The Book of Jobes

Writing from lived experience can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it imbues your work with a verisimilitude that can't be gotten in any other way. A curse, because it runs the risk of self-indulgent preciousness that turns an audience off. But playwright Heidi L Janz treads this line beautifully in this play, and draws insight from the highly publicized violent home invasion she experienced in 2008. The talented ensemble cast explores the life story of cerebral palsy-sufferer Rachel Jobes (a thinly-veiled portrait of Janz) and her subsequent attack. Questioning God and suing for "wrongful life," Jobes asks to be released from her suffering. But God's agent helps her find redemption and peace. While the allegory doesn't always work, the performances in this piece are so strong, and the story and staging are so compelling and innovative, that any perceived weakness in the script simply doesn't matter. Special kudos to Rebecca Starr, who is a standout in her portrayal of Jobes.