Renée Rossi’s explosive satire God Bomb questions the credentials of many Catholic saints. Taking pot shots at Mother Teresa, this one-woman show tackling some of the most difficult religious questions can, at its best, produce clever and biting jokes that question the very pillars of Father, Son or Holy Spirit. At other times, falling short of the mark, the sketches can be confusing or over-the-top and force an agenda rather than making a nuanced point about the big guy upstairs.
With an armoury of sketches, quips and original forms of roleplay, Rossi’s comical ammunition works with various effects. Sometimes it’s a blast and other times, well, it’s more of a tiny crackle.
It all kicks off when she stands in front of a panel and interviews for the role of one of God’s representatives on earth as a saint. Recycling and abortion rights are what she wants to become patrons of, and Rossi, weaving them into the piece like a musical motif, makes sure she returns to these points continuously when she’s confronted with many of God’s officials.
The audience then enjoys other short and snappy scenes where she auditions for the Nativity, plays Mary as a modern Italian-American and works with the first manuscript of the Bible as a publisher. Make sure to watch out for the incredibly light audience participation that’s missing from the show’s marketing as well.
Rossi certainly gives every biblical or religious character her all and has endless energy, matched with a great stage presence. A director is missing, however, throughout the performance. Rossi brings a box of many different tricks as a writer, but as the work nears its end, the characters blend too much into each other. Adam is too similar to Eve. The snake slithering through the Garden of Eden is not that much unlike Jesus rocking his body around an office to escape having to sleep with nuns, and one saint is often indistinguishable from the other.
She’s not afraid to be inventive with each part of the stage: an apple hangs from the exit door, halos poke out from the back stage, and Rossi will freely come up into the seating area for the audience. It’s a brave, in-your-face kind of theatre that she creates.
Overall, Rossi’s world premiere has a lot of potential for its first showing. Her work is original in form and subject matter and is occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Yet, there’s work still to be done on each component. But with a touch here and there, it will make for a treat for any theatre-goer.
Runs until 23 August 2026
Camden Fringe 2026 runs until 30 August
