Canadian playwright David Gow wrote his disturbing and intriguing “Cherry Docs” nearly 30 years ago, exploring how and why people turn to hate and racism. Sadly, it may be more timely today than it was when it premiered in 1998 and even since it was first seen in Sarasota at Florida Studio Theatre just seven years ago.

Sarasota Jewish Theatre closes its 2025-26 season with a new production of “Cherry Docs” amid the rise of antisemitism that forces the theater to hire extra security for each performance, including the final preview I attended April 8.

The play is not always easy to watch – mostly for its subject matter and partly for its structure – but it features two fine performances that draw you into the lives of two vastly different people.

Michael Raver, who has been a standout for the company in the last few years, returns as Danny Dunkleman, a Jewish lawyer assigned to defend the equally impressive Jim Floyd as Mike Downey, a white supremacist accused in the racially triggered beating of a man who died from his injuries.

They are a study in contrasts, and Raver’s Danny initially resents having to defend someone he can’t stand or understand. He comes to their first meeting almost fuming, taunting, demanding and setting contradictory expectations that Mike can’t easily follow for his own defense.

In that first meeting, Floyd plays up Mike’s condescending attitude and snarky demeanor, tinged with regretful acceptance that he needs this Jewish man to help him. “In an ideal world I’d see you eliminated,” Mike tells him with a sharp tone that softens when he adds, “In this world, I need you more than anyone.”

The months of preparation and the unseen trial create stress for both men. At times you wonder if Danny is trying to sabotage the case, telling Mike at one moment he must answer questions briefly and then demanding he go deeper. At others, it feels like their meetings are more like therapy sessions. All the while, Mike spends his time in solitary confinement and we see the toll that has on his mental stability. Jail authorities consider it too dangerous to have someone like him mixed in with the general population.

The play has a somewhat choppy structure with monologues for each man to reveal something about himself, followed by one of their tense, angry trial prep meetings. Danny talks about his background, his Jewish heritage, his wife and his love of the law. We also learn about Mike’s growing frustration with how white men are being held back or left behind as society tries to provide greater opportunities for minority groups.

Over the course of their several months together, we see a shift. Mike begins to see a need to change his attitude (partly to avoid a life behind bars in solitary), just as Danny becomes more unhinged, having violent reactions to minor incidents involving minorities. This from a man who initially lavishes praise on his culturally diverse Toronto neighborhood.

Director Diane Cepeda works well within the play’s sometimes awkward structure to give it a pulse, which quickens and subsides, depending on how the latest events play out. Raver and Floyd work beautifully together, one becoming more grounded as the other loses his place in the world. And somehow they make you care for people and situations that would normally terrify and disgust you. They allow us to see how easy it is to become twisted by events and others, a subject always worth exploration.

‘Cherry Docs’ by David Gow. Directed by Diane Cepeda. Presented by Sarasota Jewish Theatre at the Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Suite 1130. Reviewed April 8. Through April 19. Tickets are $44-$50, $19 for students. sarasotajewishtheatre.com; 941-365-2494