Sinclair Community College’s Theater Department will be presenting the revival of the play “Godspell,” directed by Kimberly Borst.
“The play is based on the New Testament in the Bible, primarily on the Gospel of Matthew and it’s about Jesus’ teachings,” she said.
Although the subject matter of the play is one of seriousness, it is performed in a stylized way.
“[It’s] performed in a very stylistic, fun, comedic way… so this is not a realistic performance, you’re not going to see sandals and long robes. It’s like nothing you would see depicted in a history book. It’s what would happen if Jesus were here today,” Borst said.
She said the play is built around a serious subject but is performed in a comedic way.
Borst hopes they have found a good balance between the plays subject matter and how it is performed.
“We hope we have found that balance between having fun with the stories, because it is a funny musical.It is a musical theater…nobody tries to hide that we absolutely have fun with it, but then this serious story of the crucifixion we take very seriously and we hope that comes across,” she said.
The show is not only aimed at entertaining people of the Christan faith, because it has something for everyone.
“We can bring in people of the Christian faith who want to see the story of Christ told in a lighthearted, unusual way, [but] also people who aren’t interested in Christianity, or have another faith, can also appreciate the story of community [and] the idea that there is a higher power watching over us. If you’re a complete atheist and you don’t believe in that at all, you can simply just sit back and be entertained by the music and the comedy in it. There’s a little something for everybody,” Borst said.
A woman, Natalie Sanders, will play the role of Jesus.
Sanders said she feels great about a woman being cast as Jesus.
She said casting the role to a woman also sends a message of what the play is about.
“It gets across that the message is really what Jesus is about, it’s not so much the individual person. There are some personal moments in the show though, where you see some of the inner turmoil, but it’s more about the message and what Jesus wanted to create with community and love, than it is about gender,” Sanders said.
Sanders also believes the show will not alienate people of other faiths.
“I don’t think it’s a show that will make anyone who’s not religious or who practices another religion feel alienated. I think just the message and the point of the show transcends any religion. It’s all about people coming together,” she said.
“Godspell” will open on April 5 and will play through April 13. For show times and tickets, visit the Sinclair theatre page.