''An Act of God'' is a play by

David Javerbaum David Adam Javerbaum (born August 5, 1971) is an American comedy writer and lyricist. Javerbaum has won 13 Emmy Awards in his career, 11 of them for his work on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He runs the popular Twitter account @TheTweet ...

. The stage play is adapted from Javerbaum's ''The Last Testament: A Memoir By God''.

Background

The play began as a "series of tweets" and a book before being written as a play.Isherwood, Charles
"Review: ‘An Act of God’ Is Back, With Sean Hayes"
''The New York Times'', June 6, 2016

Productions

The play began previews for its initial run on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...

on May 7, 2015, and opened officially on May 28 for a limited run through August 2.

Jim Parsons James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead A ...

starred as God in the production directed by

Joe Mantello Joseph Mantello (born December 27, 1962) is an American actor and director known for his work on Broadway productions of ''Wicked'', '' Take Me Out'', and ''Assassins'', having gained notoriety in the 1993 cast of ''Angels in America''. Early li ...

and produced by

Jeffrey Finn Jeffrey Finn is a Tony Awards, Tony award-winning theatrical producer. He is the Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Artistic Director of Broadway Center Stage. He recei ...

. The play featured

Tim Kazurinsky Timothy James Kazurinsky (born March 3, 1950) is an American actor and screenwriter best known as a cast member and writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the '' Police Academy'' films. Early life Kazurinsky wa ...

as archangel Gabriel, and Christopher Fitzgerald as archangel Michael. The show returned to Broadway at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

for a limited engagement starring

Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, and one American Com ...

. The production began previews on May 28, 2016, with an opening on June 6. The run closed on September 4, 2016 after 90 performances. Hayes previously performed in the play at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco and the CTG/ Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles (in February 2016). An adaptation of the show to Spanish is currently playing at Julio Prieto Theatre in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

starring

Horacio Villalobos Horacio Villalobos (born Horacio Aquiles Villalobos Velasco in 1970) is a Mexican TV host and actor, who currently serves on the judging panel of the renowned Mexican reality musical talent TV series ''La Academia.'' Biography Born in Mexico ...

. The show was adapted by Villalobos himself along with

Pilar Boliver Pilar, Portuguese and Spanish for pillar, may refer to: People * Pilar (given name), a common abbreviation of ''María del Pilar'', including a list of people so named * Pilar (surname), a list of people surnamed Pilar or del Pilar Places Argen ...

, the director of the show. The production began previews on October 6, 2017, opening on October 20. David Javerbaum assisted to the opening show. The show premiered in Australia in 2018, for the

Sydney Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

, at the

Eternity Playhouse The Eternity Playhouse is a 200-seat theatre in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The playhouse, which opened in 2013, was created from the heritage-listed Burton Street Tabernacle. Darlinghurst Theatre Company is the resident company. The name 'Eternity' r ...

, starring

Mitchell Butel Mitchell Patrick Butel (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He has been the artistic director of the State Theatre Compa ...

. The show opened on February 2, 2018, and closed on February 25th, 2018.

Response

Charles Isherwood, reviewing the Sean Hayes production in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', called the play "a gut-busting-funny riff on the never-ending folly of mankind’s attempts to fathom God’s wishes through the words of the Bible and use them to their own ends." The ''TheaterMania'' reviewer of the Hayes production called the play "still just mildly amusing...The major difference in this presentation comes in the form of Hayes, who brings an extra touch of frivolity to a play that really calls for it."Stewart, Zachary
"Reviews. 'An Act of God'"
theatermania.com, June 6, 2016

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

''An Act of God'' at Internet Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Act of God 2015 plays Fiction about God