THEATRE REVIEW - Godspell
UMW Theatre carries on a grand, soulful tradition.
By Dennis Wemm
THEATRE CRITIC
Godspell a musical presented by UMW Theatre
Book by John Michael Tebelak, Music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (2011 revision)
In the beginning, there was the Book of Matthew. A couple of millennia later, there was a young man who had a very disappointing Easter. He had gone to church at the Catholic cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hoping to find joy in the Easter Vigil. He was distraught not to find anyone who seemed to care at the service. As he left in his overalls and tee shirt, a policeman who had been at the service requested he submit to a pat-down for drugs.
He was a grad student at Carnegie-Mellon University’s theatre department and was searching for something to write a thesis about, but everything he had attempted to write about left him as cold as the Vigil. So, he read the Gospel when he got home, had a bunch of inspirations, and made a proposition to another student, a composer.
Together, they followed a bunch of modern trends and ancient traditions and developed a story theatre from the Gospel of Matthew. All they had to do is find a group of energetic and inventive performers to collaborate in the creation of their vision. In 1970, they produced the thesis in the CMU studio theatre. It was seen and subsequently optioned for off-Broadway production. Then it moved to Broadway. And in 2025, it was produced by UMW Theatre.
Godspell is a raw combination of Bible stories, parables, teachings, and songs — some based on the hymnals of the time but set to a collection of different styles, from gospel to soft-shoe to honky-tonk to folk. I say raw not because they are particularly challenging but because for the most part they’re unshaped and unadapted — just accurate transcriptions.
The people performing the show are young, enthusiastic, playful, and joyful, while their characters are a bit clueless. After all, mostly they’re disciples. Each person performs themselves performing the roles from the Biblical text — there are Prodigals, Pharisees, there are sheep and goats, and there is the eternal duo of Jesus and Judas (who also doubles as John the Baptist).
Imagine a Biblical Saturday Night Live. Add the fact that each character’s main persona is a reflection of themselves named with the name of the actor. They have to own their character.
In the UMW Theatre version, each performer loosely represents a tribe: a goofy kilted hipster, a Goth in sparkly black, a grown up in pantsuit and designer heels. At the opening, the entire cast is singing direct quotes from the entire history of studies of humanity and its relation to itself and the divine. After each proposes a bit of exegesis, each proceeds to lecture straight out to the audience. The monologues morph into a song in which everyone is trying to find their religious inspiration from the outside. They never really contact each other or have an effect on each other. They are trying to preach to a choir that is determined not to listen.
Jesus becomes that ideal Sunday school teacher whom everyone wants to please. He becomes the grownup in a room of newly reborn kids.
From the back of the house a ram’s horn sounds, and a voice calls for them to prepare the way of the Lord-repeatedly. They unify and energize on being baptized by water and the spirit. Jesus asks to be baptized but John demurs. Jesus insists and John fulfills a prophecy with water. Jesus immediately takes over and sets a tone of leadership.
What follows is a loosely scripted, partially improvised staging of biblical memorable moments, either following out of or punctuated with a song. Each person has their moment which they do with energy. Most of the content is quoted directly from Matthew’s text.
Tebelak’s goal of rediscovering the joy is fulfilled in the production from the late Tebelak’s vision. A sort of hyperactive joy propels the show: after the cast is baptized out of their stultifying insistence on everything meaning something else, they jump from moment of personal enlightenment to moment of teaching their new inspiration.
Schwartz’s music provides a kind of deeply emotional respite from the constant energy. Each has a serious message overlaid with a giddy whimsy. Some are direct quotes from traditional hymns: “Save the People” was written in 1850, “Day by Day” was newly written for Godspell.
The songs are sung skillfully and well, with performers playing a game of musical catch. One person proposes the theme of the song and passes it to another or to the ensemble. Eventually the ball is returned to the original singer in a responsorial pattern.
I have to admit at this point that I have seen this play, in different productions and different places at all levels of production at least twelve times. I assisted, directed, ran and/or designed lights and/or sound for three productions (totaling another 31 performances). I love, love, love this show. In part because of Godspell, I made an intentional study of theatre gaming and theatre sportz and adapted and devised theatre.
