An Act of God
by David Javerbaum
Directed by Edward Coffield
New Jewish Theatre
November 29, 2018
Cassidy Flynn, Alan Knoll, Amanda Wales
Photo by Eric Woolsey
New Jewish Theatre
It’s kind of like a cross between a late-night cable access show and a Netflix comedy special, but the host is God. An Act of God is New Jewish Theatre’s latest production, featuring a well-loved local actor and a lot of joking, philosophizing, and a whole lot of snark. It’s a short play, running a little over an hour with no intermission, and it succeeds mostly because of personality and attitude, although its philosophical musings range from the mildly thought-provoking to the “been there, heard that”.
The play is written by playwright, author, and television writer David Javerbaum, who is also responsible for the Twiter account @TheTweetofGod. If you’ve read his Twitter, you’ll have a fairly good idea of what this rendition of God, played by Alan Knoll, is going to say. The premise is that God has a message for the people of earth, and so he inhabits the body of “St. Louis theatre treasure” Knoll to give his presentation, assisted by two angels, Michael (Cassidy Flynn), and Gabriel (Amanda Wales). Apparently, the Supreme Being has decided that his original Ten Commandments are obsolete (or, at least, most of them are) and he’s now here to present a new, improved set for the modern world. I won’t give them all away, but they are accompanied by explanations and commentary, in which he provides an explanation, including revised take on well-known Bible stories and concepts, coming across largely as sometimes charming, sometimes witty, frequently snarky, and not a little bit vain, giving answers to age-old questions in a sometimes thought-provoking and sometimes smug way. Depending on your personal religious beliefs, this can range from funny to annoying, but one thing it definitely is is irreverent.
The play is most effective as a showcase for Knoll, who lends his strong, amiable stage presence to this larger-than-life, occasionally apologetic, more-than-occasionally confrontational and capricious portrayal of God. It’s an energetic, well-timed comic performance that makes the most of the material Knoll is given. He also has strong chemistry with his angels–the equally excellent Flynn as the increasingly challenging and questioning Michael, who fields questions from the audience (sort of), and Wales as the devoted, more childlike Gabriel, who reads the Bible passages as needed. They’re performing on a well-realized set by Josh Smith that resembles the brick-wall-backed stage of a comedy club, and they’re whimsically outfitted by costume designer Michele Friedman Siler. The lighting by Josh Smith, sound by Amanda Were, and projection design by Michael Perkins also support the production well, helping to create and maintain the irreverent, comedy-club type atmosphere. There are even some tables in the front where audience members can sit.
An Act of God is not for everyone, but it’s an excellent showcase for its leading performer. It’s a funny, sometimes crass, sometimes confrontational exploration of the way God and religion has been viewed, and sometimes twisted, over the years. Depending on your own personal views, that challenge can be seen as incisive, simplistic, or incomplete, but it’s certainly not boring. It’s not exactly divine, but it’s comedy, with a strong personality at its heart.
Alan Knoll
Photo by Eric Woolsey
New Jewish Theatre
New Jewish Theatre is presenting An Act of God at the Marvin & Harlene Wool Studio Theatre at the JCC’s Staenberg Family Complex until December 16, 2018
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