Have You Seen Godspell On Broadway Yet? @MamaDramaNY #BWAYGODSPELL

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I love Godspell, I always have. I think most of you know I love the theater in general, but Godspell is one of my all time favorites. Confession- I have been in 4 productions of this show myself 😛 Local only of course, but I love, love, love this show- it is fun, eclectic, energetic, and it modernizes with the current times. I am NOT a child of the 70’s, but I loved the movie, and I own the original cast CD, and my son knew most of the songs long before this play hit the stage for a revival. (The new cast recording will soon be available!)

As soon as the cast hit the stage, even before the first song, I knew we were going to be in for a great night- because these “philosophers” came in with their briefcases and blackberries attached to their heads, texting and checking onto Facebook 🙂 Nothing quite like a modern day Socrates checking their status and quoting great works, LOL. And when the first notes of “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord” were sung- the audience was ready to dance along as well. I don’t think you can have a pulse and NOT want to dance when Godspell is in front of you!

The cast is vibrant, young, and exuberant, with members from hit shows like “Glee” and is directed by Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Gattelli. While this show has not been on the “main” stage for more then 40 years, you won’t know it- all the references are current and the show could not be funnier. The lines are all Biblical and the parables come straight from the Bible, the speech can seem old fashioned- but it is so well preformed that it won’t be strange or boring- it only adds to the show in every way. Hey- any show that can be all about the Bible while also references Donald Trump and iPhones has to be worth seeing!

The cast was amazing- my personal favorites were Julia Mattison (who sang “Turn Back, O Man” and was delightful and funny throughout the show, adding lots of what my daughter calls “glitter”), Uzo Aduba who was the first philosopher and broke my heart with her “By My Side”. She was a super soulful performer, commanded attention even while doing nothing, and someone I could not take my eyes off of all night. Judas, played by Wallace Smith, was a sparkly and peppy performer as well as an amazing voice- but it was his transformation from best friend to mortal foe that showed how talented he really is- his face was worth a million lines, and when the actor portraying Jesus (Hunter Parrish) “dies”, there was agony and guilt that you really believed. And felt. I admit that I cried.

The cast as a whole was believable as a family, as a unit. They had wonderful chemistry, and I bought my mom and her boyfriend tickets to go see the show at the end of the month. She will love it, she loved the original. Warning- Jesus does not wear the “Superman” shirt! 😛


Maybe you think your kids won’t sit through this show- in my experience, you’d be worrying for nothing! My kids both sat enraptured through the whole thing. I was a little worried about the death scene- my children know the story of Jesus, but to see it is a whole different thing. It is tastefully and simply done, and while sad- it’s not scary. My son was very worried about Jesus, but then the cast carried him off stage while singing again- and it was a hopeful and somewhat joyful feeling- and then he told me it would be OK, since Jesus was going to see his Dad, and that his Daddy would make it all right, right mom? So even the very young will be able to enjoy this musical experience, and I think they can only benefit from as much culture as you can give them.


Godspell is now playing at Circle in The Square Theater on Broadway. (at 50^thSt.). When ordering tickets HERE, feel free to use this discount code: GSMDR79. Tickets cost $79.50 / $89.50 (Sat Eves). Certain black-out dates may apply. Valid through 12/23/11.

For more blog posts on Broadway’s Godspell visit MamaDrama on BroadwayWorld.com.

Disclosure: I received tickets to a performance of Godspell courtesy of MamaDrama in exchange for this honest review. The thoughts and opinions are my own, yours may differ.