God's Middle Name reflects on autism

Live theatre returns to The Osprey Arts Centre on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. with In Good Company’s production of God’s Middle Name. The play was written by Jennifer Overton and stars her and Christian Murray, who recently wowed audiences at the Osprey in September with the one-man show, Underneath the Lintel.

God’s Middle Name is the story of one mother’s journey through the uncharted territory of raising an autistic child. The central figure, Jennifer, is the mother of the child with autism. Christian Murray plays the various other characters that interact with her, including her son Nicholas and husband David. The structure of the play is an episodic journey over the course of 10 years, from confusion prior to a life-altering diagnosis, through stages of denial, anger, depression, bargaining and finally acceptance. Along the way are flights of fancy and a great deal of humour, found both in Jennifer’s own approach to the challenge, and in Nic’s perception of the world around him.

The title of the play is a reflection of the literal mindedness of many autists. Nic is fascinated with God and seeks answers to the simplest of questions one might ask about any ‘real person’. Jennifer and David humourously provide a last name for God: “Almighty”, but they fail to provide a simple answer to the question of God’s middle name. Through the course of the play variations on the possibilities for God’s middle name creep into the action. At times it is ‘patience’, at others it is ‘punishment’, sometimes ‘love’. By the end of the play, no one is in any doubt as to the ineffable quality that constitutes God’s middle name. The image of the game show Jeopardy, as it appears projected at the top of the play and in marketing materials, reflects Nicholas’ overriding fascination with game shows. This fascination is again not unique to Nicholas; the predictable scripting of these shows, the colourful elements, the combinations of numbers and letters make game shows a strong draw for many people with autism. In many ways Nicholas filters all of his life experiences through a game show format.

Tickets are $20, available at the Whirligig Bookshop, 875-1117 and, one half hour before the show, at the door.