Khmbrly Howard's new play at African Globe Theatreworks in Newark tells of Ruthy, a religious woman who married Larry, the son of a preacher man. But Larry isn't religious, which estranged him from his father. He, in fact, excommunicated Larry in front of the entire congregation.

Ruthy would still like to see them get together, partly because she's pretty religious too. Her do-unto-others charity gets her in trouble, though. When her old friend Brenda needs a place to stay, Ruthy allows her to live with them, despite Larry's objections.

If you're anticipating that Larry and Brenda start an affair, thank the Lord, no. Howard is too good a playwright to succumb to that temptation.

But she does have Ruthy succumb to Brenda's temptation - to join her New Age religion. Larry is quite upset that Ruthy can be so easily influenced by Brenda, and that leads to many a confrontation. Eventually Ruthy is coerced to choose between her man and her new religion. She does.

The theme of whether or not we should mortgage our happiness on earth in exchange for a promise of heaven is a good one. But there are many moments in "Ruthy" that will make you scratch your head and say, "What was the playwright thinking?" For example, when Larry's father comes to visit, he tells his son that he's only got a short time to live, and that he wants Larry to take over his church. Granted, a dying father is entitled to a wish, but would a man who's devoted 45 years to building a church entrust it to an atheist? He may be dying, but he's not delusional.

Howard, though, does give Larry a number of potent arguments against his father, and here's where actor Reginald James really takes control. "You gave more time to the Holy Tabernacle than you gave me," he roars. But he's only getting started. "I feel like a little boy in church. I'm only a man when I'm not in it." Here, and in all his other speeches, James shows not just star potential, but also super-star potential.

And yet, James shows he's a very good actor even when he doesn't have a line of dialogue at his disposal. As it turned out, I was sitting in the second row on the left hand side - not knowing that the second act would open with a scene in a church. Director James Lemon decided to have Brenda, Ruthy, and Larry sit in the front row, just inches away from me. And while Rev. Jones (wonderfully played by Junius R. Hughes) ranted and raved about his new religion, as Brenda yelled her approval, James didn't just sit there. I could see his inner wheels turning. He listened. Dissected. Tried to be open-minded, before finally coming to the conclusion that it was all spinach. He was really in the moment.

So it's Reginald James' night. But two others in Lemon's cast are strong, too. As Brenda, Toni Stanton really pours her heart into her religious fervor (and her anger in the scenes where she recalls her old boyfriend). Roxann Blackman gives a tender and well-thought out performance as Ruthy.

But Reginald James makes you think that "Ruthy" should be called "Larry."