At the Circle in the Square Theater, they’re singing about love. Unfortunately, we’re not talking about the revival of Hair. We’re talking about a campier, lesser show, celebrating the love of Jesus. This misconceived revival directed by Daniel Goldstein is exhaustingly packed with pop culture references, you know, to update it. I think in reality that was the last thing that Godspell needed.
Godspell exists in public consciousness because many people have seen productions, or have been in productions, and have seen the movie. The comic relief attempted by this revival lessens the meaning of Godspell’s message of love- and it certainly lessens the impact of the crucifixion scene.
Don’t get me wrong, the cast is exceptional, and full of great singers. (If nothing else, this production is well-sung). This Godspell is spearheaded by Hunter Parrish (of Spring Awakening and Weeds) as a blonde, adorable Jesus. For those unfamiliar, the production tells the story of the Gospel of Matthew by acting out parables. Hunter is a great, charismatic leader, absolutely believable as the kind hearted Messiah. The production begins with a pool of water onstage, which they all bathe in, and then Jesus walks on. Wallace Smith (The Lion King, American Idiot) as John, later Judas, leads the cast in a vocally gorgeous rendition of one of the show’s better known songs, “Prepare Ye”.
Hunter excels on the softer songs in the show. His voice sounds gorgeous on “Save the People” and “Beautiful City”, but he struggles with “Alas for You”. The show also struggles with sound balance and mixing issues in the theater, so it is sometimes hard to tell whether Hunter is to blame.
Lindsay Mendez (Grease) sings a stellar “Bless the Lord” and Telly Leung (Glee) gives a beautiful rendition of “All Good Gifts”. (This production could have benefited from more Telly and Lindsay). Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Hannah Montana) is tiny and beautiful, and does a lovely job leading the cast in the well known “Day by Day”. Julia Mattison, the understudy for the injured Morgan James, did a great job with the sultry “Turn Back O Man” (unfortunately also cluttered with topical references).
The stage is simple- a round wooden stage in the middle of the theatre. The production is “in the round”, meaning the audience is on all sides of the stage. The cast struggles to project the story in this manner.
The problem lies in trying to figure out the point of this revival. It seems that the show was enjoyed by all who took it for face value and enjoyed and appreciated every ridiculous dance number in front of them (case in point- during “We Beseech Thee”, the cast jumps up and down joyously on trampolines built into the stage floor). I guess if I hadn’t wondered why they were jumping on trampolines, or questioned the randomness of their costumes, I would have enjoyed it more. This production is worth a visit for fans of Godspell, or fans of Hunter Parrish.
Lottery tickets are available for $30, stage-side seats, 2 and a half hours prior to curtain