Playhouse in the Park's production of Godspell opens this evening and runs January 26 through February 5. Directory Lynn Melton and choreographer Hannah Derby preview the show with Tracy Ross on Sounds Good.
The musical first opened in the 1970s and had a revival in 2012. The script comes from the Gospel of Matthew but Melton says the show is about man, love and understanding, not particularly about religion. She says the community in the show is looking for answers to the question, “Why are we in this mess?” The show begins with philosophers discussing their ideas of man and God. They are introduced to Christianity and baptized by Judas before Jesus is taken from them.
Melton says her favorite song from the show is one that wasn’t in the original version, “Beautiful City.”
“I was looking at Facebook and seeing all the drab things going on in the world today and Beautiful City... came up,” Melton said. “And, Tracy, I actually sat there and cried at the computer because [the song] is our message to Murray. We can’t change everything in the world but we can change us and we can make Murray a beautiful city to live in.”
Derby says she has choreographed for kids shows before but this was her first time doing so for adults. She said she started with her favorite song, “All For The Best,” and worked her way from the most energetic music to the least energetic.
The musical has been updated since the 1970’s and includes audience participation. Melton says the audience will see a story they can relate to all the way through. Tickets are available at playhousemuray.org.
