Saturday, March 1, 2008

Theater Review: Godspell

By Mark-Brian Sonna of MBS Productions

I was sitting at home finalizing the last touches to my translation of Dante’s Inferno when I looked at the clock and realized I was going to be late to see Fig Theatre Company’s production of Godspell. I literally was rushing from Hell to watch a production about Jesus Christ and his eventual ascent to Heaven. Talk about a contrast! I got in my car and headed up to Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in North Dallas. A friend joked that I should take a fire extinguisher with me in case I burst into flames upon setting foot on the church’s ground. Yes, this theatre company operates out of the church’s hall.

The entire way, I kept playing in my mind my previous experience with this musical: Not good. The second worst theatrical production I’ve ever seen in my life was a version I saw a year ago. I also have seen the movie, which left me unimpressed; not bad, just Ok. As I sat in Roper Hall on what is basically a padded kitchen chair, dread set in. The multilayer set was raw, but not in an obvious artistic way, it was raw - as in it looked like was just thrown together - there wasn’t much lighting and the entire orchestra was going to consist of a grand piano.

I began to look forward to the various ways I could slam this production. My barbs were sharpening. A few people walked on stage and began sweeping it and talking. “They’s going for a soft opening” I said to myself, “that’s clever.” I‘ll give them a point for keeping me off guard. A few more people walked on stage and the impromptu dialogue became muffled. “Uh, oh, they forgot the importance of diction and the audience being able to hear what they performers were saying.” More people on stage, more voices, more blather, more chatter, more discordant it became. Then it hit me: They were completely demolishing the unusual opening of the Godspell. In the show there are voices that emanate from the stage and deliver philosophical musings in an ever crescendo pace. It is a weird opening and it always felt like a late 60’s early 70’s throwback stylistically. This production did away with it, and then, I said to myself “come to think of it, none of the people on stage are dressed in the colorful hippy dippy costumes normally seen in this musical, they are wearing current colors and casual street fashion.” John Hanby who directed the piece and doubled up as the set designer and musical director had re-imagined Godspell. He made a quintessential 70’s musical about the life of Christ current! Even the set that I had just dissed was designed to look that way!

From behind the audience Jonathan Metting began singing the opening lines of "Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)". Gorgeous voice; it sent chills up my spine. The company began to sing out loud. My jaw went slack, the choral voices, the harmonies were impeccable. I was stunned. The acoustics in the room are not great yet they overcame them and delivered the most thrilling version I’ve ever heard of this score.

Ruben Navarro appears on stage wearing only white overalls, no shirt. He is playing Jesus in this show and he is a hunk. For the baptismal scene he lowers the bib portion of the overall so he is standing on stage shirtless, with the pants portion slung low so we can see his underwear. I had never though of Jesus being a sexy person before, but then why not? Why wouldn’t Jesus, since he is God incarnate, be a very attractive man? The first 5 minutes of this production has broken some theatrical ground and shown some edge, all while sitting in a church hallway! After his baptism he is given a shirt, that is very tight fitting. He remained a sexy, and most importantly, a believable human being, which come to think of it, is what Jesus is supposed to be: a human incarnation of God. How refreshing!

We move on to the most famous song of the show "Day by Day". Haley Lynn Ellis has a plain voice that a couple of times went flat, but her delivery was so absolutely sincere it didn’t matter. Many performers get hung up on always having to hit the right notes, and get distracted if they slip and hit a sharp note by mistake. The truth of the matter is that songs are communications of emotions and thoughts, and if the performer is in the moment, the audience will forgive. Haley Lynn Ellis with her less trained vocals is a prime example of what true singer is supposed to do. Kudos.

Outside of the two gentlemen I’ve already mentioned, most of the soloists had Ok voices, nothing transcendental, but collectively their “Ok” voices blended to create a musically thrilling sound. And every one of them delivered their solos with utmost conviction and believability. I would suggest for future performances, because of the acoustics of the space the piano lid be closed, because it was a bit too loud. I was captivated by the choral arrangements and wanted to hear them more.

The choreography was clever and Krista Hughes Bailey found the right balance between schmaltz and camp. My only minor quibble, and it really is minor, is the performers were a little self conscious because the steps given might have been too hard for them. Either simplify the steps, which is hard to do now that the show opened, or if they oops, like with the singing, they must stay in the moment. Trust me, the audience will forgive.

Another thing that stood out was the overall energy and enthusiasm of the actors. They really listened to each other and stayed engaged. The entire company is strong. This show is so episodic and because seldom anyone leaves the stage, frequently the actors that aren’t in the scene drop their character. None of them ever did. Because the way it was staged they were allowed to engage the audience and talk directly to us. I nearly bust laughing when Mr. Navarro as Jesus said the word heathen and referenced me with a gesture. If he only knew how much of a heathen! He later smiled at me with that look of “didn’t think I noticed, huh?” I did chuckle at that second loaded look he gave me.

As we approach the ending of the musical, the characters have to say goodbye to Jesus for they know his death is to come. They all begin to weep. This to me is where the show falls apart. We’ve had fun for an hour and half and now we are getting serious. The change is so quick that it jars. Thankfully this production overcame this weakness in the material. The director and the actors foreshadowed the seriousness throughout the play. There were moments of silence between Judas and Jesus with knowing glances peppered in between all the happy moments, so that when the play does its 180 degree turn it didn’t feel forced. It became moving and I actually teared up. Mr. Ruben Navarro was such a multifaceted Jesus, and so likable, that he moved me. I grew to love his character, which of course is God. This is when it dawned on me why Godspell is a great piece of musical theatre. It powerfully sends the message that God is love, which unfortunately is forgotten in daily life.

For those of you concerned about my abandoning my heathen ways: No, I’m not going to all of a sudden go to church, and I’ll continue practicing my daily Buddhist meditations.

Regardless of your faith, or your preconceptions, this Godspell is must see.

May God bless all of those performers for giving me two hours of sheer delight. It’s needed in this world.

Purchase tickets online or call 972-233-1898.

Pegasus News content partner - MBS Productions

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