'Big Fish' - IU Theatre

 

'Oh God'

 

From a play taken from a movie, we next talk about a play not taken from a movie, though it has the same title as a movie. (Confused yet?) Jewish Theatre of Bloomington is presenting “Oh God,” and if you’re thinking about George Burns right now, I understand completely. If you’re asking “Who’s George Burns?” then get off my lawn, you darn kids!

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Israeli playwright Anat Gov crafted a comedy addressing the Almighty’s mysterious nature and humans’ interactions with him. God comes to Earth in human form, seeking help — therapy, to be precise. He comes to see Ella, a therapist and the single mother of an autistic child. Ella’s never had a patient with quite this extreme of a God complex before, and — truth be told — she’s lost faith in him somewhere along the path. She now has the opportunity to ask him some important questions and maybe heal her ailing faith along the way.

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Julie Dixon plays Ella, with Ron Kalinovski as her son and local fave Ken Farrell as, well, you-know-who. I imagine it’s a difficult role to turn down. “Hey, Ken? Would you like to play God?” Who could say no to that? Dale McFadden directs this charming and comedic show.

 

As with all JTB productions, even though they feature Jewish themes, you don’t need to know your punim from your pupik to have a good time.