Review: There's a New Almighty In Town! Sean Hayes in AN ACT OF GOD

Broadway's faithful didn't have to wait long before the second coming of David Javerbaum's cute and charming comedy, An Act of God. In the beginning (last May) Jim Parsons premiered the nightclubby diversion at Studio 54. Now Sean Hayes stars in a limited run at the Booth, described by his character as "the only theatre named for the brother of a man who assassinated a President in a different theatre."

The first, and still only, Broadway play based on a Twitter account (the now-retired @TheTweetOfGod, which gathered over 2.3 million followers), you'd be hard-pressed to find anything blasphemous or edgy in this breezy ninety minute riff that depicts its central character as a left-leaning social commentator.

Set designer Scott Pask provides a flashy stairway to heaven that descends to what resembles an underground cocktail lounge where the King of the Universe can unwind after a busy day of working in mysterious ways and dealing with his "wrath-management issues."

After a quick introduction where God's voice is supplied via recording with the commanding classical tones of Patrick Page, our hero pops on stage to explain that he has decided to appear tonight in the form of "beloved star of stage and screen Sean Hayes."

"For lo, I have endowed him with a winning, likeable personality; and know of a certainty that your apprehension of My depthless profundities will be aided by his offbeat charm."

So indeed, under Joe Mantello's direction this is an adorably smarmy God, ("The reason masturbation is a sin is not that it's intrinsically evil. It's that every time you do it, I have to watch."), and aside from a few updated jokes (there's an obvious one about HAMILTON and a really good Ted Cruz zinger), the text is very much a replica of what ran last summer.

Tired of being a one-list wonder ("Yea: I have grown weary of the Ten Commandments, in exactly the same way that Don McLean has grown weary of "American Pie."), the main purpose of the evening is to introduce and expound upon his new set of laws, commanding such instructions as "Thou shalt separate Me and state" and "Thou shalt not seek a personal relationship with Me."

Helping out are his two angelic assistants. ("My Genesistants, if thou shalt.") James Gleason's Gabriel is a loyal and studious fact-checker, reading from an original Gutenberg Bible, but David Josefsberg's Michael has a rebellious streak as the "advocate for humanity," asking the tough questions about unanswered prayers and why God allows atrocities to happen.

There isn't a lot to chew on, but nevertheless An Act of God is a tasty and sweet stick of bubble gum, full of good laughs and silly summer fun.

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