‘Sons of Prophet’ adroitly sheds wry light on misfortune

Everybody hurts sometimes, but “Sons of the Prophet” is a whipsmart reminder that human suffering is hardly distributed evenly. And it’s not just individual choices or broad social forces that make the difference. There’s also the matter of sheer dumb luck.

One of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year, Stephen Karam’s dark comedy is onstage in an Arizona premiere by Stray Cat Theatre. Artistic director Ron May clearly has an affinity for this playwright’s wry sensibility, because like two earlier hits by Karam, “Sons of the Prophet” is a powerhouse production, combining the biting humor of “Speech & Debate” with the wrenching humanity of “columbinus.”

For “Prophet’s” protagonist, a 29-year-old Lebanese-American named Joseph (Ian Christiansen), the Wheel of Fortune is taking a dizzying downward spin. A long-distance runner, he has seen his Olympic dreams dashed by a mys-

These three performances are all intensely funny but also convincingly natural, which is exactly what Karam’s play needs to avoid careening into the realm of the ridiculous. This is, after all, a comedy about the cosmic mystery of misfortune — and the individual challenge of how to deal with it.

One answer is offered by Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese-American poet whose famous book “The Prophet” gives the play its title. He counseled a Zen-like acceptance in his mantra “all is well,” but that’s cold comfort to Joseph, who sees in this spiritual philosophy only surrender. Yet in the end he does find a kind of peace, at least temporarily.

As for the rest of us, Karam offers another tried-and-true remedy to the problem of suffering. In the long run, laughter might not be just the best medicine, but the only medicine.