Review: Direction, by Fran de Leon, handles the myriad details while never impeding the intensity, humor and character development.

via Larchmont Buzz By Laura Foti Cohen September 5, 2024

In Nicholas Pilapil’s God Will Do the Rest, a deliciously dysfunctional yet loving Filipino-American family has it all: sibling rivalry, religious confusion, controversial romance, first- and second-generation conflict, an array of secrets and plenty of food.

The food, often prepared by matriarch Maggie (Rinabeth Apostol) is truly nonstop, from a beloved family recipe for chicken adobo to takeout Church’s Chicken. The play is a nonstop sequence of preparing, serving, clearing and cleaning up—just like real life. In fact, real life is condensed so beautifully and flawlessly that, like a fan, God Will Do the Rest could be opened up to fill multiple seasons’ worth of episodes. If it were a streaming show, I would binge-watch it all day.

The opening sequence sets the tone, as each family member passing through the living room changes the TV channel. Iron-willed Maggie demands her daughter Connie (Ellen D. Williams) and grandson Tanner (Ryan Nebreja) set up the Santa Niño and accompanying shrine for Fiesta Señor, a celebration held during Epiphany. Connie has just moved back home and is having trouble adapting to the overbearing demands from a mother she previously drove crazy, then fled. Tanner was born when she was 17.

It’s not just her mother, but her sister Fritzie, aka Baby (Josette Canilao), now a successful real estate agent with a Jewish boyfriend, Nate (Josh Odsess-Rubin). His presence in her living room and her daughter’s life causes Maggie to make the sign of the cross a few extra times. She makes clear that her grandson’s aspiration to be a chef does not impress her either. Late arrival Tia Babette (Jason Rogel) continuously tries to show up her sister, further frustrating her.

Dad Ferdie (Reggie Lee), a hardworking nurse still recovering from the rigor and long hours of caring for COVID patients, mostly tries to stay out of the way. He adores his wife, tolerates his kids and craves his television.

Praying to Santo Niño is supposed to give the believers what they want, but the impediments work against the devout prayers. When the family is rocked by the unthinkable, their bonds will truly be tested.

The cast is uniformly strong. Apostol commands the stage with her presence and her well-written character. Williams shows a daughter’s frustration and rebellion, tempered with love. Rogel plays Babette for that rarest of combinations: comic relief plus emotional depth. Direction, by Fran de Leon, handles the myriad details while never impeding the intensity, humor and character development. The set, Leah Ramillano, is impeccably designed, with details that both amuse and reveal character traits.

This is a don’t-miss joint production of Artists at Play and the Latino Theater Company.