Sold-out crowds take in a 'Godspell' worthy of praise
Kate Giglio
Issue date: 2/10/05 Section: Entertainment
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Though one might argue that it was divine intervention, it was likely excellent word-of-mouth and relentless self-promotion that sold out all four "Godspell" performances this past weekend.
I saw the show on Friday, and I walked in with higher expectations than usual, since I figured the School of Liberal Arts would be pulling out all the stops for their debut performance. And honestly, for the most part, I was not disappointed. Though I found a couple of things I might change, I laughed at most of the jokes and I generally agreed with the direction.
The play opened with the Prologue, in which Jesus (Eddie Grosskreuz) had a monologue. Back to the audience, on a platform upstage, Grosskreuz faltered in neither his stone-still stance nor his speech.
The nine other members of the cast then traipsed onstage for "Tower of Babble." Susan Yzquierdo brought her outside theater experience to Godspell, her strong vocal conviction and talent lighting up the opening bars of "Tower." Clad in nondescript black suits, the cast each had a few verses to sing and the audience had their first glimpse of the group's sound as a whole. Their voices blended well, which reflected good direction.
John the Baptist (Joe Cummings) sounded strong during "Prepare Ye," which he sang with the ensemble. A talented musician as well as actor, he blasted out a few bars on his trumpet and then proceeded to walk down the aisle of the theater onto the stage.
Jesus was back in soloist action for "Save the People." While, unfortunately, there were technical problems with his microphone at the show I caught, Grosskreuz managed to project his voice over the musical accompaniment, and I could still hear him from all the way in the back of the theater.
"Day by Day," sung by Kate DeAngelis and the ensemble, was a standout number. Leaving any attitudes or baggage at the theater doors, the grinning cast trooped down both aisles and onto the stage, crooning out the sunny lyrics. Kate's clean, resonant voice is clearly not that of an ama-teurrr.
I saw the show on Friday, and I walked in with higher expectations than usual, since I figured the School of Liberal Arts would be pulling out all the stops for their debut performance. And honestly, for the most part, I was not disappointed. Though I found a couple of things I might change, I laughed at most of the jokes and I generally agreed with the direction.
The play opened with the Prologue, in which Jesus (Eddie Grosskreuz) had a monologue. Back to the audience, on a platform upstage, Grosskreuz faltered in neither his stone-still stance nor his speech.
The nine other members of the cast then traipsed onstage for "Tower of Babble." Susan Yzquierdo brought her outside theater experience to Godspell, her strong vocal conviction and talent lighting up the opening bars of "Tower." Clad in nondescript black suits, the cast each had a few verses to sing and the audience had their first glimpse of the group's sound as a whole. Their voices blended well, which reflected good direction.
John the Baptist (Joe Cummings) sounded strong during "Prepare Ye," which he sang with the ensemble. A talented musician as well as actor, he blasted out a few bars on his trumpet and then proceeded to walk down the aisle of the theater onto the stage.
Jesus was back in soloist action for "Save the People." While, unfortunately, there were technical problems with his microphone at the show I caught, Grosskreuz managed to project his voice over the musical accompaniment, and I could still hear him from all the way in the back of the theater.
"Day by Day," sung by Kate DeAngelis and the ensemble, was a standout number. Leaving any attitudes or baggage at the theater doors, the grinning cast trooped down both aisles and onto the stage, crooning out the sunny lyrics. Kate's clean, resonant voice is clearly not that of an ama-teurrr.