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"Atheists aren't arrogant," says Catherine Deveny, "We're smug."

If you're atheist, it will be hard to leave God Is Bullshit: That's The Good News without feeling a little more smug. If you're not atheist, it's hard to imagine you going in the first place.

Some say the best comedy springs from the well of crazy human behaviour that's so commonplace we don't notice it. When someone bluntly points it out, we laugh. Religion then is a veritable goldmine for the comedian, or at least it is if you're not worried about offending anyone. Catherine Deveny clearly isn't.

With glee and precision, Deveny spends a delightful hour hacking away at what she judges to be the most crazy, corrupt and deranged of all religious institutions, the Catholic Church. And let's face it, there's plenty of material to work with.

It's the sort of experience religious people can't stand and point to as evidence of militant atheism and intolerance. Deveny's message is - screw them. Atheists have to put up endlessly with religion's rather odd claim that it should be respected for what it is, given special privilege in society and not questioned. Here's a little space where we can say what we really think.

And yet it's not a negative show. Once Deveny has dispensed with the idea that god is bullshit, that really is the good news and we can all move on to better, brighter things. The show culminates in an amusing scene where Deveny invites a member of the audience to perform an 'unbaptism' on her in the name of reason and critical thought.

God Is Bullshit is completely partisan, utterly predictable and fiercely uncompromising. For atheists weary of a world full of religious insanity, that's the good news. Indulge yourself, you'll feel better for it.


Studio Ish
God is Bullshit: That's the Good News
Catherine Deveny

Venue: Trades Hall | Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Dates: 25 March - 18 April, 2010
Times: Tue - Sat 7.15pm, Sun 6.15pm, Fri 10 Apr 10.45pm & Sat 17 Apr 5.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Prices: Full $25, Concession $22, Tightarse Tuesday $22
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | At the door
Visit: catherinedeveny.com.au