Godspell the musical, which gained great acclaim when it was first performed in the early 1970s, has been a staple of many high school drama productions for decades. But for the Old Rochester Regional High School drama club, it is also a musical with history in the school. It was first performed 25 years ago and comes back now to delight local theater goers.
The Wanderer caught up with the ORRHS teacher Maxx Domingos, the Drama advisor and director of this anniversary production. When asked why this musical and why now, she responded, “Back in November, our music director Mike Barnicle and I were looking around for musicals for the spring when I came across an article about the 1997 production of Godspell. I realized then it was 25 years since the original production, which definitely raised my interest in the show.
“I feel as though the main tenets of the show remain true: love, friendship, and forgiveness. This performance serves as a testament to the longevity of the ORRHS drama club, but also as a reminder of the importance of love, friendship, and forgiveness.”
That spirit of youthful joy, generosity and desire to bring the spoken and sung language of the piece to the audience like a gift wrapped in happiness was glowingly present during at one of the last dress rehearsals.
ORRHS senior Maxwell Tucker embodies the lead as Jesus during his adult life before the crucifixion. Jesus is at the height of his travels, teaching, counseling, lovingly prevailing upon his followers to embrace God and his commandments. Tucker said, “This production means everything to me,” and that he had poured endless hours into studying his lines and learning the music. Tucker plans on pursuing theater arts at the University of Connecticut. Watching Tucker, one is drawn to the fact that this musical is all about youth and the lessons, albeit at times difficult, that one must learn.
Successful education needs an art component to truly create an environment for learning. We asked Domingos if the students understood that the musical play was derived from scripture. She responded, “Yes, we had mini lessons throughout the rehearsal process to help better understand the scripture stories. My experience at Bishop Stang prepared me for many biblical and philosophical lessons throughout the staging and rehearsal days. Students would look up philosophers including Thomas Aquinas and Socrates, as well as biblical characters including Mary Magdalene and Judas, to better understand the significance of scripture to the musical.”
Domingos also explained that it is important from her perspective that the show’s set design be easy and simple, allowing space for the performers and the messages therein. And yes the learning. She said, “The performing arts is an essential part of student development. The performing arts teach you about empathy, advocacy, reliability, trustworthiness, and so many other important life lessons.
“Our students rely on the experience of the performing arts to become well-rounded people. Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is something that you can only truly find in the performing arts. Stepping into these roles can change a person’s perspective in a second.”
Domingos was asked to compare Godspell with the other Jesus-themed musicals from the same “Jesus Christ Superstar” era. Her response rang true, “I prefer to explain the shows like this: Godspell is Jesus Christ Superstar but for families. In Jesus Christ Superstar, the violence experienced by Jesus is more of a focus. In Godspell, the teachings of Jesus as described according to the Gospel of Matthew are the main focus of the performance. Jesus Christ Superstar relies on the harshness of rock music to move the audience to anger and pity, whereas Godspell takes a much lighter approach to presenting the story – until the end. Both shows highlight the sacrifice of Christ described in both gospels as seen in the crucifixion scenes. Unlike Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical Godspell uses the parables to reiterate the basic principles of Christianity: love and forgiveness.”
Freshman Calder Easton, who plays the heavy Judas as well as the disciple John, said he has made new friends during the development of the production, and he plans on remaining involved in the performing arts while in high school – and maybe at university, too.
Robin, played by Breigh Christopher, is a senior headed for the University of New Hampshire in the fall. She said she has a deep love of theater arts, has performed in other productions over the years, and also hopes to continue doing so after high school graduation. Joanne, played by Molly Dupre, is a high school sophomore. Dupre expressed a desire to possibly pursue theater arts at a university, but all those decisions can wait. For now, she is focused on the work at hand but did add studying theater arts at university, “is the dream.”
The other student performers are: Sakurako Huynh-Aoyama (Jeffrey), Chloe Bean (Peggy), Tyler Trudeau (Herb), Nico Parker (Lamar), Kathleen Dunn (Sonia), and Emily Wyman (Gilmer).
Due yourself a favor and see the production first hand. You are sure to leave with the gentle melody “Day by Day” repeating in your ear as sweetly delivered by our youths. Opening night is Thursday, April 7, at 7:00 pm with additional 7:00 pm performances on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, and a 2:00 pm closing matinee performance on Palm Sunday, April 10.
By Marilou Newell