A Fractured Survey Of the Bible (Sense Of Humor Required)

Allen McRae, left, who plays all the female roles in "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)," makes a point to an angelic Scott Bailey in the Elden Street Players' zany production, onstage at the Industrial Strength Theatre. (Richard Downer)

Apparently unafraid that thunderbolts will suddenly sizzle them, and not fearing that great clouds of locusts will descend upon them, the Elden Street Players have put the Bible squarely in their comedic sights as the target of their current production. Yes, it's that Bible, the word-of you-know-who Bible found in hotel rooms around the world. "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)" is the zany follow-up to Elden Street's critical and commercial hit "The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)," which was onstage at the Industrial Strength Theatre in Herndon two seasons back.

"The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)" comes, as did its predecessor, from the Reduced Shakespeare Company, a California-based improvisational group that has also taken on the history of America and all of Western civilization. The company's specialty is the wacky reducing of epic subjects into bite-size amalgamations of bad puns, slapstick and audience participation, with time taken out along the way for comic digressions that wander completely off subject. ("Why isn't the word phonetic spelled the way it sounds?") The trick is to make it all seem random and spontaneous, and some of it was when performed by the original group. Now it is totally scripted, the jokes tried and true, with just enough elasticity to fit in a few about current events or local references.

Scott Bailey and Allen McRae reprise their basic characters from "The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)," with Bailey as the authority figure (think Moe of the Three Stooges) and McRae concentrating on physical comedy as he plays all the female parts. Casey Jones takes the place of Elden Street's David Sher (busy starring as a new father in real life) filling out the trio as the dumb one.

Directed by Holly Harrington, who also handled their twisted look at the Bard, the three amigos rapidly joke their way through the Good Book, zinging but never scorching their targets, including Moses, Mary and Joseph, Abraham, Jesus and the Big Guy, by whom I mean Charlton Heston. It's relatively tame, and one would have to be totally without humor to find it offensive. (God to Abraham, about to stab a doll: "What do you think you're doing?" Abraham: "You told me to kill Isaac." God: "I was kidding. Why do all you fundamentalists have no sense of humor?")

Some of the funnier moments from writers Adam Long, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor and Matthew Croke are songs, including the toe-tapping tune "Begattin," which riffs on the verb "begat." Another highlight is a soft-sandal routine in "Revelation: The Musical." There's also a "Top 10 List of Rejected Commandments" that is particularly funny. ("Don't pee in the pool" is one that didn't make the cut.) Bailey is notably hilarious in one of the few subtle segments, showing us an embarrassed and frustrated Joseph dealing with the paternity of his baby.

It has to seem effortless to really work, but the cast could be seen working hard on opening night during the first act, which focuses on the Old Testament. It loosened up considerably in the second act, ratcheting up both the energy and laughs. (Nobody ever said the Old Testament was easy.) The three actors quickly shifted gears when dealing with audience members pulled into the show, helping to generate a sense of fun. Being armed with Super Soaker water pistols didn't hurt.

The show looks and sounds like stand-up comedy, but it is really theater. The three cast members are actors playing comedians, and they're following a script. Perhaps the only thing that is truly spontaneous is the laughter, and there is plenty of that. Noel Coward, it is not. But it's heavenly just the same.

"The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)" continues through June 24, performed by the Elden Street Players at Industrial Strength Theater, 269 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 p.m. June 18. For tickets, call 703-481-5930. For information, go tohttp://www.eldenstreetplayers.org.