Godspell continues at Ye Olde Rose and Crown, London until 10 October 2021.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It’s been 50 years since John-Michael Tebelak’s musical retelling of the gospel of St Matthew – scored with songs by Tebelak’s fellow Carnegie Mellon University alumni Stephen Schwartz – opened Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre. But pay a visit to the theatre above Ye Olde Rose and Crown in Walthamstow this month and you could easily mistake Godspell for a brand new show, such is the freshness and currency of CR8TRACT Theatre Company’s electrifying production.
Godspell would seem to be forever a work in progress, although not in a bad way, shaped as it’s been over the years to reflect contemporary events and tastes; one of the songs, ‘Beautiful City’, was famously reworked in 1993 in direct response to the 1992 Los Angeles race riots. The show was adapted for the big screen in 1973, and a truncated version produced for school kids in 2000. This new revival by producer-director-choreographer Brendan Matthew is based on the show’s 2011 retooling for Broadway, but has been re-vivified for a contemporary London audience, with references to contactless payments, Holiday Inns and the joys of visiting Walthamstow.
These lighthearted vernacular tweaks not only add comedy but also serve to strengthen the show’s original aim, which is not to be a faithful retelling of St Matthew’s parables but to be a conduit for spreading the deeper messages contained within the scriptures. The show-within-a-show feel is what gives this show its infectious energy – it’s not a dramatisation of the gospels as you get with its spiritual bedfellow Jesus Christ Superstar – it’s a bunch of kids finding their way through the text to enlightenment, guided by Jesus… in a Superman singlet.
This new version feels fresh out of the foil, thanks in part to these tweaks but also to the enthusiasm of the ten-strong cast. There’s not a single weak link here, and when each gets their chance to shine, they do so with absolute brilliance, enjoying their moment in the limelight and fronting up their particular parable with infectious joy. Thank you for wonderful performances to Alex White (Jesus), Josh Hanley (John the Baptist/Judas), Eleanor Walsh, Martine J. Berg, Reece McKenzie, Kimberley Ensor, Daniel Noah, Joe Churms, Laura Hyde and Naomi Cowe.
It would seem unfair to single anyone out, as each performer does an unfailing job emotionally and vocally, but I have to say that I found myself relishing every comedic turn by the impish Noah, especially his desperately bad beat poet! Ensor also captured my attention with her mastery of the craft – another special talent.
The scoring for six rock/pop musicians, led ably by MD Benjamin Levy, also helps with the contemporary pulse. And given the risks of rigging a show like this in a pub theatre, the voices and instruments are all very well balanced, so hats off to sound designer Daniel Mawson for letting me hear every word.
From the top of the show – an impressive mostly unaccompanied ensemble chorale (‘Tower of Babble’ [sic]) – and throughout every number to (spoiler alert!) the inevitable crucifixion, the audience is gifted a stream of visual and aural treats.
Matthew (the director, not the saint) plays every card in the book to keep our attention levels up, but in a clever, controlled way: there are puppets, masks, light shows (bravo, lighting director Matthew Swithinbank) and dance extravaganzas; we’re whisked away to seedy jazz clubs, boxing rings, opulent palaces and barren wastelands; and we meet the most colourful cast of tax collectors, beggars, prodigal sons and angels. All with the barest of sets, costumes and props.
The vibe is that of Horrible Histories, as composer Schwartz also draws upon his own spectrum of musical styles to recount St Matthew’s words – rap, jazz, vaudeville, rock, pop and so on. I also couldn’t get out of my head how resonant the whole affair was with the best parts of social media. The parables and beatitudes are rich with tweetable bon mots and they come thick and fast, like you’re flicking through TikTok or Twitter for positive vibes and optimistic aphorisms. And not in a cheesy or preaching way, I hasten to add. I’m no Bible scholar, so I spent much of the night thinking: “Oh, that’s where that phrase comes from!”
To be honest, I entered the theatre in a grumpy mood – I’d had a stressful day at work and a nightmarish tube journey that meant I almost missed the start of the show – but within minutes I was spellbound – Godspellbound, even. By the end of Act I, my spirits had been lifted, and I enjoyed my interval pint with the biggest smile on my face. By the end of Act II, I was jubilant and reluctant to leave my seat. Surely it’s a good sign when the whole audience refuses to exit during the exit music.
This is my kind of theatre experience, and I know I’ll be back before the end of the run, even if it means having to brave the Victoria Line again. And for just £20?! Highly recommended.
Craig Glenday
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