God, The Devil and Me Review
God: “You’ve got us Gabe…”
Devil: “…And we’ve got you.”
Playing a game of truth or dare with God and the Devil wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card, but six days into the new year that’s exactly where I found myself — at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, watching ‘God, The Devil and Me’, a new play by Fionnuala Donnelly.
Walking into the small theatre above the pub, I was greeted by a cheerful Devil handing out programmes and asking where I’d come from. As the first audience member in the room, I was either very brave or very foolish to sit in the front row. He joked it would be the best show I’d see all year. I asked him to be nice to me. To the Devil’s credit, when I was inevitably pulled into audience participation, he only asked what my favourite animal was.
The play itself draws heavily from Donnelly’s lived experience of schizoaffective disorder. Diagnosed at 17, Donnelly lived with intrusive voices that shaped their adolescence. Now, with the distance of adulthood and the insight gained through therapy, they offer a raw, compassionate glimpse of the lived experience of mental health and the ways young people navigate them.
We follow Gabe, a music‑obsessed teenager who speaks to God and the Devil. If you’ve ever wondered what having two omnipotent beings on your shoulder might feel like, it was a lot like bickering frenemies: united in their mission to keep Gabe onside, yet constantly sniping at each other as they position themselves as his only guides. The impact on his relationships—with family, friends, and himself—quickly becomes clear. One of the clever yet education devices in the show is a game they play with Gabe, where God makes statements about psychosis and they have to answer ‘real or not real’.
The second act moves to a hospital setting, where Gabe meets Hannah, a fellow patient with an eating disorder. She offers something the omnipresent voices never can: solidarity. Through music and companionship, she helps Gabe reconnect with the world outside his head. The play captures how psychosis distorts perception, isolates those experiencing it, and complicates relationships. Themes of identity, trust, and recovery run throughout. I found the portrayal empathetic and hopeful, though I would have liked a deeper exploration of Gabe’s path toward improved mental health.
Donnelly pulls triple duty as writer, director, and actor, playing Gabe’s mother. Neo Jelfs brings a swaggering confidence to God—long hair and a surprising amount of swearing. Campbell Maddox’s Devil is younger and a little unsure, which creates an interesting contrast. Noah Edmondson’s Gabe is particularly strong: the anxious leg tapping, arm scratching, and avoidance of eye contact all felt authentic to a teenager experiencing mental illness. Rounding out the cast is Miranda McEwen as Sam and May Mead as Hannah.
As you’d expect from a play featuring God and the Devil, there are biblical references, religious jokes, and nods to their two‑millennia résumé. A few lines genuinely made me laugh—especially as an Aussie, when Gabe asks why God created the platypus. At one point God quips the path to hell is paved with good intentions, which the Devil wasn’t aware of. At another point, the Devil says ‘where the me is he?’ which made me chuckle as did a dig about God’s absent parenting. The script also pokes fun at itself. God sighs at clichés, demands better writing, and when the Devil reappears as a psychiatrist, Gabe deadpans, “You look familiar.” These meta moments don’t always land and occasionally pull you out of the story, but they add a playful layer.
Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill threads through the show — “if I only could, I’d make a deal with God, and I’d get him to swap our places.” Its focus on bargaining with higher powers and imagining life in someone else’s shoes fits neatly with Gabe’s struggle.
The set is simple: a teenager’s bedroom with a stack of records, a record player, a rolled‑up blanket, and clothes on the floor. Costumes are clear and symbolic—red waistcoat and top hat for the Devil, white suit and top hat for God.
At 70 minutes with no interval, the show moves quickly. Occasionally too quickly—a few lines were delivered so fast that some jokes didn’t quite land. The second half involves a lot of chair‑shuffling, which becomes a bit repetitive. And there’s a canned‑laughter sequence that goes on just a fraction too long.
‘God, The Devil and Me’ is produced by Tip Top Theatre Collective, a group of young creatives aged 18–26 from Wiltshire. The company is committed to bringing compassionate, accessible theatre to communities. Their other show ‘Growing Pains’ continues their blend of comedy and social commentary and will tour later this year.
Overall, this is a heartfelt, imaginative piece of theatre that balances lightness and gravity while giving voice to an experience rarely portrayed with such honesty. But be prepared: God and the Devil might just have a question for you.
Performing 6th-10th January 2026. Tickets from £15, £13 for concession.
Address: The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, 42-44 Gaisford St, London NW5 2ED
Lion and Unicorn theatre
Website: https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landutheatre
Tip Top Theatre Collective
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiptoptheatrecollective
