Photo – Craig WakkerAlthough perhaps regarded as the less fondly-remembered stablemate of contemporaneous countercultural Biblical musical Jesus Christ Superstar, with its lineage of major local productions, Godspell has a significant history in Australia as well, being one of the first productions staged outside of America, within a year of its debut run, no less.
Full disclosure: being admittedly unfamiliar with Godspell’s traditional staging, I am at something of a disadvantage insofar as offering any direct comparison to how this new production, officially titled Godspell Reimagined differs in adaptational specifics. Apart from inserting some rather obvious topical references – and your mileage will probably vary on how well those work – the production’s main brief appears to be, if not an updating per se, at least to take Godspell out of being culturally locked into the dawn of the 1970s. While the choice of Sgt. Pepper-esque costumes may not entirely dispel such an impression, given the musical’s reputation as presenting a hippie spin on Jesus and his Apostles, the approach this time around certainly seems to dispel any imagery of the show’s prior flower-power and psychedelic associations.
Indeed, without knowing whether the new staging has involved significant tweaking of the musical arrangements, this presentation of the rock opera does not especially evoke the Summer of Love nor tonally invite its audience to tune in, turn on or drop out, and as a result the undisguised Christian thrust of the piece comes across all the more clearly.
Which is why, if anything, one can be forgiven for being puzzled by the only major production design element being a variety of religious symbols from Taoist, Hindu, Muslim and other faiths’ iconography festooning the oil drums that make up the simple set. Is this supposed to indicate an inclusivity towards acknowledging other religions as equally valid, or to suggest conversely that this presentation of Biblical parables should be viewed by non-Christians as somehow universalist? Although hopefully well-intentioned, it seems an odd choice, and given its opacity of meaning a potentially misleading and disingenuous one.
For make no mistake, this is a capital-“C” Christian musical. In some ways arguably more so than the more strictly narrative Jesus Christ Superstar, which can be taken on the level of dramatised biography if you so choose. Godspell, by comparison, is preaching to you, quite literally, albeit in a mostly light and engaging manner. The first act and part of the second consists of Jesus and his followers presenting a succession of Biblical parables, chiefly from the gospels of Matthew and Luke, performed with a variety of jovial, theatre-sportsy type of stagecraft, pitched at a wide age demographic. It is only once the second act is in full swing that the more narrative thread of the Passion comes through, in an abbreviated form that focuses on the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the Betrayal and the Crucifixion, yet which skips dramatising Christ’s trial, scourging, the Stations of the Cross, and, somewhat controversially back in the ‘70s, concludes without directly portraying the Resurrection.
None of which is to say that this is a show only for Christians or the Messiah-curious, for despite its technically proselytising focus on presenting the parables, it does not come across as an alienating, bible-bashing sermon, unless you are automatically adverse to any and all overtly religious content. Godspell is not an evangelical wolf in theatrical sheep’s clothing – it makes no real bones about its Christian theme and message and can be enjoyed by adherents and non-believers alike, so as long as you go in open to being presented with such content, there is a lot to enjoy.
For this is indeed an enjoyable show, despite being episodic and largely non-narrative for much of its runtime. The music by Stephen Schwartz is catchy and diverse, with some memorable hits such as “Day by Day” and “Save the People”, performed by an enthusiastic and highly entertaining young ensemble of musicians and actors. Most of the cast play non-specified Apostles, such as the eye-catchingly comedic Lucy Gransbury, with only Judas and Jesus being clearly identified characters throughout. Mark Dickinson is a strong presence in the decidedly non-villainous interpretation of the former, while for the latter Christopher Southall cuts an unconventional figure as a disarmingly nebbish, almost Michael Cera-esque presentation of Jesus Christ.
“Disarming” is seemingly the method in the madness of this curious casting choice, as such an exceedingly young, unassuming and Millennial representation of the Messiah gets to subvert the audience’s expectation of a classical Renaissance-come-Hollywood Jesus. Where skeptical or even ambivalent theatregoers might put up a mental barrier to either a conventionally-portrayed Redeemer or even the countercultural Jesus of the original Godspell productions, Southall instead gets to win you over gradually with the charm and conviction of his performance.
Which, one imagines, was the point of conceiving of Christ and his followers as hippie-like outsiders during the height of their cultural relevance in the original production, and precisely why this new iteration eschews such imagery. And in this regard, at least, Godspell Reimagined succeeds in its subtitular mission statement.
Room8 presents
GODSPELL REIMAGINED
by Alexi Kaye Campbell
Director Glenn Elston
Venue: The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House
Dates: 9 – 14 February 2016
Tickets: $69 – $59
Bookings: sydneyoperahouse.com | 9250 7777
