'Next Fall' questions love, God and hospital visitation rights

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"Next Fall" pulls no punches as it asks tough questions of love, God and hospital visitation rights. The show is a 2010 Tony Award nominee by playwright Geoffry Nauffts, put on in Portland by Triangle Productions.

(David Kinder)

Don Horn is no stranger to hospitals. His son fell into a coma for 46 days after a car crash in Guam, and doctors debated whether to pull the plug. Don was able to see his son, and helped convince the hospital to keep him alive, but some people aren't so lucky. Some rush to see their loved ones in the hospital, only to get stopped at the front desk.

That problem is the underlying issue in

that Horn is putting on through

. The show deals with love, family, religion and politics, but it's all set off when a man isn't allowed to see his partner, who is in a coma at the hospital.

Adam rushes to the hospital to be by Luke's side, but instead he runs into the family-only policy -- and subsequently into Adam's family. As Luke lies comatose, the show flashes back to his life with his family and with his partner. And while Adam's devotion is on display at a time of crisis, we learn that the relationship wasn't always easy.

Religion is a sticking point for the two, and that's a predominant theme in the show. Triangle's tagline for "Next Fall" is "Adam loves Luke. Luke loves God." That conflict comes early in their relationship when Luke prays over breakfast, much to Adam's concern, the morning after they sleep together for the first time.

"I think some of the religious people might not like some of the aspects of the show," Horn says. "I think some people are going to think, 'You can be gay and religious too?'"

Like any good drama, "Next Fall" asks tough questions. It asks who your family really is and what living a full life means. With hospital visitation a hot-button issue among gay couples who can't get married in most of the U.S., it's also a timely discussion.

But you don't have to be gay to relate. "It could be anybody," Don explains. "The question is what would you do in this situation, what would you do if it happened to you?" That's a question not easily answered in "Next Fall," which he assures pulls no punches in the struggle to find peace of mind.

"We have questions that are going to come to us someday and we have to answer them," Don says, and he knows from experience that those questions are tough. "What do you do when a life is at stake?"

--Jamie Hale

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"NEXT FALL"

When: March 13 to April 6

Where: The Sanctuary, 1785 N.E. Sandy Blvd.

Tickets: $15 to $35, buy online or call 503-239-5919

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