Review Roundup: AN ACT OF GOD, Starring Sean Hayes, Opens in L.A.

The hit Broadway comedy AN ACT OF GOD, starring Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes, officially opened last night, February 10, at Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, for a limited six-week engagement through Sunday, March 13.

Written by God, transcribed by 13-time Emmy Award winner David Javerbaum and directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, AN ACT OF GOD premiered on Broadway last summer.

Joining Hayes onstage in Los Angeles are David Josefsberg (as Michael) and James Gleason (as Gabriel).

God takes the form of Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes in AN ACT OF GOD, the sinfully funny and critically acclaimed new play where God and His devoted angels answer some of the deepest questions that have plagued mankind since Creation... in just 90 minutes! He's finally arrived to set the record straight... and He's not holding back!

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld: Playwright David Javerbaum...knows all too well how to get a laugh or two, so Hayes injects his blase, carefree personality into God to great effect...Javerbaum rewrote his play for the City of the Angels, showing God's attraction to Hollywood and celebrities...Under Joe Mantello's sturdy hand, Hayes is hilarious as he fills the gaps with reckless abandon on just about every topic from soup to nuts, including his own infallibility. Gleason and Josefsberg are both sterling actors and do their best as second bananas.

Bob Verini, Variety: Ash Wednesday, the Christian calendar's annual reminder of life's transitory nature, seems a provocative choice for unveiling "An Act of God" at the Ahmanson. But if offense was intended, none need be taken. Faithful and nonbelievers alike should find pleasure, and even food for thought, in the Supreme Being's admonitions, insights and sheer gags as transcribed by David Javerbaum and presented by Sean Hayes under Joe Mantello's direction. If you're anything like the opening night audience, you'll laugh your ash off.

Thom Geier, TheWrap: ...Hayes approaches his divine role with a kind of intelligent petulance that only occasionally verges on shtick, bouncing on his banquette center stage and mugging for some unseen camera. His God can be a bit of a brat, an unapologetic narcissist not unlike Jack from "Will & Grace"...It helps that Joe Mantello directed both productions and that the script, by "Daily Show" alum David Javerbaum based on his book and Twitter feed, is very funny indeed, with a higher proportion of punchline hits to misses than you might expect of a routine built on studied irreverence..."An Act of God" has been updated since its run last summer, with fresh references to El Nino traffic, Donald Trump and even a post-Iowa caucus Ted Cruz...But the most pointed targets may be the ones that hit close to home in Hollywood. Kanye, Justin Bieber and Matthew McConaughey each get their turn in the celestial hot seat.

Check back for updates!

Photo Credit: Jim Cox

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