Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that, whether you’re currently in a relationship or not, tends to make you pause and think about the status of your love life. With the big day just a little over two weeks away, the Good Theater has decided to forego doing a sappy romantic comedy, instead staging the Maine premiere of the recent Broadway success “Next Fall.”

Most people would agree that relationships are challenging, no matter who you are, or what kind of relationship you are trying to forge. When it comes to matters of the heart, things get even trickier. That said, what would happen if two men — one a devout Christian, and the other an unwavering non-believer — tried to make a go of it?

In “Next Fall,” playwright Geoffrey Nauffts takes the audience on an emotional journey that explores the impact religion can have on a relationship, and what that could mean for a gay couple.

The audience is thrust into the storyline mid-stream, unsure who the characters are, and exactly why they are gathered in the waiting room of a Jewish hospital. Through a series of flashbacks that leap forward and backward in time, the missing pieces begin falling into place, and Luke (Joe Bearor) and Adam’s (Rob Cameron) complex story slowly unfolds.

The pair first met five years prior at a party thrown by Adam’s friend Holly (Abigail Killeen). It’s a party for Overeaters Anonymous, Holly’s most recent interest, despite the fact she is not overweight.

Luke, who is working as a waiter at the party, comes to Adam’s aid when Adam, an incurable hypochondriac, thinks he’s having a heart attack. The audience learns that Luke, a man in his late 20s, is a fledgling actor, and Adam, age 40, is in the throes of a mid-life crisis.

As the scene winds to a close, Adam decides to quit his job as a candle salesman at Holly’s shop, hoping to kick-start his thus-far disappointing life.

Luke had invited Adam to see him perform in an upcoming play. When the story flashes to the past, again, it’s the morning after a performance and Luke is cooking breakfast at Adam’s apartment.

While they are eating, Adam discovers Luke believes strongly in God and the ideology that all who believe in God, and ask for his forgiveness, will go to heaven, regardless of their deeds. Adam also learns that Luke believes their lifestyle is a sin that requires daily atonement. The first of many heated, controversial arguments ensues.

Nauffts provides in-depth character development of not just Luke and Adam, but also of Holly, Luke’s friend Brandon (Matt Delamater) and Luke’s parents, Butch (Tony Reilly) and Arlene (Moira Driscoll). He makes the audience care for the characters and ultimately feel their pain.

It would do the play an injustice to reveal more of the storyline. Let’s just say you might want to consider having a box of tissues handy for this one.

Director Brian P. Allen has chosen a superb cast of actors who really know how to deliver one heck of an emotional punch that leaves your stomach in knots. And, if you do manage to stave off the waterworks, one look at the mottled, tear-streaked faces of the actors at the end could rattle the composure of even the most stoic of audience members.

April Boyle is a freelance writer from Casco.  She can be contacted at: aprilhboyle@yahoo.com.