Now that I’ve said that, I found the UMW production just a tad too careful for me to totally enjoy it.
It’s not the individual performances, which were honest, immediate, and energetic. It wasn’t the design. I mean, my God, that set is magnificent. A series of stairs, platforms, arches, all directing my attention to the center of the stage and up from there. Careful hatching and cross-hatching that gives the impression of depth that can’t possibly really be there. Tightly focused lighting that draws focus straight where it needs to be. Sound that was tuned to perfection, and a band that truly rocks (when it’s appropriate) or tugs your heartstrings when it should.
Acting performances worked very well as acting, clowning, and dancing. Jeffrey Cobb, Jr. and Benjamin Kline were well suited to their roles as Jesus and John/Judas. Vocally they are perfect. They’re both uniquely leaders among a cast of followers.
Their interactions toward the end of Act I show their need to please each other, and lead directly to the soft shoe party number that is “All for the Best.” This turns into a theological debate, with Judas being at first impressed with Jesus’s sense of fairness and justice (“God Save the People”), but then disappointed and disaffected with his insistence that there’s really nothing people can do to change society, it’s human nature to suffer (“Someone’s got to be oppressed”). Judas is obviously going to live up to his role as the betrayer, but his reasons are ambiguous. He just sadly fits the “lonely outsider who is confused and frustrated by a lack of change” role necessary to tell this story. This spirited debate makes for a great climax and turning point to the action. Judas the Prodigal is forgiven and brought back into the Sunday school class.
The other players are only defined by their actors’ names. Obviously, vocal range and ability to “sell” the song are two major components to any musical performance, all are very well sung and all have their solo moments as well as ensemble performances.
Alivia Brown and Rachel Piotrowski excel in the iconic “Day by Day,” the song that helped sell the rest of the show as a Top 40 hit in the early 70s. Contrasted with the stultified “Tower of Babble,” it’s a strong paean to joy.
Some songs do better than others, each is in a genre of its own and reflects a statement of faith for each singer. There are gospel-tinged numbers, soulful folk numbers, circus numbers, honky-tonk torch songs, and near hymns.
Sarah Lenahan brings a simple, childlike glee to “Learn Your Lessons Well.” Caroline Rous is a bit more raucous in both of her solos, “Bless the Lord” and the torchy “Turn Back, O Man.” Jonah Hilbert doesn’t solo until late in Act I with “All Good Gifts” and the Act II opener “Learn Your Lessons Well” in duet with Rob Wilcox. When you see these two you have a real sense that they are not simply selling songs but are deeply affected by what the ensemble is doing around them.
Giannii Marshall, Ciarra Hopson, Rachel and the ensemble are intense in the soulful Act I closer, “Light of the World.” Finally, Regan Bailey doesn’t solo until the end of Act II (“We Beseech Thee”), but he’s clearly there as a highly visible force as a clown among clowns who never quite gets it right when the rest of the Sunday school class gets the message.
Other ensemble players who excel at listening, interaction, and a strong sense that they are constantly giving focus are Wilcox, Hopson, Hilbert, and Brown. These are performers who, even though they don’t have the spotlight at the moment, are always present, actively listening, reacting and never lost in the crowd.
At times the choreography does not support the spirit of the music. There’s a sense of joyful anarchy to the songs and the acting performances, but the movements too frequently resolve themselves into line dances. These seem to say that the individuality so well expressed elsewhere is a problem to be cured rather than a plus.
The same goes for the staging. What you see when you look at the set is a large playground for showing off the physicality of the performances, which is largely not played on above the first platform level. Instead, most of the show is “down in front,” while your focus is continuously drawn up to the spot that will be the focus of the inevitable climax of the show.
Godspell does well in the hands of director Stull, music director Chris Zavadowski, and choreographer Samantha L. Reynolds who are provided with a talented ensemble cast. You should definitely see the performance which has a three-week extended run.
Dennis Wemm is a retired professor of theatre and communication, having taught and led both departments at Glenville State College for 34 years. In his off time he was president and sometimes Executive Director of the West Virginia Theatre Conference, secretary and president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and generally enjoyed a life in theatre.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”