An Act of God by Emmy winning comedy writer David Javerbaum (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart) shows us God like we haven’t seen herbefore. Part of the Acts of Faith Festival, An Act of God brings God to the stage in the form of Richmond actress Maggie Bavolack so she can clear up and update some misconceptions in The Ten Commandments.
The show had its genesis in Javerbaum’s best-selling book The Last Testament: A Memoir of God and its accompanying Twitter feed.
In her approximately 70-minute ranting and musings, God concentrates on the Old Testament, showing us that she can be a bit temperamental and occasionally have an angry outburst. God realizes that some of her work might be outdated and that she needs to refresh some of her thoughts for mankind.
The show plays out as more of a stand-up routine than a play with God getting some sideline help from her two archangels – Michael (Kylie Clark) and Gabriel (Anne Michelle Forbes).
As billed, this show is irreverently reverend and some of the jokes, which are off-color at times, will make you squirm in your chair while others will make you chuckle out loud. It all depends on how you approach the show, hopefully with an open mind.
Bavolack does a superior job with a script that seems very – might I say, too wordy and sometimes excessive. The amount of dialogue she spurts out, often in a rapid manner is amazing and her comic timing hits the target.
Clark and Forbes help to move the comedy along. Clark interacts with the audience throughout the production and asks God some pretty pointed questions.
While the acting is strong and noteworthy, Javerbuam’s punch lines and observations fall flat and misfire in some instances and hit the mark in others.
An Act of God runs through March 23 at Richmond Triangle Players. The show is not suited for under eighteen. For showtimes and tickets, go here.
