A clever, dark-humored play written and directed by University of Alabama professor Seth Panitch, “Hell: Paradise Found,” will take the stage at Off Broadway Theatres in New York City for the remainder of July.
The production tells the story of Simon Ackerman, a lawyer dead before he is able to act out his “defining moment,” as he travels through heaven and hell in an attempt to discover where he truly belongs in his afterlife. However, Panitch’s ideas of heaven and hell differ from traditional religious beliefs. He envisions heaven as a place reserved for those who have not only done good all their life, but have never questioned the status quo. Similarly, hell is not necessarily a place of evil, but also one for those who have taken the initiative with their lives and sought change.
At 85 minutes long, the plays length was enough to build a well-written and lively performance, but short enough to where no intermission was needed and the audience remained engaged. It began with an unsuspected jovial dance number from members of hell: Einstein, Hitler and Satan, which got the audience laughing and in the mood for the play’s continual puns, outbursts and jokes. Ordinarily, such an amount of jokes would be somewhat redundant, but Panitch’s humor works well with the high-paced and vivacious script.
While the venue for the play was rather small, Allen Bales was modified to mimic the stage that will be used when Panitch and his cast go to their Off-Broadway venue, the larger-than-life performances made up for the size issue. The performances were very diverse as well; actors often played more than one character. For instance, Chip Persons, the Equity Guest Actor, took on the role of Lucifer, Vlad the Impaler and a judge.
Similarly, Alexandra Ficken, a 2011 UA theater graduate, played Lizzie Borden, Eve and a rape victim. Both Persons and Ficken offered dynamic dialects and personalities to each of their characters.
Panitch’s play, while rewriting the traditional sense of heaven and hell, also poked fun at its leaders. God, who in many religious traditions is an aged man, was portrayed as a fiery woman. Performed by Dianne Teague, Panitch’s God retired over a cloud in Miami and has an affinity to playing golf. Teague’s snappy and overly dramatic performance worked well with her uptight sidekick, archangel Gabriel, played by Peyton Conley, a 2012 MFA graduate.
While God and Gabriel were transformed into an amusing back-and-forth duo, another religious icon got a makeover as well. Mother Teresa, best known for her charity work in Calcutta, was a blackmailing vixen, portrayed by Stacey Panitch.
“Hell: Paradise Found” offered not only a good laugh, but also posed a great philosophical question for the audience to ponder. What is hell to you? What is heaven? Do you agree with traditional depictions or are there other possibilities to be explored?
Panitch’s play, through a smartly written script, a very talented group of actors and a clear vision offers one possibility of interpretation. This play is a definite must-see to anyone, religious or not, philosophical or not. If nothing else, viewers are guaranteed a night of laughs and wild entertainment.
“Hell: Paradise Found” will begin its two-week, Off-Broadway run on July 10 at 59E59 Theater in New York City.
