GODSPELL Comes to FIM Flint Repertory Theatre Next Month

FIM Flint Repertory Theatre will present the musical Godspell, September 27 – October 20, at FIM Elgood Theatre. The trailblazing musical features music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is directed by producing artistic director Michael Lluberes (New LGBTQ+ version of The Fantasticks), choreographed by Cy Paolantonio and features music direction by Christopher D. Littlefield.

Godspell opens the season with a splash! This bold new production, helmed by visionary director Michael Lluberes, will be reimagined with actors performing in a pool of water. 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 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 couldn’t be more excited to produce Godspell in a pool!” 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 we can’t wait to present it in this fresh new way. What could be more fun than experiencing these 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).

Godspell will be performed at FIM Elgood Theatre. Tickets are currently available at www.tickets.thefim.org, at FIM Ticket Center box offices at FIM Whiting Auditorium and FIM Capitol Theatre, or by calling (810) 237-7333. Genesee County residents receive a 30 percent discount as a benefit of the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment Millage. Your tax dollars are at work.

 

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