The God Committee

Kristin and I decided to get "season tickets" to the Taproot Theatre in Seattle this year. We really like going to see the plays there and they had an inexpensive three-pack option which allowed us to pick 3 of the 5 plays on the 2007 schedule. Tonight, we'll be headed into town for "The God Committee". The play is probably the one I'm looking forward to least of the three we chose, as it portends to try and deliver a Message. Call me kooky, but when I'm paying to be entertained I really don't want to have someone elses ideals force-fed to me. I don't mind serious topics -- like them actually -- but based on the reviews I read, the script kind of leads you down a path towards believing not what you want to believe, but what the playwright tells you to. At least that's the impression I get from the reviews, but who knows? Maybe it won't be that way. Anyway, this particular play is about organ donations and, more specifically, who should get them.

From Broadway.com:

There's no doubt that the subject of organ transplants is an important one. Every year thousands of people can't get organs because there aren't enough donors. In Germain's well-constructed play, a committee must choose between three candidates for a heart that is being rushed to the hospital through heavy traffic. The candidates are a 68-year-old former nurse, a gay man who has HIV and a young man whose mega-rich father has promised a substantial donation to the hospital. The latter would seem to be the likely recipient, but a positive drug test could disqualify him.

So, then it begins. There is a committee of doctors and experts at the hospital who must "play God" and decide who gets the organ and who doesn't. While this doesn't exactly sound as fun as, say, seeing Reno 911!: Miami a second time (it wasn't actually that funny the first time) the one thing I know I can count on is that the production and quality of acting will be great. We've seen three of four plays at the Taproot Theatre and the cast and crew has done an incredible job each and every time.

If you're ever in the Seattle area and want to see a show, but don't want to fork out a ton of money for one of the bigger productions downtown, head up to the Ballard/Greenwood part of town and give Taproot a try. Tomorrow is closing night for this play.