All too often plays or films billed as “comedy” are black comedy — grim, sad and sometimes ironic. And almost always, I don’t find them funny. So it was with great delight I enjoyed a real comedy as in you laugh, at GableStage, with its current production “An Act of God”. By David Javerbaum, head writer of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” , it’s great fun, light and witty, thoroughly enjoyable all the way.
It’s all about the God’s revised version of the Ten Commandments. The original version, He would say, is so yesterday, and He has taken to modernizing it circa 2016. He (Tom Wahl) takes the stage in heaven on a chaise longue along with his two archangels who are said to consult the original 1455 Gutenberg Bible to clarify theological points, along with feigning taking questions from the audience. References are also made to Miami, which was a real crowd pleaser. As was so well said by The New York Times theater critic who loved it, “(this) God is by turns comically admonishing, affectionate and just occasionally petulant, as who would not be when his carefully laid plans have resulted in, well, the world in its endless imperfection”.
“An Act of God”, the first new play of GableStage’s new season, is a welcome change of pace from the grimness in the newspaper headlines. See it, from now through December 18.
