SACRED HEART UNIV. THEATRE ARTS DOES GREAT “GODSPELL"

Sunday school was never like this but maybe it should be.  Thanks to Stephen Schwartz for music and lyrics and John-Michael Tebelak  for the book, “Godspell” is an exuberant musical about Jesus and his followers. To polish your parables, motivate your morals and stimulate your acts as a good samaritan, then the Sacred Heart University Theatre Arts Program had  just the musical to get you moving this past weekend. 

This lively troupe performed a series of skits, sketches, stories, songs and dances that were wrapped in a cloak of the gospel of St. Matthew, all the while  energetically cavorting with joy.  Like a rock concert and revival meeting combined, these eleven performers took the audience along as they provided lessons on how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and how to guarantee you get through the Pearly Gates.  A dynamic Jesus, captured by Zachary Thomson Lane, was amazing as the humble son of God who has much to teach and only a short time to make his message heard.

On a playground set complete with a see-saw, the cast was in perpetual motion as they demonstrated the good and the bad ways to worship the Lord and to behave to one’s fellow man and one’s family.Thanks to director Jim Schilling and his creative touches, they performed all the lessons that Jesus wanted to teach, like making peace with your brother, judging not lest you be judged, treating peopleas you want to be treated, doing good deeds in secret and lighting up the world.  

 The glorious words of “Day By Day” that pray for one to see and love and follow God was one of the high points of the show.  These musical gifts were presented by Jake Doble, Hannah Jones, Delaney Lynch, Jordan Norkus, Courtney O’Shea, Stachakay Silvers, Tori Vacca, Serge Valcourt, Mike Villanueva and Justin Weigel.

The spirit  definitely moved you as you rejoiced in the words and the deeds that were sprinkled like seeds in a fertile field, for you to gather and enjoy.