The title will draw you in. The pre show will captivate you. And the script will shock you. Welcome to Mitchel Buckley's
God is a Woman. In a world where nothing is quite what it seems,
God is a Woman is a dark, twisted fantasy about morality and mortality. The story follows Avery, an angry young man with issues upon issues, as he is haunted by the Angel of the Holocaust. She taunts him about redemption and sets him on a journey of discovery where, along the way, he meets a zoo of eye-less talking animals, God, Zeus, and flashbacks of his tortured past. Buckley's script touches upon faith, trust, loss, loneliness, abandonment and a whole lot of shock value. It's likely that something within Buckley's script will bother you and rattle your spirit. But the thing that may be the most bothersome is the structure and style of the actual script. You can see Buckley wanting to allow the audience to laugh at discomfort but it just doesn't have it in it to do so. Additionally, the message is buried too deep to be found.
As Avery, Jordan Skinner taps into a very dark place. He reaches a Patrick Bateman style in his character. Skinner he has a strong sense of conviction in his performance even if he and his costars didn't always know what was going on. Playing the role of God, Jenny Statler looked fabulous and took great command. Her authority and vivacity allowed the only moments of comedic reprieve.
Directed by Nicky Maggio,
God is a Woman was generally a nicely paced productions, allowing the beats to be hit and allowing variety in approach. The scenic design by Rebecca Carr and Joey Guthman utilized the cages that were filled during the disturbing audience preshow in various formations. The costumes by Carr fit each character flawlessly, allowing the persona to shine through.
When it comes down to it,
God is a Woman has a multitude of ideas that need to be honed into something more streamlined. It’s good to bring shock and awe once in awhile. But there needs to be clarity and depth behind it.
