Theatre Review—

Godspell Is Richter At Its Best

DANBURY — It’s a hot summer evening and the lawn is packed with people of all ages sprawled on blankets or sitting on lawn chairs, passing the white wine and brie. In the half-hour or so before the play begins, an assortment of motley clad hucksters circulate through the crowd, selling popcorn, painting children’s faces, reading fortunes, juggling.

Then, when it is just dark enough to begin, John the Baptist, dressed as a ringmaster, leads them up the center aisle in a powerful rendition of Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord. They scamper onto an almost bare stage and arrange themselves as frozen statues posed on a series of brightly painted blocks.

In the original version of the Stephen Schwartz rock musical, Godspell, Jesus and his disciples were portrayed as clowns. In this Musicals at Richter version, director Don Rickenback has taken the idea a step further and created a whole circus, making it the unifying theme of this production.

The play is loosely based on the Gospel of St Matthew. In the first act, Jesus, wearing carpenter’s overalls and the white gloves and painted teardrop of a mime, is a playful teacher, teasing, cajoling and guiding this ragtag assortment as they act out the parables in which his lessons are framed.

This is the early Jesus who spoke out against the money changers and the sanctimonious Pharisees; He appeals to the disaffected youth, the rebels and the outcasts, and over the course of the play this disparate group are transformed by the light of His message into a unified community of disciples.

The second, darker act opens with a wonderful vamp number Turn Back, O Man by Juliette Garrison as a Mary Magdalene figure and goes on to include Gethsemane, the Judas kiss, and the crucifixion.

The show has a wonderful score: the music is both memorable and powerful. But the two things that really stand out above and beyond this joyful noise are how talented the entire cast is, and how much fun they are having. In addition to John Congdon as Jesus and David Roth as John/Judas, every one of the performers stands out distinctly: Rob Ferzola, Juliette Garrison, Anthony Grasso, Elyse Jasensky, Crystal John, Betsy Kohl, Donald Leona, Brian Maher, Cynthia Preston, and Melissa Strand Fike.

Director Rickenback is also the musical director, leading his five piece ensemble to a sound that is considerably improved over last year, and as the proprietor of Dee and Don’s Costume Closet he is also responsible for the wonderful costumes.

There is a great deal of talent around in the Danbury area and traditionally, Musicals at Richter has been a good place to see it. This summer’s opener represents Richter at its best – a splendid, joyous entertainment for the whole family. The little outdoor theater was packed on Saturday night, as it should be, but hopefully you can still get to see it this weekend.