The author of the text, Lucas Hnath, took a huge risk with the release of the play, but the bet proved to be a winner: the text was immediately staged, and the performance was awarded since 2016. Radu Iacoban also took a huge risk with the national premiere of the play in Romania. From a sociological point of view, Romanian society is among the most conservative in Europe, and religious principles play a major role in defining this conservatism. Breaking out of mental patterns can often generate intolerance and all kinds of extremism, resulting in real individual and collective dramas. Pastor Paul's sermon, apparently a dialogue with his parishioners, can be a cold shower for many Romanian viewers, which is understandable, because the agnostic communist regime left deep traces in the attitude towards religion in general, but especially towards the free/uncensored expression of one's own religion/belief or religious attitude. The regimentation in behavioral patterns and clichés so well cultivated by the totalitarian regime creates reservations/abstentions towards participating in a religious service specific to a rite other than one's own, and the word "sermon" accentuates suspicion. The gospel interpreted surprisingly well (in the sense that it respected all the canons of the genre) by Richard Balint  – Pastor Paul, together with his parishioners, introduces the audience to the atmosphere of a Sunday service somewhere in America. The cheerful, relaxed, even slightly euphoric attitude of the participants in the usual Sunday liturgy is inconsistent with the patterns of an Orthodox Christian service, which may irritate some spectators (who may even accuse the author of the text, but also those who dared to stage it, of blasphemy) or, on the contrary, may arouse laughter from others (as happened, in fact). Both reactions are part of the audience's adaptation process to a subject that was until recently taboo in Romanian society: life after death and where we end up (with our bodies or souls, or, why not, with both).

But, beyond Pastor Paul's courage to deny the existence of Hell, the common thread of the cleric's inner dialogue, who has reached the age of full intellectual maturity, is the "insurmountable distance" he felt at crucial moments in his life: the distance (which becomes unbearable) from his future wife, whom he meets on a plane, from Brother Joshua, who does not accept the pastor's "revolution", but also from Sister Jenny, who vehemently expresses her dissatisfaction with the departure from the religious daily routine of her own pastor - spiritual guide, but also layman at the same time. The loss of landmarks (by affirming the existence of only Heaven, not Hell) leads to the rapid loss of support from the Church Council, and Brother Jay (a composition role well managed by the experienced Petre Ghimbasan), his spokesman, will be blunt: denying his own heresy is the only chance for Pastor Paul, otherwise there can be no question of any kind of support, including financial. The wife's audacity to affirm the existence of Hell in a more than categorical manner will make the pastor reach the critical point of his own existential crisis.

The minimalist decor, not coincidentally white, the video graphics, but also the play of light reactivate for the viewer a series of symbols covered by the dust of the so-called socialization and the "values" with which he is assaulted by the media. It almost doesn't matter whether or not Pastor Paul will find a solution to the existential crisis that has erupted out of nowhere. For Lucas Hnath, it is much more important that the viewer becomes aware of their own insurmountable distances from their own conscience and from their fellow human beings. Radu Iacoban he understood this very well (perhaps because he also translated the text), as evidenced by the very careful dosing of phrasing and gestures by the actors and the interaction with the audience, among whom they descended several times. Richard Balint confirms his talent once again (the experience allowed him to dialogue with the audience, to juggle the naughty microphones that leave you when you're in the mood, and also to "fight" with a naughty fly), but the success of the show is the result of teamwork.

We are delighted with his courage. Radu Iacoban to stage such a sensitive subject, we are happy with his directorial conception, we are happy that the hall was full, we are happy that there were many young spectators (we hope that the small technical imperfections, especially those related to the sound, will be remedied in future stagings). We are waiting for other equally inspired proposals from Radu Iacoban.