Feb. 4, 2026    

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A community theatre production is always a bit of a tightrope walk. I've seen some fantastic shows at NVCP, and I've seen some real duds. In Making God Laugh, the script spans three decades of family holidays, requiring actors to age believably while navigating broad comedy and genuine pathos. In this NVCP staging, the production embraces the warmth of the piece, even if not every moment lands as confidently as it might.

 

The play follows the Maxwell family through a series of holiday gatherings, watching youthful ambition slowly give way to the compromises and surprises of adult life. It’s a gentle, crowd-pleasing premise, and this production leans into its sentimentality. The living room set, designed by Clive Sanders, creates an inviting frame for the action. Scene transitions are smooth, and the passage of time is signaled clearly through costume and hair adjustments.

 

The cast brings an earnestness that carries the evening. The actors playing the parents, Kim Gordon and Michael Moribito, strike a comfortable rhythm early on, capturing the affectionate exasperation of a long marriage. Their comedic timing in the first act draws genuine laughs. As the years progress, they manage to find quieter, more reflective notes, which ground the later scenes in something more substantial.

 

The three adult children, played by Hercules Mayes, Garth Phillips and Emma Savic Kallesoe, each get moments to shine. While some of the broader comic beats feel pushed, there’s a sincerity underneath that keeps the characters relatable. Aging across thirty years is no small task for any performer, and while the transformations are sometimes more suggested than fully embodied, the emotional arcs remain clear.

 

If the production falters, it’s largely in pacing and in the script itself. The writing verges on the predictable, and some scenes feel familiar rather than freshly observed. And the obvious plastic doll portraying the baby at the end did ruin any attempt to draw emotion out of me.

 

Still, there’s something undeniably comforting about spending an evening with this family. The audience responded warmly, recognizing their own holiday tensions and triumphs in the Maxwells’ story. Community theatre thrives on connection, and in that sense, this production succeeds. 

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- Vancouver Stage 

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