Bring on the dysfunction.
Gregg Weiner stars as Richard in Actors’ Playhouse adaption of “Making God Laugh,” a comedy-drama about a family’s ups and downs.
Weiner was born in Philadelphia and raised in Florida and said he has always been geared toward making people laugh. Growing up, he did impressions of characters from “Saturday Night Live,” and taking drama in high school as a required class ignited his love for performing. He graduated from the New World School of the Arts in Miami and has been acting ever since.
Each of the four scenes in the two acts in “Making God Laugh” cover a different decade, starting with the late 70s through 2012. Each decade chronicles a holiday, which includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, Y2K and Easter.
He says the show charts the family’s relationships, how they change and evolve, and the fights between siblings and parents.
“I think everyone will see themselves in one of the characters if not all of the characters,” said Weiner.
To transition between scenes and show the years pass by, they use music, newspaper clippings, and sound bites of new stories and events that defined each decade.
On stage, they use the clothing and hair styles of the time, references and dialogues to sales companies and cars of that time, a lot of irony like cars that were supposed to be revolutionary but weren’t.
Weiner describes his character Richard as a lost child who is trying to find his way in the world. His character starts out in the first scene is in his mid-20s, and the older he gets, the more issues he has to face, like his struggle with alcohol.
“He’s also trying to find a career that works for him, and you see his character arc through the play; he kind of grows up and turns into a man and a responsible, good kid or a good son,” said Weiner.
He said his character’s moments of sincerity are also rewarding to see.
“There’s also some things that my character says in the play that are beautiful, that are true and honest about life, and that’s just as good as some of the comedy, because making people feel and think and see themselves, is part of what art is all about, and I get to do that in this show,” Weiner said. “I feel extremely blessed and lucky, and I think people are going to really dig it.”
Weiner relates to Richard — one of his favorite characters he’s played — wanting to take care of his family but also his struggle for success.
He said, “I relate to him kind of being lost and trying to identify himself through the things he can obtain with money, because I went through that phase as a young man.”
His character Richard is the oldest sibling, and Weiner is the youngest of three; both struggle with trying to be taken seriously.
“I’ve always kind of been treated like, ‘Oh Gregg, you still don’t have it together’ kind of thing,” said Weiner. “I was always trying to win my parents approval, and trying to be seen as an adult as opposed to the child and the youngest.”
One of his favorite scenes is the play’s second scene of the entire play where his character recites a poem and plays the drums. The comedic scene also takes a dramatic turn when he’s trying to prove himself to his family.
Weiner has appeared in movies such as “Transporter 2” and “Pain and Gain” and shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Magic City.” He loves comedy because of its immediate gratification.
“It’s like I know I’m doing my job right if someone’s laughing,” said Weiner. “My job is causing someone to feel something that’s good and positive.”
“Making God Laugh” will be playing at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Dec. 4 through Dec. 29. For tickets, check out tickets.actorsplayhouse.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0.
