The fact that playwright Samm-Art Williams died just as the revival of his play Home began performances at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Todd Haimes Theatre is made all the more poignant by the play’s text. Home feels like a confessional, like protagonist Cephus Miles (Tory Kittles) is recounting his life before death as spiritual guides assess his piety and worthiness. Unfortunately for Cephus, he has long expressed the belief that God is on vacation, perhaps lounging in Miami, ignoring him when he calls.

Home is carried by two women forming their own small Greek chorus, embodying specific characters as well as the more ambiguous spirits in Cephus’s head. Brittany Inge alternates between a narrator and Pattie Mae Wells, Cephus’s first and only love, while Stori Ayers uses great physical and vocal versatility to inhabit a vast range of characters. Home is a fast-talking thrill of 90 minutes, bolstered by the breath support of the cast and the steerage of voice coach Kate Wilson.

Scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado’s cornfields help us feel rightfully at home in Cross Roads, North Carolina, but Home stalls in its middle third as Cephus struggles through city life and is tempted by women and alcohol. (Ayers’s turn as temptress Myrna is a bright spot in this sequence and further shows off her vocal prowess as she croons, “Where there’s no money, there can be no love.”)

This sense of alienation is perhaps intentional, mirroring how Cephus feels, but director Kenny Leon’s production still must bargain for the audience’s attention. Cephus’s return to Cross Roads — to his roots, and to the beautiful simplicity of Maldonado’s earlier set — is a balm not just for the character, but for us all.