Elle George, Reporter
@ellegcourant
Originally written in the 1970s, the Godspell musical is a modernized telling of parables from the bible. But to the high school cast, it has been about a lot more. The show’s beauty lies in its adaptability; most actors even keep their real name. Instead of being set in a specific period, the show’s time period is fluent, allowing the directors to addresses more modern issues.
“It’s traditionally a more religious show, but for us we’ve tried to make it more coming together and doing the right thing,” Lucy Lee, a senior and stage production manager of Godspell, said in an interview.
The actors start the show on their phones, overly invested in social media at an abandoned concert venue. Then a strange man, Jesus, walks in.
“Jesus is the one trying to bring us out and interact with each other.” said Catherine Haddad, one of the few freshmen on the cast.
“The characters really learn to be more connected through love and kindness,” Drew Bench, another freshman on the cast, said.
Crew members have put a lot of time and effort into designing and creating the show’s props, costumes, and ultimately its unique style.
“Each of these characters are supposed to be so different and they’re all supposed to represent some sort of philosopher, or religious figure,” Lucy said. “The director sat me down and we talked about what specific props would represent each person. We have a toy hammer and a V.I.P. pass, which doesn’t really make sense at the beginning, but then once you watch the show and as the events unfold, you understand why each of them has such a specific prop.”
In addition to the props, one of the most substantial elements of the show has been its music. “The parables are definitely very religious but then the music takes on a whole other, rock and pop kind of feel,” Catherine said. “It alternates from very biblical stories and then to fun music.”
Fortunately, the musical was able to be performed live in addition to online, with restrictions starting to ease. “There is still social distancing on stage but now we’ve been able to pass props and be a little closer,” said Megan Lydon, a senior playing both John the Baptist and Judas in the show. Cast members were even able to perform with clear masks and live pit music rather than just recordings.
With the school year coming to an end, and the hours of strenuous planning and perfecting put in by cast and crew members alike, the NCHS theatre department’s hardwork paid off in the end.
