'An Act of God' is a Heavenly, Hilarious New Broadway Comedy
By Nora Dominick ‘17/ Emertainment Monthly Assistant Stage Editor
Written by David Javerbaum and directed by the legendary Joe Mantello, An Act of God reveals the mysteries of the Bible to a whole new audience. God has descended from heaven and has taken the form of Jim Parsons in order to reach out to a Broadway audiences and set the record straight on some of the biggest questions of the universe. He is also taking the time to re-write the Ten Commandments. This hilarious, 90-minute comedy is taking Broadway by storm and gives a whole new side to God and heaven itself.
An Act of God relies heavily on its main star Jim Parsons. Parsons is known for his work as Sheldon Cooper on the CBS hit comedy The Big Bang Theory and in the HBO film, The Normal Heart. His amazing comedic timing flourishes in this new comedy as God hands out his new list of Ten Commandments. Parsons’ jeans, sneakers and plaid shirts poke out from underneath God’s robe as he sits on a white couch as he appears to resemble a talk show host. He discusses some hard hitting subjects like being gay, abortion, Adam & Eve and of course, celebrities.
Another amazing moment in An Act of God comes when God discusses some moments that have happened throughout history that he didn’t mean to happen. Parsons discusses Noah and the Flood and how the business with all the animals was a mistake and he just wanted Noah to take some adorable puppies. The moment that gets fans rolling in their seats with laughter is when God discusses taking the Lord’s name in vain. In one of the funniest moments, Parsons uses celebrities to discuss why they always thank him when they win awards. He says, “Kanye, next time you win a Grammy Award and you thank me for your ‘God-given talents,’ they’re going to get God-taken, understand?” Parsons shows that he is one of the greatest comedic actors and further proves his range of comedy extends far beyond Sheldon Cooper.
Of course, An Act of God can’t end with Parsons discussing how he took Steve Jobs off of this earth so he could help him bring heaven into the 21st century in terms of electronics. And then Parsons exits in one of the most talked about ways when he sings a soft-rock song where God tells the audience that they stop asking him for advice and act on their own.
Overall, Jim Parsons creates one of the funniest new plays on Broadway as he ushers in a brand new season on Broadway. An Act of God will be playing at Studio 54 until August 2, 2015.