The topics for Woody Allens plays God and Death might seem a bit heavy, but Nicholas Collins, director of the two one-acts currently being produced by The Back Porch Players, says both plays are filled with humor. In these dark and brooding dramas we get some real gut-buster laughs, says Collins.
In God, two actors in ancient Greece Hepatitis and Diabetes cant seem to find an ending to their play. As they come to realize their lives are a play within a play, they spin wildly out of control, prompting God to come in and settle things. Neal Gage, who plays Hepatitis, says Allen finds a way to balance the humor and the drama. What I find interesting is that Woody Allen, through all of the humor and the chaos that he brings into it, is really making some profound and serious statements about the concept of God, and the concept of man being responsible for his actions.
In Death, a man named Kleinman is enlisted by a mob of vigilantes to help find a murderer. Unfortunately for him, the mob has surreptitious plans. 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through August 18. Houston Ballet Center for Dance, 601 Preston Street. For information, call 800-494-8497 or visit www.thebackporchplayers.com. $25 to $30.
Mondays-Sundays. Starts: Aug. 10. Continues through Aug. 18, 2011
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.