Godspell, now on stage at Porthouse Theatre, is based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew. The musical tells the story of the last seven days of Christ’s life. The parables have been contemporized, and Christ’s followers are free spirits who sing the likes of “Day by Day,” “All Good Gifts” and “Turn Back, O Man.”
The show is sometimes perceived to be the creative child of Broadway super-author and composer Stephen Schwartz, the conceiver of such hits as Pippin and Wicked. ’Taint so. Schwartz was a late-comer to the project.
The story goes that in 1970, while attending college in Pittsburgh, theology student John-Michael Tebelak went to church on Easter Sunday. Tebelak found the service to be devoid of feeling. On the way home, the long-haired Tebelak was stopped by a policeman and searched for drugs. (This was the era of student protests, hippies and “dangerous” peaceniks.). Tebelak later confided that these combined experiences provided him the inspiration for The Godspell. He originally used the archaic English spelling for “gospel” which means good news. The “THE” was dropped from the title before the show’s Off-Broadway opening Tebelak produced the show as his senior project at Carnegie Mellon University.
The original score consisted of a song written by a cast member and old Episcopal hymns, played by a rock band. The show was eventually staged at the off-Broadway Cafe La Mama Theatre. A producer saw it and said he would finance it if it had a new score. Enter Stephen Schwartz, who wrote all the songs in five weeks. (The only tune to remain from the original production is “By My Side.”) The newly conceived show opened Off-Broadway on May 17, 1971 when Tebelak was 22. Godspell moved onto Broadway where it ran for 2,124 performances. A filmed version was made, and hundreds of professional and amateur productions of the show have been done.
Besides the Schwartz connection to the project, another fact generally overlooked is Tebelak’s Cleveland connection. As related by the late Bill Allman, the long-time producing director of Berea Summer Theatre, “John-Michael cut his theatrical teeth at Berea Summer Theatre where he acted, designed scenery and directed. In 1980 he returned to his roots when he directed a revival production of Godspell.” The show’s other connection to the area is that in August of 1971, before it became a mega-hit, Godspell was produced at Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, predecessor to Great Lakes Theater. The show’s director was non other than Tebelak himself.
The show is not without controversy. It has been called blasphemous. A conservative religious leader stated, “Surely no Christian who believes the Bible would approve of the perversion of Godspell.” The Wexford Pennsylvania School Board banned a production of it after “complaints about its religious message. There has also been some controversy over the lack of a resurrection scene. This criticism notably mirrors similar criticism leveled at the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar which also did not depict the resurrection.
Schwartz has made a note of this in the script, saying: “Over the years, there has been comment from some about the lack of an apparent Resurrection in the show. Some choose to view the curtain call, in which Jesus appears, as symbolic of the resurrection; others point to the moment when the cast raises Jesus above their heads. While either view is valid, both miss the point. GODSPELL is about the formation of a community which carries on Jesus’ teachings after he has gone. In other words, it is the effect Jesus has on the others which is the story of the show, not whether or not he himself is resurrected.”
Any director of Godspell has a number of choices to make as there is no script for the show. Everything is part of the score and there are no stage directions for how it should be staged. It has been done as a series of segments in which comic characters are the center of attention. It was also staged as children in a Sunday school class. It has been done as a religious sermon. It has also been performed as a dream sequence. The Porthouse production is set in a church.
Another issue is the tone of the piece. Should the production center on the religious message, forsaking the humor, or take Tebelak to heart and make this a production of joy. Porthouse choses the latter approach.
How to costume the show can also be a conundrum. Often Jesus is garbed in a Superman t-shirt and his followers clothed to in a hippie/tie-dye theme. In the Porthouse version, true to the more traditional theme in this production, Jesus is garbed all in white, his followers in various clothing. Director/ choreographer Dylan Ratell has wisely updated some of the language and nonverbal gestures.
All in all, this is a generally compelling production. Ben Piché has the handsome good looks of many of the paintings of Jesus. He has a pleasant voice, but unfortunately failed to develop the charisma that would be necessary to reap fanatic followers. His “Save the People,” had a nice musical sound and his “On the Willows” was beautifully interpreted.
Show highlights include “Day by Day” as sung by Jennie Nasser, the choreography for “All for the Best,” the vocals for “All Good Gifts,” which featured Charlie Kadair, who has a nice approach to humor, “By My Side” sung by Jocelyn Trimmer, and “We Beseech Thee” joyously sung by Evan Waggoner. Alexandre Marr’s musical direction was excellent, supporting, rather than drowning out the singers.
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: A good production of Godspell can still be a fine theatrical experience, whether you are or are not into the religious message. Though the ending did not have the emotional effect that could be created, the creditable Porthouse staging pleased the audience.
The show runs through July 23. For tickets call 330-672-3884 or go to porthousetheatre.com.
[Written by Roy Berko, member: Cleveland Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association]