What would you ask God? What if you didn’t like the answer? In this religious satire by Kent based Blueberry Goose Theatre Group, God gives a monthly interview answering ANY question. For Ash Pentel, a troubled heavy-weight political journalist and this month’s interviewer, the right answer could be a life saver.
The story of God 2.0 is designed to make the audience question the perceived nature of God, as well as organised religion as a whole. The show seeks to tackle a wide range of philosophical issues, primarily focusing on criticisms aimed at the traits of the Christian God. For example, if God is omni-benevolent and omniscient, then why does he not use his powers to intervene and prevent human suffering? There was some interesting commentary throughout, especially in regards to the consequences of allowing human beings to have complete and utter free will. God's answers to such questions were well-scripted and interesting to listen to. I particularly enjoyed listening to the first answer, which explored the way in which one small use of negative free will can lead to endless suffering, thus presenting the argument that free will may not be so good after all. Beyond the main story, there is also an underlying subplot throughout that God's interviewer is suffering from suicidal tendencies. The true intention of this subplot felt a little unclear however and only minimal explanation was provided. As a consequence, I would have liked to have seen this expanded upon in more detail.
God 2.0 consists of five cast members, however there were two performances in particular which stood out. Firstly, I rather admired Inez Thorn's portrayal of the first God. Thorn had a very interesting characterisation that was strikingly different to her fellow God's. She portrayed the role as being rather relaxed throughout, which made for an intriguing contrast. The strongest performance however came from Malcolm Jeffries, who portrayed God #3. Jeffries interpreted God as being quite an emotional being, which was both effective and fascinating to witness. He was well and truly captivating, and he stole the spotlight whenever he entered the stage. Jeffries really did deliver a remarkable performance.
Now for my final verdict on God 2.0. I give God 2.0...
Whilst the subplots could have been developed further, God 2.0 does give a fair amount of interesting commentary, as well as some excellent performances.
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Basic Theatre Reviewer
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