Review: GODSPELL Is Good News at Garden Theatre

Pulitzer, Hearst, and Murdoch may have made millions on misfortune, but Stephen Schwartz found a way to get gold out of "Good News" - twice. Galinda descends to those words in Wicked, the show that made Schwartz a household name in 2003, but it was GODSPELL - Anglo-Saxon for "gospel" or "good news" - that first put him on the map back in 1971. Now, exactly 50 years later, I find myself fully vaccinated against a late-stage pandemic and part of a live theatre audience for the first time in a month of Sundays. Godspell, indeed. And more good news: the Garden Theatre's production is, proverbially speaking, anointed for a time such as this.

GODSPELL was originally conceived as the story of Jesus in Biblical prose but set in modern times with a groovy vibe, heeding Harvard Professor Harvey Cox's call to make faith fun again. Early stagings found Jesus and the disciples in bell bottoms and clown clothes - controversial then but dated today, which is why I prefer productions that ground GODSPELL in the year at hand. The Garden must agree, or perhaps director Joseph C. Walsh hears how a song like "God Save the People" plays in the vaccine landscape and has a keen instinct for making art of it.

Walsh's GODSPELL is set in the Garden Theatre on the night it closed in early 2020, the actors playing themselves as they arrive for an audition only to find the space dark and abandoned. Coming together in their dejection, community begins to build, and before you know it, our actors are disciples and we're well into the Book of Mark... blended with a generous portion of pop-cultural humor.

It's a creative take on a classic musical, possibly inspired by the Berkshire Theatre Group's NYC staging last year (the first COVID-era live show approved by Actors' Equity). The performers' face masks become part of this ancient narrative, itself now urgent and vital, grappling with everything from social distancing to racial division and civil unrest.

In a passionate pre-show talk on opening night, Walsh likened GODSPELL's themes of community, debate, loss, and recovery to our collective journey over the last 13 months. In other words, his GODSPELL is a parable of parables, and that definitely seems like Jesus's cup of tea.

Filling those water-walkin' sandals is Orlando native Eddie Ortega, who has the hard-to-come-by charisma this role requires. His is the Jesus of the Bible - cool, chill, funny, sharp, smart, wise, surprising, radical, and full of love. He occasionally sings in Spanish, while his disciples add that and sign language too - your friendly reminder that nobody in the Bible spoke English.

Shonda L. Thurman makes a gender-bending turn as John the Baptist with a big voice, later doubling as Judas (the range). Rounding out the disciples are Andrea Diaz, Sarah Beth Ganey, Da'Zaria Harris, Dara Jesso, hilarious Janiece Deveaux, Radamés Medina Meléndez (alternating between beautiful singing and nightmare-inducing demon squeals), Elijah Vazquez (the life of this pandemic party), and Stephen White Jr. (what a voice!). In their hands, it's not just Jesus who's humanized; His disciples are too.

The show's heavenly song score is well served by these capable vocalists and the - wait for it- live musicians accompanying them! Thank the Lord... and The Morrissey Family, whose contribution funded a live band (something the Garden can't always have). It adds a lot.

Only one song feels underserved, the flirty "Turn Back, O Man," but then it's hard to turn temptation up to 11 with six feet of separation.

GODSPELL opens with this bellowing message: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." On one hand, that sounds suited more to a church than a playhouse. But it's remarkable hearing those words received as a welcome cry within the hallowed halls of theatre, long a safe space for the gay community that may have heard those same words pronounced as admonition in a different space. In a sense, GODSPELL seems to understand the good news of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John better than some of the men who preach it. I wouldn't be surprised if some patrons find God again in the Garden, even in the absence of any proselytism. Granted, the original production stopped short of conclusions about the Son of Man's divinity or resurrection (much like Webber's Superstar before it), but subsequent stagings have found their own angle. I quite like the Garden's approach, which - without spoiling the details - will reward eagle-eyed patrons who survey their surroundings.

This show's all-are-welcome joie de vivre is made evident in Rosibel Hernandez's eclectic costume stylings and James Tuuao's party-on choreography. (Professor Cox would be proud.) Those festive flourishes, coupled with clever scenic design from Tramaine Berryhill, aptly dramatic lighting from Alyx Jacobs, and artful direction from Walsh make this GODSPELL a passion project in more ways than one. It runs through May 23, 2021 (tickets here). Socially distanced seating is limited and an array of COVID precautions are in effect. If you're comfortable with that, you have a chance to see GODSPELL well executed in a once-in-a-lifetime context.

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What did you think of GODSPELL at Garden Theatre? Let me know on Twitter @AaronWallace.

Photos by Steven Miller Photography, courtesy of Garden Theatre

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