"Godspell": The Gospel Retold

By: Honor Tamminga

To kick off this new semester, the George Fox University (GFU) Theater Department is putting on the musical “Godspell.” Rhett Luedtke, professor of theater and co-chair of the department of fine arts, worked in conjunction with Danielle Warner, associate professor of music and choral director, to direct the play and the music respectively. 

“Godspell” tells the story of the Gospel, in a contemporary setting through music and choreography. GFU’s production highlights the joy and intimacy of Jesus’ message.

The set and costumes are vibrant and cheerful. Each actor goes by their real name for the entirety of the play, excluding Johnathan Billington, who plays Jesus, and Graham Buyagawan, who plays John the Baptist and Judas. The music, with stellar accompaniment from a small band, is fast paced and lively, and much of the text within those musical numbers is taken directly from the Bible.

When I saw the show, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It presented the familiar parables of Jesus in a new light, and did so in a way that highlighted the joy to be found in His teachings. 

Obviously, GFU is a Christian school, and the message behind “Godspell” is overtly Christian. There are, however, questions of whether the musical follows the biblical account closely enough and whether it takes the message seriously enough. Some Christians may be inclined to frown upon the musical. At times, it felt even to me as if perhaps the peppy music and boisterous show were not representing God’s Good News accurately.

Any Gospel retelling will fail to match up to the Biblical account in some way or another. Nevertheless, it is a good thing to continue to tell and retell the Gospel. In the guise of a fun and quirky musical, “Godspell” depicts Jesus as the man who taught wisely and loved fiercely. 

The cast, crew, band, directors, and all else who are involved in GFU’s production of “Godspell” have put in time and effort into a fun and on-theme theatrical production. "Godspell" opened on Jan. 27 and ran until Feb. 6.

“Godspell “Poster. Photo Courtesy: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/59627