Godspell Delivers a Modern Message
TEMPE, Ariz. – Experience the energy of one of the most popular musicals of the 1970s during the ASU Herberger College MainStage Lyric Opera Theatre production of Godspell. Take a modern journey through the last seven days of the life of Jesus Christ, based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Performances run Sept. 29 – Oct. 8 at the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre on the ASU Tempe campus.
“Godspell is one of those shows that seem to inspire a populace following whenever and wherever it is performed,” says Richard A. Leigh, ASU musical theatre graduate student and the show’s director.
The original Off-Broadway production, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, debuted in 1971 and its costumes and sets were reflective of the 1970s culture. ASU’s 2006 version however, will encompass a more contemporary feel.
“Our look for the production will be much sleeker and streamlined than the laid back, flower-child version that hit audiences back in 1971,” Leigh says. “The audience should not expect a man in a Superman T-shirt with an Afro – as some might recall from the 1973 film – to come on stage.”
The all-ages-appropriate Godspell performance can be enjoyed by the entire family. Leigh believes that those who experience the musical for the first time will add it to their list of favorites; and patrons who are familiar with the show will be delighted by fresh aspects of the production.
Tickets for Godspell are $7-$22 and available online at http://mainstage.asu.edu/ or through the Herberger College Box Office, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays, 480-965-6447. Show times are 7:30 p.m., Sept. 29 and 30, Oct. 4, 6 and 7; and 2 p.m., Oct. 1 and 8. Performances are held in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre, 40 E. Gammage Pkwy., ASU Tempe campus.
The School of Music in the Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University is ranked 19th in the country and eighth among public institutions by “U.S.News & World Report.” More than 100 music faculty artists and scholars work with approximately 800 music majors each year in research, performance and scholarly activities. It presents approximately 700 concerts and recitals each year. To learn more about the School of Music, visit http://music.asu.edu/.