It’s September, 1939. England has just declared war on Germany. Inside Sigmund Freud’s London refuge (nicely dressed by Mark Lund), he’s invited the rising young Christian intellectual C.S. Lewis (Matt Shimkus) to tea. The dying Freud (Nolan Palmer) is an atheist with an urgent agenda to settle the God issue, which somewhat forcibly leads to philosophical scrimmaging. None of which actually happened, but Mark St. Germain’s play is one of those imagined encounters between famous historical figures–a gimmick, but not a bad one. Wearing a bearded poker face for much of the talky play, Palmer plausibly incarnates a doctor whose habitual blank-screen demeanor—maintained for his for his patients’ projections—is now leaking witty bits of id. Shimkus’ Lewis, healthy and glib, has far less skin in the debate; he’s more like an athlete on God’s team who just enjoys sparring. Still, it’s cartoonish fun to watch him hoist his fallen jaw after some of Freud’s more outlandish pronouncements. In this two-man verbal contest, director Scott Nolte has his combatants perambulate, recline on the couch, and rearrange the props—anything to animate the discourse. As a play, it doesn’t really work for me. As an inventory of arguments laced with character-revealing humor, however, Freud’s Last Session succeeds. MARGARET FRIEDMAN [See Margaret’s full review.] Extended through April 28.

Wednesdays-Saturdays. Starts: March 21. Continues through April 28, 2012