October 25, 2024/midnight
Erie, Pa— Funny, smart, and heart–melting, Making God Laugh is a play that brings us back to the core of family.
Making God Laugh, written by Sean Grennan and directed by Jordan Wolfe, is a delightful and heartwarming production that might touch every corner of the viewer’s heart and soul. The play captures the essence of specific decades through a character–driven storyline, balancing sitcom humor and domestic drama with touching, heartwarming moments, all delivered by the Schuster Theatre’s stellar cast.
Making God Laugh explores the theme of life changes in a typical American family over thirty years. Starting in 1980, Ruthie and Bill’s grown children – a priest, an ambitious actor, and a flamboyant former football star – all return home, where we learn of their plans and dreams as they embark on their adult lives. After several holidays filled with family drama, they all realize that destiny will always take charge, regardless of the directions they might have in mind.
Every scene of the play takes place in a single setting: an impressive middle–class family home adorned with various religious decorations. The set plays a major role in the storyline, as its possessions present a clear picture of the house’s residents—Bill (played by Bryan Prior) and Ruthie (played by Chloe Kassalen), a devout Catholic mom who is overly controlling of her children. As they welcome their children home for various holidays, ancient tensions emerge.
The play begins with Thanksgiving in 1980 and when audiences are introduced to Maddie (played by Bella Fried), an ambitious actor struggling with her career and often nagged by her mother for being an actor and not being with a man. Next is Richard (played by Chris Pederson), a former high school football star who is passionate about entrepreneurship but not so wise with his investments (he bought a Pacer car and even invested in Enron while spurning winners like Google). Lastly, we have Thomas (played by Anthony Nuñez), referred to by his siblings as the ‘good boy’ as he is pursuing a path to become a Catholic priest.
The home remains the only setting throughout the play, suggesting a sense of isolation and the repetitive nature of life. Every scene begins with Ruthie walking around, trying to perfect everything in her house while ignoring Bill’s romantic efforts. Her obsession with a perfect life haunts every member of the family. As the play progresses, audiences discover that Ruthie is not the only source of the family’s struggles. The family is implicitly and gradually splitting apart for one key reason, as noted in the director’s note: the tendency to avoid difficult conversations. No one has the guts to tell Ruthie that her “fantasia” is a nightmare that consistently carries through every holiday. Bill suppresses his feelings about Ruthie’s unhealthy obsession with obtaining a ‘perfect’ life. Maddie finds it difficult to share her passion for acting with other family members and to be open about her sexuality. Richard, the character who brings laughter to the audience, suppresses his insecurities while often being viewed as an airheaded kid. Thomas hesitates on his path, seeming to become a priest not out of personal passion, but partly due to his mother’s expectations.
While the set remains static throughout the play, we see how the family has changed physically over the decades and how unresolved issues keep re–emerging and lingering. The smart writing by Sean Grennan is effectively delivered by the Schuster Theatre’s talented cast, who successfully balance whimsical moments with genuine emotions and unspoken tensions between family members.
The play encapsulates the dynamics of a typical middle–class family delivered by a talented cast, from Chloe Kassalen’s possessive mother to Bryan Prior’s tolerant father, from Chris Pedersen’s flamboyant ‘loser’ son to Bella Fried’s liberated persona and Anthony Nuñez’s saintly priest. As the play unfolds and issues are revealed, audiences can relate to each character’s flaws, much like they do with their own families.
“I hope that you leave this play wanting to chat, call, joke with, and love the family/families that you have or have created in your years moving from holiday to holiday,” said Wolfe in the director’s note. The production has successfully achieved this objective, offering a genuine portrayal of what family is: a complexity of unspoken tensions and sincere love; the tensions are real, but so is the love they share.
Making God Laugh will continue to be performed on Friday (Oct. 25) and Saturday (Oct. 26) at Gannon’s Schuster Theatre. For more information and reservations, click here.
