The University of New Hampshire theater and dance department put on the comedy-drama musical Godspell. It was their first musical of the semester, kickstarting many other productions like The Wedding Singer in the spring. A change of creativity and style from their previous play The Half-written play, which was a private performance.
Godspell is a well known musical that has a wide variety of music styles like rock, folk, pop, and of course godspell. It switches through many of these genres for every musical number, starting from The Prologue which is to be a modernist choral music and ending with the pop-rock Finale. This switch goes on for the entire musical.
Godspell is about a group who help Jesus tell his stories through parables and music. It is heavily based on the Gospel of Mattew, which is an early lift description of Christ, and contains scenes of the Last supper and Crucifixion but with a unique spin The show thrives as a comic retelling that engages the audience with its laughter and jokes. Godspell performances are not all the same; once purchasing the rights, each cast is free to add their own spin on the comedy based on the times or their own creativity. The musical makes sure that the actors and directors get a say in how the scenes and songs are portrayed. Some casts have the actors dress like they belong in a circus while others - like UNH theater - have them dress in 70s clothing an ode to the fact that Godspell was created in the peace sign decade.
UNH theater did a fantastic job! The show had a perfect cast that really brought their characters to life, even if their character didn’t play a huge part. Each member of the cast flourished in the spotlight, making sure to be in the moment every second of the production. They reacted with their whole body and soul, making sure to peak the audience's interest throughout the show. They also included the audience with the show, pulling random members of the audience to play a small funny role instructed by the cast.
The production set was very well constructed and thought out. Each piece fit the vibe of the 70s and the show, while still keeping the first century in mind.. With trampolines, magic tricks, and wine (cranberry juice),they made sure to keep the set simple while also transferring the audience into the world that Godspell was centered around; peace and love.
UNH’s take on the popular Godspell was very entertaining, keeping me guessing and excited to see what kind of music was coming next. This reporter thinks that the cast really brought all the scenes to life, taking the college theater to a different level with the amount of talent that they exploded with.
