Mosaic Theater Company’s Oh, God, a divine comedy written by Anat Gov and directed by Michael Bloom, will be performed at the Atlas Performing Arts Center – The Lang Theatre through January 13, 2019.
The 90-minute play features Mitchell Hébert (as God) and Kimberly Schraf. In the play, Ella, a psychotherapist, who is also a single mother to an autistic child, is visited by a desperate patient – God.
“The late Anat Gov was known as Israel’s Wendy Wasserstein, and in her gently veiled analogy, Ella and God must learn to help each other–after all, God is suffering from having accrued too much power, while Ella has lost whatever faith (in God) she might have had,” notes the event brief.
“As both battle low-grade depression, the fate of the world may just hang in the balance! With a clash of biblical quotes framed by a modern-day wit, Gov brings a funny, often brilliant text that forces us to confront our own issues of faith, hubris, and the overwhelming power of humility.”
The Jerusalem Post described the play as “a funny, witty, poignant, often brilliant text that asks intriguing questions about the nature of the Deity and our relationship to Him, all in a delightful 80 minutes.”
Israel’s U.S. Embassy spokesperson Elad Strohmayer called the play a “must-see” in a tweet, saying it made him “contemplate religion, love and my faith.”
“Oh, God”, a play by #Israeli playwright Anat Gov is a must-see! Originally produced in #Israel by the @CameriTheatre, it is now in DC produced by @Mosaic_Theater. Last night I watched this divine comedy, which made me contemplate religion, love and my faith. Don’t miss it! pic.twitter.com/WYCwbJDnkL
— Elad Strohmayer (@EladStr) December 17, 2018
Missy Frederick, a theater critic, reviewing the play in Dctheatrescene.com, wrote, “Oh, God comes to a resolution that’s a little too neat, but undeniably touching, with an impressive staging trick leading to a tender moment between Ella and her son. The divine being may steal the stage for much of Oh, God, but it’s his creations that give the play its truest spark of humanity.”
Jonathan Dahm Robertson was in charge of the set design for the play. Lighting design was created by Brittany Shemuga and costume design by Kelsey Hunt. Sound design credits go to Roc Lee, along with Mitchell Hébert, Kimberly Schraf, and Sean McCoy.