Photo by Jim Cox
I've been to see a few one-man/one-woman shows over the years and it takes a great personality and a great character to hold an audience's attention for the duration of the piece. My experiences have been mixed, but I always left the theatre with a profound respect for the shear guts of the performer to take on such a responsibility. Having missed last year's Broadway premiere of David Javerbaum's divinely audacious comedy (then starring "Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons), I was keen to catch An Act of God this time around. The great personality now comes in the form of "Will & Grace" star and Tony nominee Sean Hayes, and the great character? Well, are there any greater than God himself?! Mr Hayes truly hits it out of the park (and into the heavens) and that's why An Act of God is our #ShowOfTheWeek!
Although technically not a one-man show, as God is joined on stage by two of his archangels - Michael (David Josefsberg) and Gabriel (James Gleason) - let's make no mistake about it, this is all about Hayes and he exudes a cheeky sense of sublime comfort front and center stage. The angels have a clear purpose in the piece. Michael is used as a tool to advance the plot, taking supposed questions from the audience and rebelliously questioning God's more mysterious and controversial acts himself. Gabriel acts as 'the straight man' and adds layers of context with biblical verses. The structure is simple and effective.
The play itself spans 90 minutes, in which God has taken the form of unknowing (and much-loved) celebrity Sean Hayes to address the people and set the record straight with an updated version of his Ten Commandments. What ensues is a star vehicle that brings laughs by the bucket-load. There are many top actors I could see slipping into this role and bringing their own personality traits to the fore (Neil Patrick Harris, James Cordon, Ellen Degeneres anyone?), but Hayes is a perfect fit with just the right amount of flamboyant charm to get away with the more sacrilegious lines. His confidence and quick wit to add lib with certain members of the audience also has to be applauded. (At the performance I attended, I'm sure a gentleman by the name of Josh afterwards regretted purchasing that front row ticket!)
The play is also kept fresh with timely references that have been added since last year's premiere. So if you've always wondered what God thinks of Donald J. Trump, then what are you waiting for?!
Although the play is primarily aiming for laughs, through Michael we get to pose those difficult, philosophical questions - (Why, God, why?) Whether or not God's responses quench your thirst for life-affirming answers, I will leave for you to find out. One thing is for sure, it's not every day that you get the opportunity to see the Lord Almighty in the hot seat. So be blessed and take advantage before this limited run ends on 4th September.
Click here for tickets to An Act of God for performances through to 4 September 2016 at Broadway's Booth Theatre.
Sean Hayes with David Josefsberg & James Gleason in An Act of God More Production PhotosOriginally published on