Event

Making God Laugh by Sean Grennan

The title is taken from a saying attributed to Woody Allen: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." This upbeat comedy follows empty-nester parents Bill (Andy Clifton) and Ruthie (Beth Goldberg) over three decades as they welcome their adult children back to their suburban home for various holidays. As time passes, more than just the hairstyles change. The lives of everyone in the family evolve in unexpected ways. Dreams are crushed, relationships develop, unresolved issues resurface and through it all, family traditions remain.

We first meet the family sometime in the late 1970s or early '80s. Thomas (Michael Dalberg), the "good son," has grown up to become a Catholic priest. Maddie (Marisa Lerman), a free-spirited aspiring actress, is a disappointment to her mother who constantly nags her. Richard (Chris Miller) is a former high school football star, now a failed entrepreneur, who tries hard to stay on top of the latest trends -- but seems to have amazingly bad judgment. (He drives an AMC Pacer and invests in both Yugo and Enron.)

Making God Laugh follows this quirky group through the years up to the present day as old rituals and dubious family recipes are trotted out and old tensions flare up. As time passes, these family members learn that their paths through life aren't always the ones they planned, and their ultimate destinations are rarely what they expected.

Playwright Sean Grennan is a 1977 graduate of Northwestern University. Making God Laugh had its world premier in 2011 at Peninsula Players Theatre in Wisconsin and premiered in the Chicago area in 2012 at Theatre at the Center. This production will be directed by Brent Stringfield, who is making his directorial debut with Oil Lamp Theater.