GODSPELL Extends at FIM Flint Repertory Theatre

Due to enthusiastic response, FIM Flint Repertory Theatre is extending its run of the musical Godspell. Originally scheduled to close on Oct. 20, the company has added two additional weekends, and the show will now run until Nov. 3.  

The musical is being done in a pool that’s been built inside the intimate FIM Elgood Theatre. It is breaking records for Flint Rep, with nearly every show sold out, rave reviews and social media engagement that’s gone viral with more than 1 million views. BroadwayWorld Michigan said of this bold new production of Godspell, “I can’t imagine this musical being performed any other way.” SE Michigan Theatres wrote, “Incredibly innovative! One of the most compelling performances of the year!”

The theatre’s reimagined production – directed by Flint Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Lluberes (New LGBTQ+ version of The Fantasticks), choreographed by Cy Paolantonio and featuring music direction by Christopher D. Littlefield – is based on the trailblazing, Tony Award-winning production with music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and book by John-Michael Tebelak. The original Godspell was the first major musical theatre offering from three-time Grammy® and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, and it took the world by storm. 

Boasting a score with chart-topping songs, Godspell is a sensation that continues to touch audiences. A group of disciples help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus’ messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life. 

The Flint rep cast includes Chanelle Beach, Shayna Blass, Jason Briggs, James Cech, Gia Mae Chessa, Sabrina Dahlgren, Travis Darghali, Bryana Hall, Enrique Miguel and Kyle Patrick (Kokandy’s American Psycho the Musical) as Jesus.

“We were so excited to produce Godspell in a pool and the response has been tremendous!” says Flint Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Lluberes. “This show is pure joy, an exuberant celebration of community and storytelling. It’s a favorite of so many musical theatre lovers, and now a new collection of followers from across the country. After all, what could be more fun than experiencing amazing performers swimming, splashing and singing this incredible score in a pool of water?”

The musical features scenic design by A.J. Guban, costume design by Brandon R. McWilliams, lighting design by Chelsie McPhilimy and sound design by Justin Schmitz, and is stage managed by Ernie Fimbres and Melissa A. Nathan.

Michael Lluberes (Director) is an award-winning director, playwright and producing artistic director. He conceived and directed the new LGBTQ+ version of The Fantasticks. Other directing credits include Ragtime, Death of a Salesman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Into the Woods, The Glass Menagerie, The Boatman, Assassins and Flint Mural Plays (Flint Rep). His plays include The Boy in the Bathroom, Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers, Songs About Stuff and Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died... His work has been seen at Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Acting Company, The Old Globe, The Blank Theatre, Chance Theater, The Hangar Theatre, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Kennedy Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Rep, Casa Mañana, Capital Rep, Maltz Jupiter, Pioneer Theatre Company and Lincoln Center Theater Directors’ Lab. Lluberes is a recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award, The American Harmony Prize, Wilde Award for Best Director and a Tyrone Guthrie Centre Fellowship. He’s a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. MichaelLluberes.com    

Cy Paolantonio (Choreographer) has two previous productions with Flint Rep: The Who’s Tommy (2022) and Ragtime (2023), which earned her a Wilde Award for Outstanding Choreography. A native of Washington D.C., Paolantonio now calls Seattle home, where she resides with her husband and child. She has treaded the boards, directed and choreographed at The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, The Arad Fort in Bahrain, NYC Workshop Theatre, The Smithsonian, Oregon Shakespeare Theatre, The 5th Ave Theatre, Seattle Rep, Mil Rep, Portland Center Stage and Carnival Cruise Lines. She has also appeared on BET, VH1 and MTV, at SXSW, and in commercials and music videos. Paolantonio’s biggest claim to fame is that she toured as a go-go dancer with Steven Van Zandt. Next up she will play Brooke Wyndham in Village Theatre’s Legally Blonde and choreograph Merry Wives of Windsor at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Christopher D. Littlefield (Music Director) has worked on Broadway with The SpongeBob Musical (vocal coach, rehearsal pianist). His Off-Broadway credits include Under the Bodhi Tree (music director, conductor), Shout! (keyboard) and Naked Boys Singing (piano). For national tours, Littlefield has done The Addams Family, 9 to 5 (associate conductor, keyboard). In film, his credits are Leonard Soloway's Broadway (music supervisor, composer, arranger, pianist). For television, Littlefield worked with My Time on the Oprah Winfrey Network (music director, arranger, pianist). His studio recording includes Glory Days (Original Broadway Cast), Nikkie Renée Daniels’ Home, Scott Alan’s What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up (piano, keyboard) and Melissa Maricich’s Incandescent (producer, music supervisor, pianist, arranger, orchestrator).

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