Oh My God: A Comedy of Biblical Proportions!, written and directed by Tommy James Green, attempts a sketch parody take on some of the most defining moments from the Old Testament.
Despite a promising premise, the production struggles to turn it’s reverent source material into an irreverent time.
The play opens with Jesus (Oscar Wills), freshly crucified and back in heaven with his father, pushing God (James Hartley) to recount some of their earlier tales. God takes us back to the beginning, introducing an insufferable Adam (Max Dÿkstra) and a tremendously bored Eve (Emma Flynn). We also meet the infamous Lucifer, played by Joseph Rotondella, who tempts the pair to take apples from God’s apple tree.
The stories are familiar – we all know how they go – so Green’s writing attempts to subvert our expectations with comedic twists. However, these often fall short. For instance, God’s outrage over the stolen apples stems from his plans to bake an apple pie for Ganesha, one of the most revered Hindu deities. Abraham and Sarah’s story was largely forgettable. while the political chaos incited by the animals aboard Noah’s Ark felt difficult to follow and tiresome. With enough polarisation happening in everyday life, do we need to experience more of it in our art?
In particular, Noah’s (Jamie Sturgess) Donald Trump impression in placating the contentious zoo combined with little discernible insight made the scene feel more draining than satirical. The detour felt disconnected from the broader narrative, failed to add depth, and mostly further complicated the production. The occasional fourth-wall breaks offer some amusement but the jokes rarely extended beyond the novelty of audience acknowledgement.
There is a lot of male whining in this play. In contrast, although the women emerge as the real drivers of action (even if that action was eternal sin), it is rather reminiscent of weaponised incompetence. Meanwhile, the forbidden-romance relationship between God and Lucifer felt too predictable – the romantic tension lacked novelty and recalls Good Omens, which explores a similar dynamic with greater wit and nuance.
The production also seems reluctant for God to own their more malevolent acts. One of the more interesting aspects of the Old Testament is its portrayal of God through recognisably human emotions, including anger and vindictiveness. By shifting the responsibility to Lucifer, the production mitigates the moral contradictions that make God compelling, but also deflates the satirical take on the source material.
The ensemble cast’s deliberate overacting leant well to the parody genre, even if the humour doesn’t always land. Flynn convincingly inhabits two distinct characters as Eve and then Bithia, demonstrating impressive versatility and theatricality. The costumes by Denise Tart are also a highlight, with an impressive range of distinctive designs across the ensemble and throughout the production. The set designed by Max Shaw complimented the costumes, adding to the independent and satirical vibe. The set transitions were cleverly handled, with ‘angels’ whisking pieces of lawn and river on and off stage. Another highlight was the intermission chase through the lobby, between a deer and Noah, although the premise was moderately unclear, with dialogue difficult to make out. This memorable moment added levity and fun, and felt more in line with the humour the production promised.
Oh My God: A Comedy of Biblical Proportions! has centuries of comic material to draw from, but this take felt far from fresh. Too many jokes fall flat, while the production’s more ambitious ideas become lost in an uneven series of sketches. With sharper writing and a clearer sense of what it wants to say, the production could make better use of the biblical proportions we are promised.
