UMW Theatre’s “Godspell” graces the Klein stage

by SAMUEL HUXSOLL

Staff Writer

It’s the greatest story ever told. The Son of God, a young carpenter, preaches to his followers a message of forgiveness that upends the social order. And then they all play in a game show. Wait, what?

Before I saw UMW’s performance of “Godspell” on Nov. 5 at Klein Theatre, I’d begun to read up about the play online. Having no prior knowledge of the play, my online research surprisingly left me with more questions than answers. 

“I’m not gonna lie, I was a hater when it was first announced,” said Kamryn Frias, a junior theatre major and an assistant to the sound designer. “However, after working on the show myself, I grew a newfound appreciation for it.”

After watching the performance myself, I can confirm that “Godspell” was a satisfyingly fun, kinetic production of hope, tolerance and eventual resolution.

A musical by Stephen Schwartz, “Godspell” is based on the Gospel of Matthew, but with a modern twist, retaining the message and content of Jesus’ parables, while finding ways to be relatable two thousand years later.

“It’s a story of community and how one message from one person brought together these groups of people entirely different from each other, with the message ultimately being to be kind to one another,” said English and theatre double major Sarah Lenahan, who plays a disciple named Sarah.

“Godspell” sets itself apart from other plays UMW has put on because its cast plays versions of themselves as followers of Jesus, allowing students to be able to add more of their own personality into the production and contribute more to the multitude of gags—including one where the characters play a game show—and relevant pop culture references.

“You are playing yourselves as believers, as people who are taking Jesus’ message,” said Lenahan. “It was interesting to play myself but differently.”

When imagining Jesus, you probably aren’t thinking he would be the type to wear a black sweatshirt and jeans, but each character has the sort of outfit you would see someone wear on Campus Walk, while still having a lot of personality to the designs. Many of the costumes were stitched by students and designed to fit each character in the modernized setting. 

“My costume for Sarah is the cutest thing ever,” said Lenahan. “The fact that my outfit was a senior project for a fellow theatre major was amazing.”

Another part of what makes “Godspell” unique is its interactivity with the audience, who are often the center of memorable moments in the play. Actors perform along the halls, chat with the audience and someone has the chance to be brought on stage for a key comedic bit.

“A lot of this work was devised by us and we did a lot of improv and playing around with different shapes and ideas to see what stuck and then kept it for the final product,” said senior theatre major Rachel Piotrowski.

What ultimately brings the whole show together is the effortless chemistry the cast has with one another. It was obvious, even as far back as I was, how much fun they were having.

“I have never felt so close to a cast in my life,” said Piotrowski. “We are all genuinely good friends and have worked so hard to tell these stories and I really think this shows up for us on stage. 

She continued, “I love getting to be silly and emotional with this group of people and seeing all of the work we have done and how it all holds together has been wonderful.”

Overall, Frias, who witnessed the collective work put into the play by herself and her peers, believes that all the hard work was worth it to see the show in its final state. 

“It’s so fun seeing the lights and set come together,” she said. 

UMW’s “Godspell” is playing at 7:30 p.m. from Nov. 20 to Nov. 23 and at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 23 in the Klein Theatre, costing $5 for a student ticket purchased at the box office.

“What I really hope the audience takes away from the show is that it isn’t just some story about Jesus, but rather about a community coming together and supporting one another,” Frias said. “That’s at least what I took away from it.”