By John Lyle Belden

Scot Greenwell – the talented and popular gay Hoosier character actor and star of plays including “Santaland Diaries” and “Buyer and Cellar” – has not been himself lately.

In fact, it appears that the spirit of The Lord Almighty, in his “mysterious ways,” has taken over Greenwell’s body to bring audiences His divine message in “An Act of God,” through March 12 at the Phoenix Theatre in downtown Indy.

And God must have a sense of humor, as He has angels Michael and Gabriel take the forms of local actors Joshua Coomer and Michael Hosp, respectively. Michael is intermediary with the audience members, finding and relaying their questions, while Gabriel takes care of handling holy scripture, which includes the Lord’s new and updated Ten Commandments.

Those commands include a couple of old classics, plus some directives that just might surprise you. As He works his way through the list, He recalls the events of the Bible from His perspective, including his dealings with son Jesus Christ and the boy’s crazy idea of going to earth to die for humankind. He reveals that since we were made in His image, and we humans have deep issues, imagine how deep His go?

Needless to say, this show is thought provoking, while fortunately very laugh-provoking, thanks to its original Broadway inspiration through the pen of Emmy-winning Daily Show/Colbert Report writer David Javerbaum. God-as-Greenwell reflects back to us common beliefs on issues such as Creation and Old Testament justice in such a way that one feels challenged, no matter what you believe, letting us decide whether the divine tongue was in cheek. For instance, He relates that the universe is truly only thousands of years old and He faked the dinosaurs, but on the other hand, in the beginning the first people were actually Adam and Steve.

In all, this single 90-minute Act is highly entertaining, and even leaves you with an uplifting message at the end. To get your opportunity to be in this show’s divine presence, call 317-635-2381 or see www.phoenixtheatre.org.

John L. Belden is also Associate Editor and A&E editor of The Eagle (formerly The Word), the Indianapolis-based Midwest LGBTQ news source.