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The Great God Money

nytheatre.com review by Akia Squitieri
August 15, 2005

The Messenger Theatre Company is presenting The Great God Money, a witty and quirky musical comedy that asks the age old question: why are we so obsessive about money?Audience members are given questionnaires about their views and ideas of money. The questionnaires are later worked into the show in inventive ways, by incorporating the questions into little improv segments that help the main character Dot select a route to find her way to the Great God Money.Messenger’s grown up fairy tale invokes thoughts of The Wizard of Oz as the show opens with our heroine Dot (Deb Heinig) rushing in late to her robotic office job. There she and her co-workers sing “The Game of Life” about, yes, the everyday struggles of life. Soon her office encounters a blackout, and Dot’s journey really begins. She ends up in a land of warped realities and begins her quest to find the Great God Money. Along the way she meets various zany characters who either help or hinder her mission. There’s the Debt Dragon (played by various members of the ensemble) which gradually (and cleverly) grows in size as the story progresses; the Accountant (Micah Freedman), who assesses but does not advise and collects tolls along the way; Cash (John Myers) and Cora Zone aka.Heart (Myles Goldin) who are ever battling it out in their attempts to help Dot and thwart each other; and of course her faithful side kicks, Gimmee (Chris Speziale) and Nat Enough (Rainbow Geffner).As Dot’s adventure progresses she comes across the Land of Extreme Gender Roles, Comfortville, and the Hall of History (which includes a very skillful little slide show) all of which include remarkably witty moments and songs. Dot eventually comes full circle and learns the answers to some of her questions with the help of Great God Money.Heinig is endearing and vulnerable as Dot, making the audience empathize and root for her. As Nat Enough, Rainbow Geffner is quirky and funny, and quite a joy to watch. Micah Freedman’s Accountant is delightfully fascinating and frustrating with his one-line answers and illogical requests. John Myers and Julia Beardsley O’Brien also have some stellar moments, particularly O’Brien, who has a lovely singing voice.The cast is engaging and enthusiastic, and the ensemble is very strong in creating locations and character changes with the help of only props and a few costume pieces. Roxana Ramseur’s costume design is clever and inventive with subtle touches throughout the production. From the clock hat and shredded papers on Nat Enough to the Accountant’s silly horn-rimmed glasses, details are not overlooked.The music and songs by Joey Clark, Barry Gribble, Dmitri Kalmar, and John Mercurio are light and entertaining, and cover all of the bases in the journey. Emily Davis’s script and direction is crisp, smart, and amusing. Emily Davis and Messenger Theatre Company have definitely created an adventure worth the travel time.