‘God’s Favorite’ definitely worth seeing in Salem

May 3, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

By Eric McCrea

Salem

To any theater aficionado, Neil Simon is a household name and known for his fast, New York-style dialogue. “God’s Favorite” is considered one of his most imaginative premises.

Currently being staged by Salem Community Theatre, “God’s Favorite” is a modern, comical retelling of the biblical story of Job.

Joe Benjamin, played by Richard Fawcett, is a successful businessman who seems to have it all: a great house with a devoted staff, a lucrative cardboard-box factory and a loving wife. Though he loves his three children dearly, he has hopes that his tippler son David, played by Tim Gottschling, will one day embrace faith. He wants it so badly that he tells God he would gladly give up all his earthly possessions to help his son’s soul.

That’s when a messenger named Sydney Lipton (Tyler Kinser) arrives to inform Joe that God and the devil have placed a wager on the cardboard tycoon. Until Joe denounces God, he will be plagued by calamity.

He watches and suffers as his life is demolished, and through it all, his family suffers with him. Will it be too much for him and his family to bear?

Lynne Peterson plays Morris, one of two hilarious household members in her stage debut. Paired with Katherine L. Fawcett in the role of Mady, the two bring a lighthearted, outsider perspective to the show. They have some of the best lines in the show, and both deliver consistently.

As the protagonist’s sober son Ben Benjamin, Nick Berger is a delight. He adds a lot of charm and quirk to the character, who is one of the more reasonable members of the family.

In the role of Sarah Benjamin, Margaret Wack compensates for her life experience by playing juvenile. It’s a bit rocky at first, conflicting with her adult dialogue, but things smooth out after intermission.

As usual, Karen E. Hauck-Losito impresses as Joe’s beautiful wife, Rose. Her comic timing is flawless. Her restraint stops her from over-acting, which would easily mar her more delicate laugh lines, yet boisterous enough to never go ignored. She has a natural light that’s always shining.

Gottschling flies under the radar for the most part. Although the part of David is somewhat pivotal, he’s often absent. The times he is on stage, he’s often the sounding board for his father. Gottschling is competent and serves his purpose but never really wows the audience.

Kinser is larger than life in his role. At times, he goes a bit overboard, but there’s plenty of room for latitude there. His energy and commitment must be admired as he’s constantly moving and speaking a mile a minute.

Simon’s protagonists are often bland. They tend to be an average guy, with a lot of humorous people around him. Fawcett has no trouble delivering on this, and even takes it a bit further.

“God’s Favorite” is not considered one of Simon’s best works, moving slowly in the first act, and washing over any climactic finish. However, an incredible set, great light and sound effects and some great physical comedy make this show impressive. Director Dan Haueter transformed an average script into something worth seeing.

“God’s Favorite” runs at 2 p.m. today and next Sunday and at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For reservations, call 330-332-9688.