{"id":383603,"date":"2026-07-02T13:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383603\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T13:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:56:11","slug":"a-postmodern-godspell-thats-a-complete-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383603\/","title":{"rendered":"A postmodern \u201cGodspell\u201d that\u2019s a complete triumph –"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"(credit:<\/a>(credit: Michael Hardy Photography) <\/p>\n

Prior to my seeing the production that is the subject of this review, my entire knowledge of Godspell was that there existed a play by this name, maybe with a vague sense that it\u2019s a musical. So despite its having debuted off-Broadway in 1971, to me it might as well have been written last year and be making its world premiere at Long Beach Playhouse. For me, Godspell comes in a post-Hedwig world.<\/p>\n

Had that been the case, I\u2019d be telling you that a divine new musical has been born unto the world, and that the Playhouse has done some fine midwifery. As it is, I\u2019m all the more impressed that this was written more than half a century ago, and that the Playhouse has so successfully located it in 21st-century Long Beach.<\/p>\n

Godspell has little plot to speak of. It\u2019s mostly just Jesus (Kenny Giles) and his disciples hanging out \u2014 they listen to his teachings, they amuse themselves by acting out parables of right belief and behavior (according to Matthew, anyway), and they break into songs in styles ranging from vaudeville and jazz to ballad and pop\/rock, many with lyrics adapted from traditional hymns and such. Yes, we get Jesus\u2019s baptism, betrayal, and crucifixion, but even these events aren\u2019t really part of a coherent story.<\/p>\n

And we couldn\u2019t care less. Godspell is about two things: 1) Stephen Schwartz\u2019s superfine songcraft, and 2) charm.<\/p>\n

Of course, these are two things that a director and cast can screw up royally. And after I sat down to write this review, I realized that in fact I hadn\u2019t been totally unfamiliar with Godspell: I\u2019d seen some of the 1973 film version and found it utterly unwatchable, so full of smarmy slapstick, cutesy little voices, self-satisfied mincing, and shit-eating grins that I wanted to do some very un-Christian things to everybody involved.<\/p>\n

But how do I love the Playhouse\u2019s production? Let me count the ways! Start with the music. Traditionally, the Playhouse has had trouble getting the balance right when live music \u2014 particularly rock \u2018n\u2019 roll orchestration \u2014 is involved. Their 2024 production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch<\/a>, for example, never took flight because the band was simply way, way too quiet despite the fact that they were actually onstage. But Godspell comes pretty close. Under the musical direction of Stephen Olear, the six-piece unit grinds through all of the stylistic shifts with a pleasing garage-band eagerness. Because they are not piped through the house PA, on occasion the music feels shunted into an aural corner.<\/p>\n

This might not be so noticeable had director Sonya Randall not done such a diligent job blocking the cast during the musical numbers. Because ultimately most every song involves more or less the whole cast, there are wall-to-wall opportunities in a smallish theater space to create spatially layered vocals, which is exactly what Randall achieves, constantly playing not only with the Mainstage\u2019s extended verticality but also the aisles between and behind the seating sections. Although often this meshes perfectly with the band\u2019s location, on occasion we wish the music were more spread out (something that could have been achieved with castmembers adding percussion here and there).<\/p>\n

That small cavil is the show\u2019s biggest failing. From the opening moments \u2014 which are in progress as the audience files in, with neo-hippie protestors arguing with riot-geared police \u2014 everything (and I mean everything) works. There isn\u2019t a song that isn\u2019t both sonically strong and visually engaging. Randall and Omar Ceja have perfectly dialed their energetic choreography to the cast\u2019s abilities, proving (in a way that I see far too rarely) that you don\u2019t need professional dancers to create great dance numbers. The synergy of this tireless cast impresses both physically and vocally, with polyphonic flourishes that produce chills. At the same time, each actor manages an individuality not just in their solo turns \u2014 all of which are good \u2014 but as distinct personalities, facets they convey in dress, movement, and constant droll asides to each other and the audience (only some of which you\u2019ll be able to catch, because as a collective they are playing to every corner of the theater).<\/p>\n

Because the music is so good, the most obvious place Godspell could founder is the parables. (While the film somehow manages to make even the musical numbers insufferable, it\u2019s the parables that would tempt me to violate the Sixth Commandment.) But here each one is charmingly realized. A standout is one rendered as a bit of Beat poetry, complete with bongos \u2014 but they\u2019re all great.<\/p>\n

Much as I\u2019m loath to spotlight any individual in a production that is such a triumph of the collective, in Godspell you gotta have a good Jesus. Kenny Giles delivers, playing him\/Him with soft-spoken amiability, leading his disciples through fellowship rather than force of personality. And as Judas, Quinn Vann ably communicates his love for his teacher and a fitting ambivalence about his own traitorous fate.<\/p>\n

Godspell is so successfully fun and funny through nine-tenths of its duration that you wonder whether it will disappoint when the proceedings take their inevitable turn. Instead, we get what may be this great show\u2019s greatest moment. \u201cOn the Willows\u201d is a powerful, haunting song, one of those melodies that brings you (or at least me) to tears regardless of the lyrical content. Vann sings it perfectly; and by setting it to Jesus sharing a wordless, private goodbye with each disciple (individualized by distinct gestures set up early in the play), Randall has created a touching, transcendent theatrical moment.<\/p>\n

Historically, musicals have not been Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s strong suit; but history does not delimit what is to come. This is one of the best things they\u2019ve ever done, and you won\u2019t see a better show \u2014 musical or otherwise \u2014 in Long Beach (at the very least) this year. A true joy. Verily, I say unto thee: see this show.<\/p>\n

Godspell at Long Beach Playhouse
Times: Fri\u2013Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm, plus Thursday, July 2 at 8pm
The show runs through August 2 (no show July 4).
Cost: $24 to $36
Details: (562) 494-1014; LBplayhouse.org<\/a>
Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(credit: Michael Hardy Photography) Prior to my seeing the production that is the subject of this review, my…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[9720,154958,23050,9721,26622,36546,34115,131,133,132,9722],"class_list":["post-383603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-curtaincall","tag-godspell","tag-lbc","tag-lbplayhouse","tag-christ","tag-christianity","tag-jesus","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-rln"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}