GOD HELP US! Announced At Union County Performing Arts Center

God Help Us!, a play ripped straight from today's headlines, starring the legendary Ed Asner opens at Union County Performing Arts Center's Main Stage on Sunday, May 12th at 3pm.

Two pundits, Larry (a liberal) and Randi (a conservative), played by local actors Dave Sussman and Kristine Stringer, find themselves confronted by GOD played by Asner, a wise, sarcastic, cantankerous and wildly funny character who is offended by what America's political leaders have done to America. He has brought Randi and Larry to Purgatory for a lively debate about the issues of our time. And whomever he finds more persuasive will get God's "mighty thumb on the scale" in one or the other's favor.

"The bottom line for this play is, we have to keep talking, and hopefully we don't have to resolve it with a civil war," Asner said about the play to the Bonner County Daily Bee in Idaho.

Asner, 88, is an actor, activist and 8-time Emmy Award-winning actor. He starred as Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's 2009 box-office- hit Oscar winning Best Picture UP! and as Santa in the Will Ferrell hit, ELF. Mr. Asner is best known for his comedic and dramatic talent as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV newsroom comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and continued in the newspaper-biz drama Lou Grant, which earned him five Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards..

"The joy of performing, if you can find sufficiently talented writers to feed you the lines to toy with, it makes it seventh heaven for me," he said. "I don't work. But I do love the job. I've been blessed with having great writers, even in the beginning. I rarely could complain."

This isn't the first time Asner has performed on the Main Stage. In 2018, he starred in another play called A Man and His Prostate. UCPAC's Executive Director Brian Remo said about working him, "Mr. Asner is a legend among artists and an angel among humans. His visit in 2018 left permanent smiles on the faces of so many of our staff and patrons. On stage, he is a genius and in the entertainment world, an innovator. This show is a chance to watch a true memory in the making."

Union County Performing Arts Center's Main Stage is located at 1601 Irving Street in Rahway, NJ.

Tickets, starting at $25, can be purchased at www.ucpac.org/events, in person at the Box Office, or by calling 732.499.8226. The Box Office can be reached via email at boxoffice@ucpac.org.