Godspell In The Garden

Godspell In The Garden
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Michael Tebelak. The Australian Shakespeare Company, in conjunction with Room 8. Director: Glenn Elston. Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Feb 21 – March 13, 2016 and touring.

A balmy Sunday evening in Melbourne on the labour day weekend with the sun low in the sky and picnic baskets abounding; could there be a more perfect setting for this wonderfully entertaining re-imagining of a timeless 45 year old musical?

The Australian Shakespeare Company, in conjunction with Room 8, gives us a pared down cast of just four (instead of the usual ten), with the addition of 4 super talented musicians who manage to do everything as well as play their instruments. Director Glenn Elston adds his wickedly politically incorrect (and somewhat Pythonesque) sense of humour to make the production more contemporary, and much funnier, than we’ve seen before. Donald Trump, complete with comb-over, stars in one parable, and there are sheep and goat puppets, feather boas, a fabulous minimalist set of 44 gallon drums, and a brilliant a capella version of “We Beseech Thee”, where all eight people on stage play only percussive instruments….from tambourines to bongos, congas and guiro…or was it a reco-reco? There are moments when it is a little raw around the edges, or when the sound doesn’t quite cut in when it should … and the two girls were a little pitchy in some numbers, but none of that mattered. We were swept up in the pace of Elston’s direction, the memorable Schwartz songs (“Day By Day”, “Save the People”, “Turn back O Man”, “Prepare Ye The Way of the Lord”) and the many laughs (seeing a parable portrayed in interpretive dance almost had me falling off my chair….and Lazarus rising from the dead as a momentary Zombie was equally as hysterical). In short, it’s a joyful, funny, beautifully conceived and performed production.

A Sydney reviewer wrote that it is very heavy on the “C” in Christianity, as if this was somehow a negative, or a politically correct warning to other “religious” groups. Well DUH! Its book is entirely based on the New Testament and the story of Christ – apart from Elston’s witty additional lines. More to the point, it’s a show about love, and Lord knows (pun intended) you don’t have to belong to any particular religion to understand that the message of love is more important than ever in a world which offers a daily dose of insanity and greed. The set design covers the 44 gallon drums with the symbols of all religions (and let’s not forget the composer is Jewish) because the message is universal. Only in the Crucifixion scene do the Christian crosses glow in silver amidst the other symbols, and I defy even a steel clad atheist not to get a lump in his throat as an innocent man is killed for preaching love.

When you reduce a cast from ten to four, you need to be careful in choosing your performers. Mark Dickinson is simply superb as John the Baptist and Judas. Those who have never seen Dickinson perform are missing the complete package. A fine actor with a charismatic presence on any stage, he possesses a fabulous baritone voice that adapts to every style and can switch from jazz phrasing, to Rock, to tenor headnotes in a heartbeat. He is, I’m unashamed to say, one of my favourite music theatre performers in Australia (and could EASILY nail Jekyll and Hyde in the absence of Mr Warlow. Yes, he’s that good). He swaps seamlessly from John, to minor characters, to Judas, to guitar and percussion. He’s terrific on all levels, and knows just how far to push the “improvised” additional humour.

Christopher Southall is new to me, but he’s certainly impressive. Clearly a trained dancer, with a great voice, he exudes a confidence along with vulnerability far beyond his years. The two men are a lovely balance together (what a SIR and COCKY they would make in Newley/Bricusse’s Roar Of The Greasepaint).

If you don’t know the show you may wonder why someone so young is playing Jesus at 33. The answer is simply that youth represents innocence, so the youngest person on stage is always Jesus (Christopher Pate, ridiculously child-like, was our original Jesus in Melbourne more than 40 years ago. I have total recall of sitting on the steps of the Playbox sobbing from the emotional impact of the show.)

Lucy Gransbury and Louisa Fitzhardinge are both impressive in a variety of roles, the latter having a purer voice which excels in “On The Willows” and “Learn Your Lessons Well”, but Gransbury nails the burlesque of “Turn Back O Man” with great wit. And when the four voices combine in harmony, the effect is stunning.

All four musicians, play small roles and the amazing Lucy O’Brien, as MD and on keyboards, shows off her fabulous vocal range on several numbers, and even plays Cello on one occasion. What a talent. Sam Jones and Ben Yarram were always solid on Bass and Guitar with strong vocals and delightful vignettes. Nick Robinson is a great find….a fine drummer and percussionist, he also sings and great comic skills and excels at adlibbing with the audience in the opening “Spruiking” segment which takes the place of “The Tower of Babble”.

Yes, some will find Godspell dated, or cheesy, or not flashy and expensive like JC Superstar (which Never had the heart or intensity of Godspell) but this production has heart, and truth and Dickinson. What more could you ask for? Catch it when you can.

Coral Drouyn

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