The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons will be taking on the role of God in the brand new Broadway comedy An Act of God, which will open on May 28 this year at Studio 54.
An Act of God will take inspiration from David Javerbaum's book The Last Testament: A Memoir by God which debuted in 2011. The author was also the brains behind the popular Twitter account (@TheTweetofGod), where he puts a comedic spin on voicing God.
"People seemed to like the premise of me tweeting as God and doing it unapologetically in the voice of a character that I felt was an approximation of what I felt the Old Testament God would sound like if He was tweeting," Javerbaum told EW.
He is excited about the people who have already signed on to work on An Act of God. Aside from Parsons playing the lead role, the show will be produced by Jeffrey Finn and directed by Joe Mantello.
"Joe is the most respected director on Broadway, in my opinion, and Jim is so inherently funny, we had no concerns about the comic chops," said Javerbaum. "And he's also so inherently likable. I compare him to Colbert. Once you have somebody that innately likeable, the character can be as absolutely boorish and impossible as you want. The fact that people of this caliber were interested in this project was already tremendous validation for me."
He added that the show will not be based on his Twitter posts or his book, but rather be completely different material - something appropriate for the stage. According to Javerbaum, it will be "a one-God show with two angels."
The show will run for 90 minutes, and tackle sensitive topics such as abortion and gay marriage. Javerbaum expects the show to receive some heavy backlash and criticism, but he clarified that the show will be done in good fun.
"We'll see what happens. I'm aware of the possibility that backlash might happen, and if it did, that might bring with it certain plusses as well as minuses," he said.
