A chat with the Almighty: Williams Street Repertory delivers praiseworthy ‘Act of God’

“An Act of God” — 3 stars

The keenly irreverent comedy “An Act of God” begins with the titular character informing the audience he has revised his most famous directives, The Ten Commandments.

All except the first: the one that demands the faithful have no other gods before Him. That one he’s keeping.

“It still applies,” God tells the audience, suggesting that, for all his omnipotence, The Almighty has some insecurities. Those insecurities become obvious during Williams Street Repertory’s funny, soundly acted revival running through Aug. 25 at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake.

Written by David Javerbaum, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” the 2015 play was inspired by Javerbaum’s book “The Last Testament: A Memoir by God,” which was based on his Twitter account, @TheTweetofGod.

It unfolds as a kind of Q&A between the audience and God (who for the purposes of this production is manifesting through the affable, soon-to-be-married Göran Norquist). He’s accompanied by his wingmen: archangels Gabriel (Nathan Dale Short), who reads the Word from a weighty Gutenberg Bible, and Michael (Kirk Osgood), who gathers questions from the audience. But mostly the show involves Norquist’s deity introducing his new decrees while reminiscing about creation and the flood; Abraham, Job and God’s son Jesus, who he wished would toughen up.

God confesses parts of the Bible are embellished. For instance, it would have been impossible to take two of every animal species on the arc, he says. Noah took only two puppies, because they’re cute.

“Belief and faith are no excuses for abandoning sound judgment,” he says.

Thou shalt not kill in my name, he says, pointing out he’s perfectly capable, and has killed on a grand scale. He warns followers not to seek a personal relationship with him. He created religion to avoid it. And, he tells them, thou shalt not tell others who to fornicate.

As it turns out, God doesn’t care about sexual preference. He did, in fact, create Adam and Steve first and they were happy until the snake interfered. He has no political preference. His track record confirms he’s as pro-death as he is pro-life. He loves the theater (not quite as much as his “Superstar” son) and he’s annoyed when celebrities attribute their success to him (he has a brand to protect after all).

The portrayal of God as a “jealous, petty, sexist, racist, mass-murdering narcissist” with wrath-management issues may put off more sensitive audience members. But Javerbaum’s provocative comedy is peppered with droll one-liners more slyly satirical than sacrilegious.

The narrative turns serious near the end, but the cast members, under director Pat Henderson, give the twist emotional weight without making it mawkish.

Norquist plays the Almighty as prickly but likable until Michael (solid work by Osgood) provokes him with questions about suffering — why he enslaved his chosen people for 400 years and why he allows bad things to happen to good people. Then we see a glimpse (nicely calibrated by Norquist) of Old Testament anger. Short also does a nice job as Gabriel, whose discrete nips from a silver flask suggest an angel who needs a shot of liquid courage to fulfill his duties.

Director Pat Henderson’s production is well-paced and her actors are well-rehearsed. The set, however, is underwhelming for a theater this size. With the exception of a large, round screen center stage that seems to suggest the cosmos, the set doesn’t make a visual statement suitable for a deity.

As for costumes, they lack consistency. Osgood’s Michael is dressed like a Roman soldier, Short’s Gabriel wears sweatpants, and Norquist’s God sports a silver lamé, retro-disco outfit. Javerbaum’s God strikes me as someone more fashion forward.

But those offenses are minor in what is a praiseworthy effort from Williams Street Repertory.

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Location: Williams Street Repertory at Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org

Showtimes: 2 p.m. Thursday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday through Aug. 25

Running time: About 90 minutes, no intermission

Tickets: $27.65-$39.50

Parking: Street parking available

Rating: For adults; not for sensitive audience members, includes strong language, religious themes