They say it helps to laugh in the face of misfortune, though that’s way easier when it’s not your own.
Neil Simon’s comedy “God’s Favorite” has one man suffer every kind of misfortune but in a way that makes us laugh — not just at him but sympathetically with him.
Based on the biblical book of Job, the play centers on Joe Benjamin (Lee Samuel Tanng), a devout patriarch who lives with his family in a Long Island, New York mansion with two servants (Geraldine Fuentes and Stephen Saatjian), enjoying all the comforts his successful cardboard-box business can buy.
Then a break-in one night finds Joe confronting not a burglar but Sidney Lipton (Amanda Karr), a man who talks like a used-car salesman but claims to be a messenger from God. His message: God and the Devil have wagered that Joe, who is apparently “God’s favorite” because of his devotion, would renounce his faith if pushed too far.
Directed by James Rice, the pace is rapid, with one-liners flying and actors racing up and down the thrust stage, surrounded on three sides by the audience. Set design by David Scaglione evokes the well-appointed family home while costumes by Christina Bayer bring to vivid life the play’s 1974 setting.
Twin teens Sarah (Samantha Cristol) and Ben (Charlie Rodriguez) try to help their father figure out what’s going on at first, with Sarah especially angsty that the burglar may be a rapist (which, though serious, is made funny through its repetition).
Contrarian older son David (Sean Farrell) comes in drunk, looking for more to drink, and fittingly resembles Rob Reiner’s character “Meathead” in the 1970s television show “All in the Family.”
Meanwhile, Joe’s wife Rose (Jessica Plotin) is just trying to get her beauty sleep by wearing earplugs.
Soon enough, though, Joe is beset by plagues that include the loss of his box factory, an itchy rash on every part of his body (yes, even there), a freak snowstorm and his house burning down. Rose, who asks Joe to just give in and renounce God already, takes the children and leaves.
All the while, Joe and Sidney go back and forth about why this is happening and how easy it would be for Joe to make it stop. Though their dialogue is both funny and thoughtful, many of the lines are delivered as schtick that can get a little monotonous, and some of the jokes referring to 1970s actors or television shows may fall flat depending on the age of the audience.
But Tanng brings a sympathetic quality that makes Joe’s plight and dilemma easy to relate to. And though all the actors bring the necessary energy for all the verbal and physical comedy, Plotin is especially delightful as wife Rose in her leopard-patterned coat and hat and sharp Long Island accent.
Overall, “God’s Favorite” is a humorous escapade into an Old Testament story that may yet have a moral lesson for today. Minimally, you might ask yourself what you would do in Joe’s place — would you give in or stay true to your beliefs? Either way, you might as well laugh.
“God’s Favorite” continues through May 3 at Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Free parking is available in a lot behind the theater and on surrounding streets. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-494-1014 or visit LBPlayhouse.org. Run time is 2 hours and 5 minutes, including intermission.