Review: “Godspell” Will Put a Spell on You

Savannah King

Georgia Southern Theatre and Performance program rocked the Performing Arts Center performing the 1970s famed musical “Godspell”.

“Godspell” was composed in 1971 and made its Broadway debut in 1976. This musical tells the story of a group of people, including Jesus, retelling the Parables based on the Gospel of Matthew with a modern touch.

The theatre and performance program originally planned to showcase “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Due to there not being enough performers for all the roles, the program opted for “Godspell” instead, which was directed by Lisa L. Abbott.

Choosing to showcase “Godspell” with a smaller cast was a great decision. By doing this it made the show feel more intimate and allowed the audience to have an interactive role too.

The show opened with the theater company flooding through the audience dressed in all black singing the opening song “Tower of Babble”.

After the first song, the theater company transitions out of their black clothing into colorful outfits that favor trends from the 1970s and 80s. Like the clothes, the stage also transitioned from a dark and closed off area to a bright and peace sign filled set.

Photos credit to Abbey Hokezema

The fun and colorful set matched the tone and attitudes of the theater company. The company was led by Jacob Whitfield, the lead, who played Jesus in the production followed by his supporting character John/Judas who was played by Kian Micheal Devine.

The rest of the company also played an integral role in retelling the parables. With having a smaller cast the rest of the supporting characters were able to have a larger role in retelling the parables.

Each of the supporting characters was a standout as each was able to take lead in different songs retelling the parables. Whether it was a stunning ballad, “All Good Gifts,” preformed by Abraham, or fun and pop number “Light of the World,” performed by David Michael, the supporting characters were there to take you on a fun ride through the musical.

Jacob Whitfield as Jesus with the company. Photos credit to Abbey Hokezema

One thing that made Godspell so fun to watch was that the cast broke the “fourth wall” and had some fun making jokes about school and financial aid. This made the audience feel included and feel as if they had a part in this musical.

If you forgot to eat or are getting hungry throughout the first half of the musical, no need to worry. As Jesus nnounced the intermission, he offered the audience a snack of animal crackers and Kool-aid to hold them through the second act.

Overall, “Godspell” was a fun and exciting performance and experience that left the audience singing and dancing from their seat.