A wickedly clever comedy from the creator of, well, everything, Darlinghurst Theatre Company presents the Australian premiere of David Javerbaum’s An Act of God at the Eternity Playhouse from 2 February 2018.
Three-time Helpmann Award winning Actor Mitchell Butel has been anointed the ‘chosen one’, as God has decided to take over his body for the night to deliver the word of God to Sydney audiences. Having grown weary of the Ten Commandments, God has come to correct mankind’s dire misconceptions about his teachings and deliver a radical rewrite.
Accompanied by a couple of A-List singing Angels, God arrives like a celestial talk show host to set the record straight and encourage us to do unto others as we would like to be done unto. Directed by Richard Carroll (Calamity Jane, Side Show) and Butel (The Merchant of Venice, Mr Burns: a Post-Electric Play), who also stars, An Act of God features Alan Flower and Laura Murphy.
David Javerbaum is an award-winning American comedy writer and producer, known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Late Late Show With James Corden.
As an author, his credits include America: The Book, Earth: The Book, What to Expect When You’re Expected: A Fetus’s Guide to the First Three Trimesters and The Last Testament: A Memoir by God – which was adapted on Broadway, with Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) starring as God. He also co-authored Neil Patrick Harris’s 2014 memoirs, The Choose Your Own Autobiography of Neil Patrick Harris.
In collaboration with composer Adam Schlesinger, Javerbaum wrote the lyrics for the 2008 Broadway musical, Cry-Baby; as well as the opening to the 65th Tony Awards, Broadway: It’s Not Just for Gays Anymore!. Other writing credits include: A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! (2008), TV Is a Vast Wonderland (2011 Emmy Awards); The Number in the Middle of the Show (2013 Emmy Awards); and That Could Be Me (70th Tony Awards), with composer Gary Barlow.
“Part chat show, part Ted Talk gone rogue, part sermon, its seventy five minutes of comedy heaven” – New York Times
An Act of God
Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst
Season: 7 – 25 February 2018 (previews: 2 – 6 February)
Information and Bookings: www.darlinghursttheatre.com
Image: Mitchell Butel stars as God in An Act of God (supplied)