. You soon learn that his overt actions say "i don't care", while his covert actions, body language, and emotions suggest otherwise. Rapp infuses comedy at the most appropriate points. He even takes a unique opportunity to poke fun at theatre audiences and standing ovations. Very clever, Adam. And very well received by the audience. I did wonder how the audience sitting on the far left got to see the very funny opening scene. I'll leave it at that.