Outbreak of World War II, the Debate Freud Sparked... Premiere of the Play 'The Last Session'

'Provocative Debate on New Religions' Opens July 10 at Daehangno YES24 Stage 3

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The two-person play "Last Session" (original title: Freud's Last Session), based on the imagination of a debate between Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, and C.S. Lewis, the author of the novel "The Chronicles of Narnia," who meet on September 3, 1939, when Britain declared all-out war against Germany and entered World War II, will open this July.

"Last Session" is a work written by American playwright Mark St. Germain, inspired by Armand M. Nicholi Jr.'s book "Lewis vs. Freud (THE QUESTION OF GOD)".

St. Germain brings Freud and Lewis, who never actually met, onto the stage to provoke a discussion about God and religion. Freud, known as the touchstone of 20th-century atheism, and Lewis, a representative Christian apologist, fiercely and wittily debate without concession on questions about God, the meaning of life and death, human desire, and suffering.

"Last Session" premiered in 2009 at the Barrington Stage Company. After a successful New York premiere in 2010, it ran for a total of 775 performances over two years off-Broadway, winning the 2011 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play. Since then, it has been performed across the United States as well as in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Japan, and other countries, receiving great love from audiences worldwide. This is its first performance in Korea.

From the top left clockwise: Shingu, Nam Myeong-ryeol, Lee Sang-yoon, Lee Seok-jun
[Photo by Park Company]

Shin Goo and Nam Myung-ryul are double-cast as Freud. Shin Goo expressed special feelings about this performance, saying, "I don't know when I will encounter such a work again in my lifetime," and "This might be the last challenge of my life."

Nam Myung-ryul showed his presence last year in plays such as "Burnt Love," "Alibi Chronicles," and "Oedipus," and recently appeared as Chairman Yang Taeyang in the tvN drama "Hospital Playlist."

Actors Lee Seok-jun and Lee Sang-yoon will play Lewis, the author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" and a professor of English literature. Lee Seok-jun has shown steady performances on various stages including "Equus," "Elephant Song," and "Story of My Life." Lee Sang-yoon is formally challenging the theater stage through this work. He only had one previous theater experience last year, performing in the charity show "Almost, Maine" with fellow actors.

The play "Last Session," which promises the passionate encounter of two intellectuals who presented the longest-lasting debates in history about theism and atheism, will open its Korean premiere on July 10 at Yes24 Stage 3 in Daehak-ro. The first ticket release will be held on June 11 at 2 PM through Interpark and Yes24.