Before \u201cWicked\u201d made Stephen Schwartz a household name, there was \u201cGodspell,\u201d the folk-pop musical he created with book writer John-Michael Tebelak.<\/p>\n
Born from Tebelak\u2019s Carnegie Mellon thesis and launched Off-Broadway in 1971, the show turned the Gospel of Matthew into a playful, improvised, gathering of parables, clowning, pop songs and communal spirituality. It has always been less a traditional biblical pageant than a band of strangers trying to figure out how to live together.<\/p>\n
That is what makes Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s new \u201cGodspell\u201d so appealing once it gets going. Directed by Sonya Randall, the production has a wonderful cast, strong live vocals and real affection for the songs audiences know by heart. It stumbles at the opening, but spends the rest of the evening making a persuasive case for why this odd little musical has lasted more than 50 years.<\/p>\n
The difficulty begins with \u201cTower of Babble.\u201d Originally, the sequence was simply people talking over one another; later revivals updated it with people distracted by cell phones. Here, the Playhouse combines the two ideas by framing the opening as a protest.<\/p>\n
It is a recognizable modern image, but it lands awkwardly. The scene seems to suggest that protest itself is pointless noise, something to be calmed or silenced by the call of \u201cThe Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a curious implication in a show drawn from Matthew\u2019s Gospel. Jesus was not exactly a spokesman for quiet compliance. He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple. He said, \u201cI did not come to bring peace, but a sword.\u201d Those passages do not make every protest noble, of course. But they do make it hard to frame public disruption as mere babble requiring a divine hush.<\/p>\n
There is also a practical issue. \u201cTower of Babble\u201d is a difficult a cappella number built on tight, interlocking harmonies. With the cast spread throughout the theatre, the singers have trouble hearing one another, and the chords do not always lock in. The staging makes visual sense, but musically it costs the number its precision.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, if you can make it through those four plus minutes, (I almost didn\u2019t), the rest of the evening is much stronger.<\/p>\n
Kenny Giles gives Jesus an easy warmth and a grounded presence, while Quinn Vann brings emotional weight to Judas. David Ponc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cWe Beseech Thee\u201d has energy and personality, Demetri Mack makes \u201cAll Good Gifts\u201d land with lovely simplicity, and Chandler Van Allen\u2019s \u201cLight of the World\u201d has all the showmanship it needs.<\/p>\n
Brittany Dakoske sings \u201cDay by Day\u201d with clear, openhearted sincerity, while Madison Cheramie, Morgan Elena, Julia Vira Weinstock and Carole Louise each make their featured songs memorable. Celeste Moran and Eric Lazaro round out an ensemble that becomes increasingly cohesive as the evening goes on.<\/p>\n
And that cohesion is \u201cGodspell\u2019s\u201d real message. It is not about a group of people becoming quiet. It is about a group of people becoming a community.<\/p>\n
Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s cast gets there beautifully. The opening may be uncertain, but the voices, the humor and the heart of the production ultimately carry the day.<\/p>\n
If you go<\/p>\n
Where: Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s Mainstage Theater, 5021 E. Anaheim St.<\/p>\n
When: Runs through Aug. 2.<\/p>\n
Cost: $27 general admission on Fridays; $32 general admission on Saturdays and Sundays.<\/p>\n