the uninvited guest by Bonnie Anderson. See listings, this page, for details. Rating: NN
locking herself in the church-basement washroom just before her wedding, Angela (Wendy Coles) meets God (Andy Rhodes), a woman who, except for her body sparkles, looks like an elegant wedding guest.What starts out as a wan sitcom full of limp gender jokes (God accessorizes the washroom and chastises with a schoolmarmish slap) turns 180 degrees, awkwardly, into a family drama in Bonnie Anderson’s script. But once it turns serious, the narrative is totally predictable, its signposts as subtle as Jumbotron announcements.
Call The Uninvited Guest a divine therapy session. Its heart is in the right place, but the dramatics are thin and the outcome is obvious.
That’s not to deny Coles’s strong emotions in the second half or Rhodes’s knowing compassion in response. Angela learns a lesson about acceptance and forgiveness — of herself and others — but it’s all undone by the script’s triteness.
glenns@nowtoronto.com
jonkap@nowtoronto.com
