“It’s me again. I hope you won’t mind if I share some personal comments on last night’s production of Godspell by Jarrow Musical Theatre Company.
When one goes to the theatre to see a show you quite rightly expect order, calmness, a comfortable seat to sit in, a stage, actors in costume, a set or performance area- even if minimalistic- defined entrances and exits for the actors to access and egress the performance area and a clear demarcation between audience and cast.
From the minute you enter Christ Church Jarrow your senses will be assaulted by a mixture of sights, sounds, smells, taste and feelings. The church is filled with what could easily be mistaken as incense drifting across the pews and upwards to heaven but in reality it is the outpouring of a smoke machine, lights dart around the church mimicking candles as the lighting crew carry out last minute lighting checks providing us with what can only be described as an indoor firework display. The evening sun coming through the stained glass windows adds to the visual display as it bounces and bends off the wall of smoke. Actors mingle with the incoming audience in modern day dress having casual conversations, hugging and greeting family, friends, and loved ones in the area normally assigned to greeting parishioners. There is no seating plan, your seat will be a church pew, and the stage is the altar and pulpit area and the acting area included the whole of the church. What on earth is going on? A church is a church a theatre is a theatre isn’t it?
This musical is about a man who turned the normal concepts, conventions and teachings of the establishment on its head: teaching us to love our enemies, to forgive those who wrong us, to give people the coat off our back. In choosing this venue, and this approach the Director has captured this mood totally. Gone are the traditional conventions of theatre and of church and worship. As the two mingle we are in the realms of total theatre immersed in the production from the moment we crossed the threshold.
I would like to mention the opening scene as a couple of people commented on this as it came to a close. One said ‘what the hell was that about?’ The other just exclaimed ‘well!’ Some people won’t get it but it’s important. The opening scene takes us through a history of some great teachers; philosophers and free-thinkers and the persecutions they experienced for their outspokenness. This is juxtaposed with the double-speak, the babble the lies and the spin that we are all familiar with from politicians and leaders today. This was an allusion to the tower of Babble -people speaking in strange tongues and not understanding each other.
The appearance of John the Baptist, and Jesus following the opening scene is intentional, placing them both in the context of a long line of prophets, philosophers and teachers.
Speaking of the scene with John the Baptist I thought there were some lovely touches. (I do hope they were intentional) I couldn’t help but notice on the way into the church a magnificent baptismal font which contrasted beautifully with John the Baptist scene using a jug of water and an old bucket to baptise people; wonderful irony and cheeky irreverence but once again capturing the truth about the process of baptism and in keeping with the style and nature of the piece as mentioned earlier.
Godspell is a musical, composed by Stephen Schwartz. This show was/is in many ways the ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Rent’ of its day and was written to be a voice of the ordinary people. It is in essence a number of Scenes / Parables mostly based on the Gospel of Matthew although there are extracts the Gospel of Luke and one extract from John: the woman taken in adultery. The parables are interspersed with a variety of modern and many of the themes are so relevant today. I don’t want to spoil if for you by going through the show scene by scene, come and see it for yourself.
Normally when I comment on a show it is usually a play, with a small cast, and one is able to say something about individual characters. With a musical of this size and the number of cast members this is difficult and I do not want to single people out for particular praise because people who are not mentioned then think that they did something wrong or weren’t good enough. That could not be said of this ensemble. You were all great, as I watched the show I did recognise how well you all moved together. The dance routines were excellent, the timing, the cohesion, the symmetry, the different styles of dance – so many individuals, so many different ages, size and shape but all working as one and the energy levels put me to shame. Well done.
In terms of acting I honestly believed at times that there were pigs and sheep on stage, people didn’t just bleat or snort they took on facial expressions and appropriate body shapes and body language, the skill is in the detail. In the many references to ‘Hell’ and ‘Hades’ I was moved by the crazed looks of torment and wretchedness as with outstretched hands, arms and bodies they physically tried to consume others. The visual humour was excellent as mothers were fathers, fathers were mothers reinforcing the turning everything on its head as this man Jesus did.
I have to compliment the singers, both collectively and individually. The voices and harmonies were exquisite. At one stage I wanted to leave my seat to cross from right to left as one young girl started to sing, then was joined by another harmonising and then a third female followed adding a different harmony then by the full ensemble on my stage right. I couldn’t work out what you were doing or how you were achieving this sound but it got inside me and moved me as I have often experienced in a church. Well done to you all. As a closing comment I must tell you that I turned to a friend and said what do you think? How does it compare to what you have seen previously? And he said: ‘It was up there with the best’. I agree. Go and see this show and decide for yourself. Thank you so much JMTC for the experience.”
