Of the many glories of the musical Godspell, audiences feel familiar stories and parables we have known since Sunday school, and probably heard preached countless times, suddenly feel real and raw and even a little rambunctious. But even as this 54-year-old play has made a 2000-year-old story startle and marvel audiences since Nixon was president, Tennessee Tech’s current revival of the production now showing at the Backdoor Playhouse, makes this well-known rendering of the Gospels pop with poignancy and passion.
Director Brooke Howard, musical director Wendy Mullen, and technical director/lighting designer Craig Dettman have collaborated with a dynamic ensemble of student actors who exceeded every possible expectation and a live rock band that handles every number with effervescent and energizing emphasis.
Godspell always feels like a back-to-basics primer to me. As far as I am concerned, it brings both a gold standard for musical theatre and a reliable reference point for how best to convey religious themes in pop culture. Since around 2012, directors have had the option of an updated script for their productions, which means that even for an old Godspell-head like me, the play’s brief comedic bits feel more contemporary than dated.
The first thing you notice when you enter the intimate confines of our campus theatre for this show is that it looks like someone forgot to clean up. Why else would there be an extension cord, a skateboard, and orange traffic cones cluttering up the corner of the stage. A utility light and plastic curtains throw off the impression that painting and renovations might be going on, and we will soon get kicked out by a gruff misfit in coveralls. Of course that is not the case at all, and when the poly sheeting soon gets raised, it reveals the colorful Godspell set that we might call a mixed-up mixture of magical man-cave meets jubilee junkyard. Strings of lights are hung scattershot and random street signs and license plates decorate the backstage wall, along with a plethora of chaotic chalk graffiti, with hearts and peace signs galore. The dynamic cast in their shabby chic attire complete the shiny happy vibe.
Browsing the program, it’s not the least surprising to learn that many of the cast are music or theatre majors of one variety or another, and based on their bios, some with singing and stage credits dating back to primary school. But the pivotal and standout performance of John the Baptist/Judas simply slayed me, so surprised was I to learn that this show is this performer’s theatrical debut. When he is not holding an entire audience rapt with his acting and singing, Gabe Tardy is a grad student in civil engineering. Wow.
If this entire soundtrack that I have loved my entire life had a hit single, it might be “Day By Day,” and Maddie Maas’s interpretation of this song really brought that infectious energy. Such a strong number so early in the first act made everyone present on opening night realize what a master course in vocal performance we would be witnessing.
While every song soared and never bored, several standout numbers really riveted. Elliot Klein’s virtuosity on “All Good Gifts,” interspersed with recorder solos, had me hanging on his every word and note and wanting to shout “Amen.” Rachel Young’s heartfelt rendition of “By My Side” might have made me a wee teary-eyed, not the only time that this happened in the show. Zeke Eckert and the entire cast almost dissolved the walls of the Jere Whitson building with the holy banger “We Beseech Thee.”
Although Riley Keegan’s Jesus has traded the Superman t-shirt of the play’s earliest productions for a baseball jersey, and his short hair suggests that the hippy Christ of the 1970s might have cleaned-up a little for these stressful times, his performance is an all-encompassing medicine, compassionate and bold. Keegan’s charisma facilitates the family feeling for the entire cast. It’s a lot to ask a young actor to be the Lord and Savior in a secular performance of this play that is open to the public and not a church pageant. But Riley Keegan leans into this role with a sense of calling and vocation. Keegan is compelling from front to back, from the convicting retelling of the parables and his soulful and searing singing on tracks like “Save the People” and “Alas for You,” right down to serving his friends the bread and the cup and facing his fate on a wooden cross that is strapped with bungee cords to a sturdy step ladder.
Before Stephen Schwartz birthed the life and teachings of Jesus into the musical so many appreciate and adore, it was a story conceived by John-Michael Tebelak. He found church cold and lacking in the very love that was at the heart of the Christian story. Inspired by the frolic of the counterculture at the time, Christ became a sacred clown and the disciples a band of merry folk. But when the production first finally launched, much of the modernity came specifically in set, costume, and Schwartz’s songs, because the actual ancient teachings of Jesus remained entirely faithful to the primary text. Yet if we unpack our own baggage about religion and leave our prior judgments at the venue door, the collision of ancient and contemporary is actually a singular vision of truth and love. Really, this much joy and love presented without irony or apology does feel like something from the traveling circus caravans of old.
Even as I write this review as it’s getting quite late after attending opening night, I want to believe in all the truth and love that I just experienced in this show. But I know that sometimes, I simply can’t get there. I want to believe, but help my unbelief. That is why this show is more than a play to me. It’s been something magical and miraculous since I saw it as a young child and memorized the songs from a now-scratchy vinyl record.
I feel resurrected from just watching the show. It took everything to wait for the curtain call to get on my feet with others during the standing ovation. I felt like leaving my seat, letting the spirit move my body, and trying to join the fantastic choreography onstage. I am sure the theatre staff are grateful I remained seated, but that’s just how good this show made me feel.
Whether you have been seeing versions of this play for your entire life, as I have, to where the songs live in your bones, or whether you are seeing this show for the very first time, the current rendering of Godspell at the Backdoor Playhouse might give you goosebumps, might remind you of deeper meanings that you have forgotten, and it might even bring you closer to God. It did all these things and much more for this reviewer, and I really hope to catch the show a couple more times before it closes on March 8th.
-Andrew William (Sunfrog) Smith
Andrew Smith is a local teacher, DJ, poet, and activist. He has reviewed live theatre in Cookeville for almost 20 years.
As of this writing, you can still catch Godspell at 7:30pm at the Backdoor Playhouse (rear of Jere Whitson/Admission building, just off the main quad at Tennessee Tech) on February 28, March 1, 6, 7, and 8. There is one matinee on March 1 at 2pm. Tickets are open seating and available at the door: General admission: $15.00; Senior citizens: $12.00; Student admission: $5.00 (This is for all university, college, and high school students. ID required.); Faculty & Staff Night: $5.00 (2nd weekend, Thursday night performance)
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