Godspell

 

Godspell: The show originated in 1970 as a Masters’ project for Carnegie Mellon University, it was later noticed by producers Edgar Lansbury, Stuart Duncan and Joseph Beruh who wanted to open it off-Broadway. They hired Stephen Schwartz to write new songs for the show, most of the non-Schwartz lyrics were from the Episcopal Hymnal. The interpretation of Jesus as a hippie with his multi-racial playful followers reflected the times in which it was written. After its Broadway opening in 1971, the showtransferred to London with David Essex as Jesus. It has been performed many, many times since.

The set was that of the inside of an abandoned theatre and was very well dressed. The use of the ladder to give height to some of the principal numbers and to convey the dead Christoff stage at the end was particularly inventive, as was the use of the trestles to create desks, platforms etc. together with the use of the wheeled boxes.

The lighting was spectacular. The lighting designer had made full use of the much improved facilities at the Maltings. The dramatic moments were reinforced visually through the lighting. The sound was very good and you could hear every word of the singing and the dialogue, there were a few crackles at the beginning of the show but they seemed to disappear as the show got going.

The characters were all suitably dressed to demonstrate their roles – Carpenter, Costume Lady etc. I felt that Mandy Grealis could have been attired in a sexier costume for “Turn back O man”, she is an attractive actress who was rather sedately garbed for that number. Overall the costumes balanced well, I liked the change of shirt for the onstage choir during the interval. The make-up was subtle.

The orchestra led by Bob Good made a really good sound and he kept an effective balance between the sound of the vocalists and the orchestra. I would like to mention the guitarist for his solo work.

Godspell is a difficult show to do as there are no set changes or costume changes, everybody is on stage all the time and must maintain focus throughout. The ensemble consisting of ten actors, plus Kevin Sampson as Jesus,worked hard both with energy and commitment. Kevin’son-stage confidence and excellent singing gave the show security and enabled the audience to relax knowing that they were in safe hands. The cast interpreted the parables for the audience with enthusiasm. There was an especially good duet in the second act between Fran Cave and Chrissy White which was beautifully sung and was a real contrast to the preceding scene. Ellen Oakley is also one to watch! The singers at the sides of the stage (seated on church chairs which I thought was a good touch) bolster the on stage singing but I felt their contribution could have been greater. Their self-discipline at keeping still and focused was excellent.TheDirector – Dan Bundy produced a high energy show, I really enjoyed the second act with greater contrast and dramatic highlight than in the first act. He had created some good tableau effects. I was someone at a loss to understand what the relevance of the “Save our theatre” campaign was, but I expect that was me being thick! The choreography by Olive Woolf was simple but effective as everybody could do it to a good standard.

 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.