'An Act of God' adapts tweets to Broadway.

• Author: Paulson, Michael
• Position: Living

Byline: Michael Paulson

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- God has been good to David Javerbaum.

God's Twitter account (well, @TheTweetOfGod, an account created by Javerbaum that posts witticisms in the name of God) has nearly 2 million followers.

And God's memoir (actually a book written by Javerbaum) has now been adapted (by God, according to the publicity material -- you get the picture) into a new Broadway comedy, "An Act of God,'' that begins performances this week.

Jim Parsons has the title role. Why? "For lo, I have endowed him with a winning, likable personality; and know of a certainty that your apprehension of My depthless profundities will be aided by his offbeat charm,'' God explains at the start of the show.

Javerbaum thinks it's quite funny that his play is being staged at Studio 54, a venue not known for its godliness.

But he was not particularly amused by the suggestion that he be interviewed at a house of worship, and, just to drive the point home, You-Know-Who posted a Twitter message that morning: "I'm skipping church.''

So how did a successful, 43-year-old comedy writer -- he has won 13 Emmys, 11 at "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart'' -- arrive at the Supreme Being as a subject?

"Well, I've been aware of God for some time,'' Javerbaum said dryly, sitting down to meet at -- compromise -- Holy Grounds, a coffee shop located at a Catholic parish here.

God, Javerbaum noted, has some unique attributes, not just as a deity, but as a vehicle for comedic observations about world affairs and human behavior. The play, like the Twitter account and the book (initially titled "The Last Testament: A Memoir by God'') is presented as a combination of God's commentary on the world and God's explanation of the back story to some of his most famous works and deeds.

"God will be discussing a lot of topics, and answering a lot of the questions people have, with the help of his two angels,'' Javerbaum said.

"Because it's from God's point of view, he could comment on anything that ever happened, ever, and it would not be irrelevant; it would

not be off topic,'' he added. "With God, I've stumbled upon one that organically could have something to say about anything.''

The play is an outgrowth of the tweeting -- "I'm happy to be the first person to convert a Twitter account into a Broadway play,'' Javerbaum said -- but unfolds with greater structure. Javerbaum said that his background in television has made the development process easier.

"I have no problem...