Review: Godspell

Che Greeno as Jesus (center) and the cast of St. Edward's University's Godspell (photo by April Paine)

It's tempting to expect more out of a production of Stephen Schwartz (music/lyrics) and John-Michael Tebelak's (book) Godspell from St. Edward's University's Mary Moody Northen Theatre. The school is, after all, a Catholic institution, and the musical is deeply ensconced in the Gospel of Matthew. The show, which opened off-Broadway in 1971, playfully transforms the parables of Jesus Christ into a series of singable teaching moments, sung by a group of highly invested young folks of faith, of which St. Ed's professional theatre training program is chock-full.

Not working in their favor is that, five decades ago, it was at least plausible that a cluster of counterculture love children would gather to share some sacred stories and disciple role-playing. The streets were littered with desires for peace, love, and understanding back then, and the arts bolstered those efforts. Not so much in 2011, when Godspell was given a revival on Broadway and The Village Voice noted that the show fails because it's "harder [for musicals] to be subversive nowadays." The New York Post called the musical out of step and its hyperactive production "Bible-campy." And now, what with last year's insurrection and this year's State of the Union address serving as vivid examples of our nation's great divide, the possibility of New Testament highlights being joyfully acted out by a unified corps of cockeyed optimists is a bit hard to accept.

So, at issue is whether St. Ed's can turn stale water into drinkable wine and get us to swallow. It can and it does under Anna Skidis Vargas' direction.

Her approach to this musical seems to embrace Matthew 6:1, where Jesus recommended an understated expression of faith over a more spurious display. And so the performances by the charming Che Greeno as Jesus, guest artist Patrick Hartigan as Judas, Emile Sivero as John the Baptist, and the talented ensemble (Juan Diego Chapparo, Grace Coldicott, Sonia Mariah Fonseca, Kiley Gaddis, Lillian Harlow, Christina Hollie, Tyler Holmes, Gabrielle North, Mia Ramirez, Elsa Sanchez-Tolentino, Conor Tompkins, Vivienne Verges, and alumnus Mattie Buzonas) are significantly subdued when compared to the off-Broadway and Broadway stagings, and to more recent regional productions I've encountered.

This paradigm shift is also reflected in Jacob Foster's minimalistic city park scenic design and Bill Rios' subtle lighting design within the in-the-round performance space. Susan Branch Towne's costuming and Tara Cooper's hair and makeup design replace the traditionally hippie-ish appearance of the actors with things still colorful but contemporary, and Jesus' character-defining Superman T-shirt has been swapped for a button-down long-sleeve shirt and cowboy boots. Choreographer Taylor Rainbolt has also made the big production numbers less of a frantic expression of faith and more of a labor of love (with the occasional two-step in the mix), which seems to work well with the superb small orchestra (music director Susan Finnigan on keyboard, Corey Finnigan and Paul Harper on guitar, Kris Rogers on bass, and Chris Gordon on drums).

It is during the dance breaks in production numbers like "Light of the World," "Learn Your Lessons Well," and "Day by Day" that we are reminded that St. Ed's professional theatre track offers a drama major but only a musical theater minor. A show like this desperately needs highly trained triple-threat performers if it is to entertain today's audiences, but precision and sharpness are missing from the cast's execution of the choreography. Even the dancing in the big vaudeville song and dance number "All for the Best," which features Greeno as Jesus and Hartigan as Judas, isn't impressive.

Where this cast excels is in the more dramatic musical numbers that highlight their superb acting skills and wonderful voices. "By My Side," featuring the silver-throated and delightfully expressive Gaddis, and the somber "On the Willows," featuring gorgeous harmonies between Sivero, Greeno, and band member Finnigan, create the most memorable and moving moments of the evening.

That these moments can still be excavated from this lesser musical is a minor miracle, which is not an uncommon occurrence on St. Ed's Mary Moody Northen Theatre stage.

St. Edward’s University’s Godspell