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Godspell (The Musical)
Tyndall Baptist Church - Friday 11 January 2008 |
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Review &
Photography by Nikki Brooks |
"Godspell" is one of three "god squad" musicals that first saw the
light in the 1970s! The other two were "Joseph" and "Superstar".
The music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz (www.
MusicalSchwartz.com), produced a huge hit at the time with
the song "Day By Day".
This musical, based on the gospel of St Matthew, starts with Jesus
in adulthood and includes various parables e.g. The Good Samaritan
and The Prodigal Son, before ending with the crucifixion and was
presented in two parts with a short interval. |
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Graham Lewis in the lead role was a little too energetic at times
possibly due to nerves, which made it very difficult to get a decent
picture of him as he was bounding around the stage like a puppy on
acid. However his performance was inspiring, well-rehearsed and
commanded an emotional response from the audience. When his voice
broke singing one of the repeats of the line "O God I'm dying" in
the passion scene, you could hear the lumps in the throats of some
people and a few muffled sobs too…
The chorus were enthusiastic, demonstrated great teamwork and were
obviously having fun in their kooky costumes and glitter makeup.
There was definitely quite a bit of young talent to watch out for,
although the overall age mix was sufficient to provide a balanced
cast - sadly lacking in some local societies. |
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Having been part of two Bristol "Am Dram" societies in previous
years, I can honestly say that the stage management was slick, the
choreography artistic/funny and the lighting excellent, so flash
wasn't necessary for the pictures. As you can see from the
photography the lights were atmospheric but strong enough to produce
good results. Everything appeared to proceed smoothly and the
direction was sophisticated. |
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The production stuck to the original "clown-type" costumes with
1970s "hippy" face-paint and the part of John The Baptist/Judas
played as a circus ringmaster. The stage set was a simple but
effective background of scaffolding poles. Yes there were a few
wobbly notes here and there but the overall singing was good and the
applause showed a satisfied audience who, myself included, were NOT
all church-goers! |
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More pictures can been seen at
www.nikkibrooks.com/Godspell.html from this weekend.
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