During the late ’60s, a new form of entertainment
was born on Broadway. It was called the rock musical and it was
a blend of hippie culture, theatrical conventions and psychedelic
rock music.
Starting with Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s "Hair,"
the rock musical culminated with "The Who’s Tommy,"
which opened in 1993, and then promptly died as composers like
Andrew Lloyd Webber – whose "Jesus Christ Superstar"
opened on Broadway in 1971 and ran for 711 performances – and
Stephen Schwartz – whose "Godspell" moved from off-Broadway
to Broadway in 1976, where it ran for 527 performances – found
other outlets for their talents. (Schwartz is the composer of
"Wicked" and Webber is the producer of "Bombay
Dreams.")
Schwartz’s "Godspell," currently playing at Bay Ridge’s
Christ Church in a revival by the Brooklyn Theatre Arts Project,
was conceived and directed by John Michael Tebelak, who along
with the original cast had recently graduated from college. Loosely
based on the Gospel according to Matthew ("godspel"
is an Old English spelling of "gospel," which means
"good news"), the show reflected a youth culture that
portrayed Jesus as a prototypical hippie who wears a Superman
T-shirt and gives out flowers and trinkets to his followers.
In the Brooklyn Theatre Arts production, director Paul Campione
has made the setting Brooklyn (or more precisely a Brooklyn street
designed by John Kohan, where all the production’s advertisers
are located), updated some of the dialogue and referenced more
current pop culture. Fortunately for Campione and the rest of
the troupe, this is an out-of-the-way Brooklyn production, and
will pass below the radar of lawyers who might otherwise pounce
on copyright infringement.
"Godspell" begins with John the Baptist commanding
the multitude to prepare itself and includes several familiar
Bible parables in the first act – the Good Samaritan, the raising
of Lazarus, the Lilies of the Field – told in song, dance and
improvisation. Act 2 tells the story of the Passion – the Last
Supper, the Crucifixion – related in that same whimsical spirit.
The musical is an ensemble piece that moves along via a robust
score that is more exuberant than distinctive. (The only hit
song, "Day by Day," topped the charts in the summer
of 1971.) The songs are performed by Jesus and his disciples
(a motley crew of freaks and clowns) and are interspersed with
skits that are more vaudevillian than theological.
Campione, a Wagner College graduate, has assembled an impressive
group of fellow-alumni and current Wagner students – from Jesus
(Greg Bechtel) to his disciples (Christine Donlon, Hector Espinoza,
Kayla King, James Steele, Jackie Wolter) along with several other
(mostly young) people for this show. Their abundant energy keeps
the stage rocking.
If "Godspell" has any slow moments they are in the
dialogue and mime scenes between the songs. Here the play gets
too cute for comfort, betraying the ultimately serious nature
of Jesus, the gospels and the play itself.
Although a certain degree of individual creativity and improvisation
is clearly in the spirit of the script and the music, after a
while the references to Beatles songs, commercials, TV shows,
etc. are a bit much. However scenes like the Last Supper, the
Crucifixion (with its dramatic Caravaggio-like lighting), and
the resurrection (when Jesus is carried down the aisle of the
theater) are extremely impressive.
Although America was established on largely secular principles,
ours is a country that has always struggled with the place of
religion in public life. For many people the line between religious
morality, personal morals and the laws of the state is indeed
blurry. Shows like "Godspell" prove that the line between
religion and entertainment is equally ambiguous.
"Godspell" also proves that entertainment can be the
handmaiden of religion.
Brooklyn Theatre Arts Project’s "Godspell"
runs through Nov. 20, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.
Tickets are $10. Christ Church is located at 7301 Ridge Blvd.
between 73rd and 74th streets in Bay Ridge. For reservations,
call (718) 791-9667 or visit www.BTAP.org.
