Parsons' 'God' charms but doesn't awe

NEW YORK — Near the end of the new Broadway comedy An Act of God (**1/2 out of four stars) the archangel Michael rips into his boss. "Why is there suffering?" Michael demands of God. "Why is there so much injustice? Why should there be any injustice?"

God, played here by Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory fame — in a celestial white robe, blue jeans and orange sneakers — has cut off similarly pesky lines of questioning earlier in the play. But this time, God allows Michael, one of the two "wingmen" who accompany him on stage (Gabriel is the other), to go on, and eventually he answers.

The response, not fully printable here, may strike some audience members as blasphemous. For others, it will simply be one of several awkward moments in a play that tries to blend irreverent humor with social commentary and, well, doesn't always succeed.

Act, which opened Thursday at Studio 54, was adapted by David Javerbaum, former head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, from his sprawling book The Last Testament: A Memoir By God. The play is shorter, mercifully (one 90-minute act), focusing on the Ten Commandments, which are revised substantially.

"Thou shalt not tell others whom to fornicate," it is declared. Furthermore, "Thou shalt not kill in My name," and "Thou shalt not seek a personal relationship with Me." You get the idea: Javerbaum is targeting moral hypocrisy and holier-than-thou behavior.

As God expands on these and other points, Javerbaum's satire can become rather too obvious. There are digs at Justin Bieber, Sarah Palin and the Kardashian clan. Act's title character is also problematic; Javerbaum's God is a comic tyrant, albeit one who can wax earnest and tender, and who ultimately advocates humanism. The tonal shifts are, if not earth-shattering, certainly jarring.

Parsons and director Joe Mantello emerge as the show's saving graces. An affable actor and wry, nimble comedian, Parsons manages to deliver even Javerbaum's snarkier and more self-righteous lines with minimal smugness. Under Mantello's witty, playful direction, he establishes an easy, knowing rapport with the audience — and with Christopher Fitzgerald and Saturday Night Live alumnus Tim Kazurinsky, who respectively play Michael and the meeker Gabriel.

Javerbaum provides some genuinely funny and incisive lines. Introducing Gabriel, God notes that the angel "doesn't just do the Bible," but also "dictated the words of the Quran to Muhammed. That of course was the beginning of Islam, and at the request of the producers, that is the last you'll be hearing about Islam tonight."

The commandment "Thou shalt not take My name in vain," as presented here, addresses sports stars and fans who cite God in acknowledging their triumphs. "I get celebrities," God allows, and drops a few names; but their foibles, he insists, are "none of your business."

Here, as in the best moments of An Act of God, the joke is at least partly on us.