Rating (out of four stars): ★★★
God takes the form of the exuberant and vivacious Paige Davis in Arizona Theatre Company’s production of David Javerbaum’s An Act of God.
The show is directed by the four-time Academy Award nominee Marsha Mason. With two Golden Globes, an Emmy nomination, and a lengthy list of television and film credits, Mason is almighty in the world of theater; but she steps off the stage and into the director’s chair for this light-hearted and playful show.
The production falls on the shoulders of former host of the TLC show “Trading Spaces” and Broadway actress Paige Davis. The show stars God (Davis) as she works her way through a rewriting of The Ten Commandments in a modern, stand-up style of comedy. God explains that she takes different forms, but has chosen that of Paige Davis for the evening. She says she has come to Phoenix to talk with the audience about misunderstandings and misinterpretations of her holy word. No matter what type of comedy gets you to giggle, there’s a little bit of everything, from moderately crude humor about masturbation to jabs at Justin Bieber.
The audience was charmed by Max Lawrence’s performance as the archangel Michael. He involved the audience in the comedy by having them introduce themselves, then asking numerous questions about why God does what she does. The audience seemed to enjoy taking part in the production and poking fun at themselves. The character’s charming smile and inquisitive nature was beloved by the crowd and got a good chunk of verbal reactions.
The final member of the holy trio cast was Gabriel, played by James Gleason. This is not Gleason’s first time playing the role of Gabriel; he was cast in the Broadway version of An Act of God as the same character. Gabriel was portrayed as an assistant to God. He countered Michael’s young demeanor with a dignified and professional presence, reading off each commandment as it was changed. I wish Gabriel was more involved in the comedic aspects of the show or that he was a bit bigger of a contrast to Michael. It would have been nice to see them feed off each other a little more.
Many parts of the 90-minute performance were laugh-out-loud funny, but there were some moments that seemed to lag. There are multiple times God recounts how she makes mistakes or doesn’t quite know what she’s doing, which leads to some rather awkward breaks in the middle of a great comedy. I’m not sure if this is result of the writing or Davis’ transitions, but the audience seemed to have a hard time following God when she was trying to be more serious.
This also leads us to a random but hilarious ending. God has decided she has had enough of our universe and has enlisted the help of the late Steve Jobs to create a new one. Mercifully, God has decided not to kill us all, but as her children, leave us behind now that we have grown up, which she explains to us with a spunky song and dance number. Michael and Gabriel act as God’s chorus as they dance and sing backup, shaking dove-shaped tambourines and twirling around with whimsical winged luggage as they make their exit to the new universe. It was a bit bizarre, but nevertheless, the musical number got the biggest laugh of the evening.
The overall production value added to the comedy without overshadowing it. Lights and sound effects were used sparingly for moments of drama. They definitely emphasized the performance and were creatively used to create bigger effects for God’s actions. If God got angry or excited, lights would flare to simulate the sky changing and thunder would rumble and make the audience jump. The staircase would fog whenever God and her angels entered or exited, which was really only at the beginning and end of the performance. It was a nice celestial touch in making the characters seem more divine.
The staging was clean, but not to the point of minimal. The set was stationary the entire show and featured a curved staircase, cloud-like couch, a giant arrangement of flowers and The Ten Commandments carved into stone. The space was washed in white and very glamorous, like a formal sitting room in a Beverly Hills mansion. Everything was very spatially pleasing, and the characters were able to move around on the set freely without it ever being distracting from their animated blocking.
The costuming certainly echoed the set. Each character was decked out in white. Michael and Gabriel donned gorgeous wings, while God dressed in a gender-neutral white suit jacket and pants with a white blouse, undone bowtie and shiny silver converse. The costumes were charming, but never distracting from the comedy.
The weight of the show lies in the talent of the three comedic actors. Although all aspects of the production value were clean and well-finished, An Act of God truly shines through its talented, effervescent cast of stars.
An Act of God will be playing at The Herberger Theater until Dec. 4. Get your tickets here: https://arizonatheatre.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0SF000000Pl2GPMAZ.
Contact the author at Catherine.Hathaway@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at Faith.Anne.Miller@asu.edu.
