God's Favorite is a play by Neil Simon, loosely based on the Biblical Book of Job. It was produced on Broadway in 1974.
Production
Produced by Emanuel Azenberg, the play opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on December 11, 1974 Directed by Michael Bennett with Assistant Director Bob Avian, the cast featured Vincent Gardenia (Joe Benjamin), Maria Karnilova (Rose Benjamin), and Charles Nelson Reilly (Sidney Lipton). Scenic design was by William Ritman, costumes were by Joseph G. Aulisi and lighting was by Tharon Musser.</blockquote>
Thomas S. Hischak (Professor of Performing Arts, SUNY Cortland) wrote that Simon had been writing about "serious issues" in his last several plays, but "stumbled awkwardly" with God's Favorite. Hischak described the play as a "modern version of the story of Job that moved into schtick the closer it edged to genuine grief". Hischak noted that Simon had said that the play was written "as a reaction to his wife's untimely death from cancer".
The pre-production of God's Favorite was chronicled on a January 1975 edition of the CBS News program 60 Minutes.
References
External links
- God's Favorite (Neil Simon) Samuel French