Link: https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/events/godspell
Available until: You can book the show for tomorrow or the
next day and have 24 hours to watch it.
This concert was made in lockdown to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the musical Godspell. The cast filmed their music either
in the privacy of their homes or a secluded outdoor venue and the songs were all
edited together in order.
I have never actually seen Godspell so I don’t know
how much speaking there usually is. There was just one speech in this and it
was very effective having just one because it gave it extra impact, but I’m not
sure how obvious the story would be to someone who didn’t know it. There is one
very striking image late on which will probably make things very clear for most
people, but until that point, it could be a concert of songs with no obvious
story. This might be frustrating for people who want to follow the story, but Godspell
has some great music and it’s wonderfully performed so that wasn’t something
that bothered me – and if it has aroused my curiosity about a staged version of
the musical, that isn’t a bad thing!
The problem with this production is the camera work. It is very professionally done, much more so than most lockdown performances. However, the camera swoops dizzily around while Zoom screens and other images float across the screen. Most people probably find this pretty and arty and clever, but wouldn’t be so good for people who suffer from vertigo or motion sickness. For some people, this musical would be extremely uncomfortable, if not impossible to watch. This is a great shame as firstly, it is a great production; secondly, it isn’t really necessary (in an offline concert, the singers usually stand fairly still and it’s hardly boring) and thirdly, it costs £10, which probably seems like a lot of money if you can’t watch the concert. I think it’s important to consider disability needs with online productions as well as offline.
This is certainly not the only production with this problem –
it’s something I’ve seen quite a lot - but it did stand out to me particularly
in this production because there is so much movement happening nearly all the
time.
Godspell is more about the songs than the characterisation.
There are few named characters and only Jesus has a big role (I’ve worked out
who some of the others are, but it probably isn’t obvious), but the musical
really does have some great and really enjoyable music, which was performed by
a diverse cast with a range of different voices.
Darren Day’s musical theatre experience cannot be denied and
he sang very well as Jesus. He was particularly affecting in his final scene,
which looked very striking. However, apart from this moment, which was
beautifully-acted, Day does have a tendency to treat the show as a pop concert,
performing his songs with style but offering little in the way of
characterisation.
The actors in supporting roles also did really well. Matthew
Croke isn’t nearly as experienced as Day, but the former Aladdin star
was an excellent singing partner for Day in All for the Best, a great song and
my personal highlight of the musical. This song involves two performers singing
different songs at the same time. The timing is extremely difficult anyway so
it’s particularly impressive that they’ve managed to perform it so well in
lockdown. Many singers have struggled to stay in sync with each other and with
their accompaniment when attempting an online performance so this really was
very impressive. Croke does wonderfully well to deliver his lyrics and music at
speed, his diction very clear.
There is also a showstopper from Ruthie Henshall in Turn
Back O Man. Denied the opportunity to flirt with a live audience and with the
other actors, she flirts with the camera, lying in a bubble bath. This was a
very clever device to show her character’s sensuality and her asides, though risqué,
were very amusing (and subtle enough to go over the head of my nine year old
sister).
Jenny Fitzpatrick’s Prepare Ye gives the concert an exciting
opening, Sam Tutty sings a lovely rendition of All Good Gifts -and if his gaze
is rather disconcertingly focused above the camera, perhaps that’s only natural
when he’s addressing God. Beautiful City is a song that actually doesn’t
feature on my recording, but Jodie Steele, on very fine form with thrilling
high notes, made it one of my favourite songs in the show. On the Willows,
performed by Sally Ann Triplett, John Barr and Jenna Russell, is also
beautifully-performed (and very well in sync) and is also notable for an absolutely
stunning spoken section. All the singers in Godspell are excellent, and
if the recording quality varies, that’s hardly surprising.
There is lots of enjoy here and Godspell will be repeated
tomorrow and the next day. For those of you who find 10am ridiculously early
during the school/university holidays, it can be watched at any point in the
following twenty-four hours.
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