The God Particle: From The Edinburgh Fringe to Jersey

@godparticleplay Saw the show today. Very impressed. Best bit of comedy theatre I have seen in a long time. #edfringe

It is not often that Jersey has the opportunity to enjoy a play from the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, but the "God Particle" is coming to Jersey - on Saturday 21 September 2013, performed at St Aubin on the Hill Church  - from 8 pm to 9.30 pm, tickets available from the Art Centre - with the chance to talk to the cast after the performance.

This is the blurb for the play:

"Ever seen a romantic comedy sci-fi? Dr Bex Kenworthy from the Institute of Advanced Quantum Theory has been stood up by a lab-technician. When Dr Gilbert Romans arrives, things are looking up, until she discovers he is, in fact, the new local vicar. A die-hard sceptical scientist and a heavenly-minded vicar seem to create entirely the wrong kind of chemical reaction. But there was undoubtedly a spark. On top of this, strange things are going on in the village of Threepiggs. Is there any link between exploding TV-detector vans, a disappearing vicar and the unexplained bending of time? Will science or faith prevail? It's a little bit Rev meets Hitchhiker's Guide or The Vicar of Dibley meets Dr Who. The play features two actors and lasts 70 minutes with no interval."

Here are some other reviews. It looks very good indeed, and the writer has a good pedigree in writing for comedy shows on Radio and TV...

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/what-s-on/fringe-preview-the-god-particle-1-3022847

James Cary, co-writer of the aforementioned TV shows and of Radio 4's Another Case of Milton Jones is bringing his new 'sci-fi romcom' to Just The Tonic in Bristol Square, for a three-week run.

The God Particle, which opens tomorrow, has been described as 'boy meets girl, theology meets quantum physics, and Rev meets Doctor Who'.

Dr Bex Kenworthy's evening is not going well. Not only has she been stood up - and by a lab technician at that - but her mother keeps phoning her mobile for updates on her love life and her intended 'plus one' for her impossibly perfect younger sister's wedding.

Things seem to be looking up when a handsome stranger, Dr Gilbert Romans, enters the bar, until Bex realises he is the new vicar. A die-hard sceptical scientist and a heavenly-minded vicar seem set to create entirely the wrong kind of chemical reaction. or do they?

After all, strange things are going on in the village of Threepiggs.

How did the previous vicar mysteriously vanish without trace? Why do TV licence vans keep exploding near the graveyard? Who is the unusual saint depicted in the stained glass window? Why is the local Institute conducting top secret experiments with mercury? And where does a talking donkey fit into the puzzle?

There's only one way to find out.

http://www.fringereview.co.uk/fringeReview/5330.html

James Cary's The God Particle is a witty exploration of the intersection of science and religion. The romantic narrative follows Dr Rev Gilbert (religion) and Dr Bex (science) through various heated debates, a growing friendship and unexplained sci-fi occurrences.

The God Particle neatly expresses this argument without falling into the trap of dogma or flippancy, both sides of the argument encapsulated within opposing doctor characters. Jamie Hinde's fast paced direction allowed us to consider science as religion and miracles as plausible. The sitcom style of James Cary's writing is enjoyable and clearly reminiscent of The Vicar of Dibley and other similar BBC programs.

The God Particle will be performed at Just the Tonic at Edinburgh Fringe, 12pm daily - grab your tickets now, this is going to be a Festival hit. If you're not heading to Edinburgh they are also touring - more information can be found on their website.

The God Particle is a stand-out sitcom style performance from an adept and likeable company.

http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/ed2013-comedy-review-the-god-particle-nicely-thank-you/

The lengthy queue outside the venue was an immediate indicator that this was going to be good, and it did not disappoint.  A quantum physicist meets a vicar in a bar after being stood up, plunging them into the modern clash between science and religion and even seeing them go through time warps. The show centres on this intellectual debate, within a highly comical context, with moments of great hilarity. The acting was professional, believable and pretty flawless. Crucially, the two protagonists worked perfectly together, displaying their differences in attitude but their simultaneous reliance on each other. It is quite simply a show that just works, perfect for the fringe and well worth the price tag. Go see it!

http://theurbanpastor.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/the-god-particle-play/

Went to see The God Particle Play at the Battersea Mess and Music Hall on Thursday night. Took a friend. Neither of us is especially scientific; he's an economist and I'm a lapsed engineer. But we really enjoyed it.

It's one of those plays that I need to ponder for a while before deciding what I think. But, as an entertaining night out, it ticked all the boxes. The two actors were terrific... And the conversation afterwards was stimulating, no doubt provoked by what we'd just seen.

The God Particle is a play addressing the interaction between Christian faith and scientific atheism. The two main characters represent those two perspectives. One is an Anglican Vicar and the other is a Quantum Physicist. The Vicar is male. The scientist is female. And there's a faint whiff of sexual attraction that develops throughout the play. Together these two characters investigate some unusual events in the village of Threepiggs and as they do so their search for an explanation is the vehicle that draws us into the bigger debate. The writer, James Cary, describes the play as a romantic comedy sci-fi.  He's probably right.

Links:
http://www.thegodparticleplay.com/The_God_Particle_Play.html