“Henry Bial’s keen dramaturgical eye, love of Broadway lore, and deep respect for faith and faith concerns elevate his subject. He asks what it means to balance the demands of theatrical (and commercial) representation with the challenge of doing justice to transcendent ideas and personages... Bial’s writing is incisive and sophisticated but also accessible and, frankly, fun.” — John Fletcher, Louisiana State University “A detailed and entertaining overview of more than 100 years of Biblical theatre on the Great White Way, Playing God asks important questions about the complex interplay between theological, commercial, and aesthetic enterprises found in scripturally inspired theatre. Henry Bial's love for the American stage and deep respect for religious practice shine as he addresses the interplay between religious antitheatricality and secular antireligious sentiment, all the while asking significant questions about adaptation, representation and transcendence. An important, and enjoyable, read for any scholar of religious performance, or lover of Broadway.” — The Reverend Canon Julia Whitworth, Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine “In Henry Bial’s fascinating study of Broadway stage adaptations of the Bible, theater and church meet and greet, celebrate or offend, garner glowing reviews or get panned, pack houses or close quickly, are frequently revived or quickly forgotten. Bial offers a terrifically useful series of Broadway Bible-adaptation keywords… through which he smartly reads a wealth of archival materials and playscripts. This new excavation of U.S. theatre history gives readers—religious or not—compelling performance analyses and a vibrant sense of being-there.” — Stacy Wolf, Princeton University Winner. American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS) John W. Frick Book Award
ATDS John W. Frick Book Award
Byron Smith Caldwell Award, winner for non-fiction, 2017
The Hall Center for the Humanities (HCH) Byron Smith Caldwell Book Award