Review: AN ACT OF GOD at Signature Theatre

All day long the people of Earth bang on incessantly about God's grand plan. Well, hate to break it you world, but God doesn't really care about you. The Lord God is "a jealous, petty, sexist, racist, mass-murdering narcissist" - his words, not mine.

Last Friday, God made himself known to the people of Shirlington at Signature Theatre in the form of DC actor Tom Story. Written by God and transcribed by David Javerbaum, the former head writer of The Daily Show and creator of @TheTweetofGod, An Act of God debuted on Broadway in 2015 before making its way to Signature Theatre.

Flamboyant and psychotic, Story's God is spot on. A devilish smile sets the tone for the entire performance.

Accompanied onstage by the Archangels Michael (Evan Casey) and Gabriel (Jamie Smithson), God revealed a new Ten Commandments, which frankly make a lot more sense than the old Ten Commandments. And I knew it! I swear I did! God really doesn't care whom you have sex with. So sayeth his Commandments. Adam and Steve were doing just fine before Eve showed up.

An Act of God is a bit cheesy, but not in a bad way. A good example is the moment God referred to the Archangels as his wingmen (queue the eye roll). Lengthy monologues turn God into something of a self-absorbed stand-up comic. Fans of The Daily Show will appreciate Javerbaum's narrative style.

Dark humor abounds. God pokes fun at the hypocrisy of organized religion. His new Commandments include "Thou shalt not kill in my name." As He informs the audience, Heaven is already overstaffed.

All in all, I still like him far more than the God Donald Trump venerates.

Directed by Eleanor Holdridge, An Act of God has a game-show vibe that echoes God's careless handling of affairs on Earth. Archangel Michael even sports a bedazzled microphone as he wades through audience members.

Scenic Designer Daniel Conway's set is blindingly white and sparsely decorated with Roccoco-esque furniture accents. The white is accented by clever lighting design by Lighting Designer Alberto Seggara.

Costume Designer Robert Croghan dresses God and his Archangels in over-the-top all-white suits that straddle the line between classic and smarmy.

Basically the classic depiction of Heaven and God with a dash of The Ellen Show thrown in for good measure.

An Act of God is an irreverent comedy that manages to retain mass appeal. For the ultra-religious, An Act of God will most likely be a no-go. On the other hand, atheists might find An Act of God something of a missed opportunity. At first glance, it seems like the perfect vehicle for a scathing rebuke of organized religion and, even, the current Administration but Javerbaum stops just short of dishing out any overtly substantive or relevant critiques. And that's ok! Sometimes it just feels good to laugh.

Running Time: 75 minutes, no intermission

Advisory: Adult language and themes, haze, flashing and strobe lights

AN ACT OF GOD plays through NOVEMBER 26 at Signature Theatre located at 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets call (703) 820-9771 or click here.

Photo credit: Evan Casey (Michael), Tom Story (God) and Jamie Smithson (Gabriel) in An Act of God at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman.

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