Godspell

Written in the early 1970s, Godspell is a musical adaptation of the Gospel of St Matthew. The show’s book is by John Michael-Tebelak with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.

The show uses multiple musical genres and anyone growing up in the 1970's will instantly recognise a number of the songs as they all featured heavily in the charts of the day. Songs such as Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord, Save The People, Day by Day, Learn Your Lessons Well.

Director Hannah Morris gave us a modern perspective on the show, opening with an almost a Capella and very poignant “Tower of Babble” featuring mobile phones which was perfect, the knowing appreciative murmurs in the audience seeing the juxtaposition set the tone for the whole show, this clever use of her primary assets, her cast, worked very well in deed throughout the whole show.

Act One sees an uplifting, mindful Jesus, portrayed by Greg Wood, who gave an extremely good performance with great presence, a big part to learn and perform Greg seemed very at home in this role, he was aided and abetted by Charles Allen Smith as Judas, together they gather a band of followers. Through the use of parables, Jesus teaches his followers a caring and loving way of living.

All of the large cast truly shone, too many to name check them all, however I must mention Leo Foetu-Foster's “All Good Gifts” which was quite haunting, beautifully backed by the full cast, that said all of the soloists took their opportunity to shine, with some really stand out performances which I felt it gave true gravitas to the show.

Act Two brings a darker almost sombre feeling to the stage as doubters led by Judas become disillusioned and critical of Jesus, this is reflected so well in the music as it turns ever darker towards the ultimate sacrifice.

There are some powerfully rich melodies “We Beseech Thee” was outstanding, the full cast led by soloist Lydia Thompson really rocked this number, as they did so many of the songs as the show moves to it's dramatic climax on the crucifix, again the scene was thoughtfully done, lit to emphasise the act and augmented with the reprise of “Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord”.

Musical Director Laura Foxcroft coaxed every last sumptuously rich tone from her highly accomplished musicians, they really rocked the Gatehouse, the sound was excellent, so to the subtle lighting making the most of the simple set.

Choreographer Kalvin LaMey used his cast well, creating slick cohesive movement throughout, he put the cast through their dynamic paces, the full cast numbers in particularly were really well staged.

The MYTS cast are brimming with talent and enthusiasm which comes across to the audience so well, passionate about their performances, collectively singing, dancing and acting in a well drilled, vibrant, colourful and thought provoking well polished show

At the time of its release Godspell became a worldwide phenomenon, the original British production featured a young David Essex as Jesus and Jeremy Irons as John/Judas.

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