SIUE Music Department Presents the Highly Celebrated Godspell
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Musical Theatre students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will present Stephen Schwartz’s famous Godspell, Thursday, Nov. 5-Sunday, Nov. 8 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Edwardsville.
Godspell was one of the first major musicals produced by Schwartz, a three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner. SIUE’s Marc Schapman, associate professor of music, directs the musical. Godspell is based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew and on the book by John-Michael Tebelak.
Show times are 7:30 p. m. Thursday through Saturday. A matinee will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8.
The plot of the musical surrounds a small group of people helping Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, is employed as the story of Jesus’s life dances across the stage. The story dissolves hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Jesus’s messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life.
This vivid score includes such well-known songs as “O Bless the Lord,” “On the Willows” and “Beautiful City”.
SIUE recently launched a new Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre degree program, and the students involved in this production are the first who are seeking their place on Broadway.
Ticket prices are general admission: $15, adults and $12, seniors. SIUE students with a valid ID can attend for free. To purchase tickets, call the SIUE Box Office at (618) 650-2774.
Photo:
Rehearsing for one number in the musical Godspell is (front row from left to right): Tyler Green and Zora Vredeveld and (back row from left to right) Brandon Ratermann, Reagan Deschaine, Chase Lovelace and Brandon Janssen.
