Welcome, fellow Elders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to the trial of Brother Joshua, aka Canadian clown Joshua Bonnici. Chained to a door, wearing a red jumpsuit and Hannibal Lecter muzzle, Joshua must first extricate himself from handcuffs before he can begin a bump-and-grind to Britney Spears. Audience members are then called to pass judgement upon Joshua for lying, swearing, masturbating and simply being “too much.”
A fearless physical comedian, Bonnici (who is still a card-carrying Kingdom Hall member) wrote this genre-jumbling work with director Gordon Neill, which sees him celebrating forbidden holidays just to rub his disobedience in Jehovah’s shining countenance. For those who only know Witnesses as doorbell-ringing purveyors of Watchtower magazine, this show should give you some insight into the Bible-centric sect’s craze for conversion, through its interactive scenarios with audience volunteers.
Simultaneously sacrilegious and sincere, Joshua’s Witnesses boasts a surfeit of silly supernatural sound effects, maniacal Mormon-wrestling and an unexpected splash of sensuality. Questioning the theology behind the 144,000 souls selected for salvation, starting a sacred sex-advice hotline, slithering snake-like along the floor while tasting a tempting apple and challenging the prohibition against blood donations probably won’t endear Bonnici to religious conservatives. But he’s sure to make friends among the Fringe’s freethinkers with his humorous deconstruction of religious doctrine.
If you like a little light spiritual enlightenment with your laughter — or you just want to see a grown man pull his pants up without using his hands — don’t hide behind your couch when Bonnici comes knocking at your door.
Joshua’s Witnesses
Scarlet Venue, Orlando Family Stage
60 minutes; 18 & up
$15
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.