Rehearsals are underway for Tewksbury Memorial High School Theatre Company’s production of Godspell. Currently, the cast and crew are learning the music with Heather Ware. Ware is the music director who is in charge of the orchestra and chorus. She is spending her time teaching the singers and performers the correct notes to hit.

Godspell is a musical based on ​The Gospel According to Matthew.​ In the show, Jesus is gathering followers through his teachings. The show has a series of musical parables. One song, “Save the People”, is about Jesus saving the people through his teachings. “We Beeschee Thee” is about how people can either go to heaven or hell.

This show is different than many others shows. Other shows have many main characters and supporting characters. This one only has two lead characters- Jesus and John the Baptist. There are a few soloist characters and many ensemble members. This show is more dependent on the ensemble. The ensemble can make or break a show depending on how they perform in their scenes. If the ensemble doesn’t do a good job setting the scenes, then the show could fail to produce the correct aura that the playwright meant. If the ensemble does do a good job, the show looks more real and interesting, which then impacts the audience.

Because ​Godspell​ has been out for a while, there are many interesting facts about the show and its history:

• ●  The show first opened in 1971.
• ●  John-Michael Tebelak directed the first production of ​Godspell.
• ●  Stephen Schwartz composed the music.
• ●  Godspell o​ riginally started as a project at Carnegie Mellon University
• ●  A film version was created in 1973.
• ●  The show was nominated for best original score at the 1977 Tony Awards.

 

Although the show has been a hit among audiences, there has been some controversy surrounding it. The cast wears 1970-hippie-esque clothing which has caused people to refer to them as “flower children.” Controversy has also arisen because of the lack of a resurrection scene. People were angry and said that it was offensive to not show the resurrection.

In the past, the theatre company has put on many shows. This one is the latest in their history of performances. If you can, you should come and support the theatre company. The dates and times are Thursday April 25 at 7, Friday April 26 at 7, Saturday April 27 at 2, and Saturday April 27 at 7. Ticket prices are still unannounced. The cast and crew of ​Godspell ​hope to see you there.