We had a little hiccup getting to this show, arriving at the wrong theatre. It took a little bit of asking around for the penny to drop. Luckily Flight Path theatre was not too far from the Seymour Centre (where this show has previously appeared).
We did a questionable car park and then raced over to find the door slightly ajar. We weren’t sure what to do until God himself warmly beckoned us in. We found a spot to discreetly watch the beginning until it was safe to make our way to our seats.
This was my first time at Flight Path theatre and I am a big fan of intimate theatres with effective use of staging and immersive engagement with the audience such as this. The set was bright and pretty with the nostalgic warmth of a childhood television show.
The performance opens with Jesus (played by the well-cast Giuseppe Rotondella) discovering that God (played by the hilarious Brenton Amies) is his real father and that it’s time for him to flee the nest and go on a quest. Mary and Joseph concede to his departure after an hilarious music number.
Along the way, Jesus shares his “magical gifts” with devoted followers such as best mate Peter (Isaac Broadbent) and sceptics such as Doubting Thomas (Babette Shaw). His first big cultural immersion is a stoning in Sodom, where we meet activist Mary Magdelene (Emma Flynn), and my favourite song of the show “Homophobes Are Gay” sets the tone and lens for the approach to this otherwise well-known story.
Each actor commits to the many layers of their characterisation while also allowing the comedy to shine. They rolled with a few punches including loud planes overhead, the clear namesake of the theatre. There was also a painful-looking prop issue that was seamlessly woven into the narrative by Isaac Broadbent.
It was the familiar story of Christ headed to the Cross with a modern take, current references, and commentary. The audience was in fits of laughter for most of it and the cast fed off this beautifully.
The musical numbers were fun and spanned a number of genres. Another highlight being King Herod’s “Vogue” and Pontius’ rap. I’m not sure if the singers were tentative or there was a mic issue, as the last bits of a lot of phrases seemed to trail off. However, I thoroughly enjoyed “The Introspective Song” where Giuseppe and Emma were able to go all in. It was clear the two of them are established musical theatre talents.
It felt slightly too long a piece that lost a bit of momentum towards the end, this was likely the complication of staying true to the Biblical narrative’s timeline. I was grateful for the lift in energy brought by the final musical number/curtain call. Overall, I really enjoyed the cast and their commitment to character, as well as their ensemble work and I found the show to be good, silly, fun!
To book tickets to Christ Almighty: A Comedy of Biblical Proportions, please visit https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/christ-almighty-a-comedy-of-biblical-proportions.
