Are you Priest Enough?, Artpoint

Are You Priest Enough? is the biggest "pleasant surprise" of the Fringe thus far.  I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. 

Playwright and performer Bob Legare draws on his own experiences in the seminary to put together a 60-minute show that explores if he, as a priest-in-training, is really prepared to take his final vows and all they entail.  The vow of celibacy looms particularly large.  Legare portrays a very realistic situation:  a young man uncertain of his career path.  Even though he's studying to be a priest, he has doubts if he's suited to be a man of the cloth, and he's certainly not "holier-than-thou" about anything. 

There are a few silly little songs throughout, and lots of Catholic jokes along the way, but the show doesn't lose its focus.  Are You Priest Enough? does not ignore some of the controversy surrounding the Catholic church, but it does not dwell on it, either.  Yes, the despicable head of child abuse makes an appearance, but the point is also raised that, along with the bad, there are many people in the church doing good. 

Could the production, and the acting stand a little more professional polish?  Yes. But I found the play engaging nonetheless.  Most of all, I walked away feeling I had gotten a rare glimpse into a mysterious world very few ever see.

-Kathleen Renne