Stephen Macvicar
NODA Rep
London Area 3.
Thank you very much for inviting me to Twickenham Operatic Society’s production of Stephen Schwartz “Godspell” recently at The Live Room, Twickenham. Thanks also to Jenny Mundy for making the ticket arrangements.
Brief Synopsis -
Godspell is a fun, modern day retelling of the New Testament parables from The Gospel According to Matthew. The show is at times comedic and at times sentimental.
Godspell embraces the 21st century and is one of the longest-running Off-Broadway musicals of all time. Godspell uses improvisation and contemporary themes to illustrate the parables, bringing these lessons to life through the grand tradition of story theatre. The show features an exhilarating score by composer/lyricist and legend Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden) filled with recognisable songs, including the international hit "Day by Day." Overflowing with irrepressible energy, this classic favourite appeals to today's audience with a message of tolerance, kindness, and hope that resonates just as deeply as the music.
When I arrived at The Live Room within Twickenham Rugby Stadium, I didn’t really know what to expect. This was a change of style and direction for TOPS in terms of venue and choice of show and I was interested to find out how they would address these changes. I have to say, that TOPS took to the Live Room like ducks to water and the entire society rose to the challenge.
There is a synergy between the RFU and TOPS and the two organisations work very well together. The RFU promote arts and excellence in the locality and TOPS produce a consistently high standard of musical productions. This goodwill collaboration enticed TOPS away from Richmond Theatre on this occasion to be the first theatrical production at this brand new facility.
The venue itself is a 400 seat versatile space within which TOPS chose to purpose build their own stage and bring in masking cloths and additional lighting and sound rigs. From what I can gather the staff at the RFU couldn’t have been more helpful or accommodating to their guests. It’s not often you have a team of burly security guards to bolster your front of house team.
The production itself was a feast on the eyes and ears. It had a ‘youngset’ feel in terms of colour, energy and vibrancy. The costumes were simple but effective with a nice variety of coloured t-shirts and blouses. Character costumes where necessary were impressive and it was a nice touch symbolically to have Jesus in white and Judas in black. Despite this being a brand new venue, there didn’t appear to be any technical teething difficulties. The lighting plot was excellent – barely a lightbulb was unused and the sound team made use of personal and handheld mics alike. The sound balance was absolutely fine where I was sitting and there was no feedback. Well done to the technical and stage crews.
The cast of characters is largely made up of the ensemble and this gave the talented society stalwarts their chance to shine centre stage under the spotlight. It was really encouraging and pleasing to see individuals who, simply because there are never enough parts to go around (especially for women), were able to flourish in the limelight. It was also nice to see an influx of new and in some cases returning performers enhancing the society. Godspell is a musical that can be performed in many ways but what I liked about this production was that age was not a factor or a barrier at either end of the spectrum. It was a strong ensemble production and the variance in age groups actually complemented each other to create a family feeling.
My overall impression of the show was very positive. Some thought had gone into the planning and the choice of show. With a new venue, it is a good idea not to be too heavily reliant on set or technical issues but to keep it simple. It was a good choice of show and there was certainly a strong enthusiasm and feel-good factor both behind and in front of the stage. Production numbers built nicely and the harmonies in a few numbers were evident. The quieter, more sombre moments, especially towards the end of the show, were treated with a precision of emotion, which was tangible. Congratulations for this must go to your redoubtable Production Team of Gill Wade, Babette Langford and Dave Roberts who collectively should be very proud of their efforts and the final product. I would like to afford a special mention too, for an excellent band.
There are too many named principals to comment on individually and this was a true ensemble production but I have written a few notes on some of the lead principals who all had challenging parts;
Jesus – Paul Lyons – Godspell is supposed to be a modern version of the familiar story around Jesus and the parables. Paul successfully refreshed the Jesus character to a more modern era and while this modern slant may not be everybody’s idea of a Jesus character, it is very much suitable and relevant to this version of the story. Paul’s strong vocals were evident and he brought excellent light and shade to his depiction
Judas – Peter Beaven – I always enjoy Peter’s unique and slightly ‘off-the-wall’ interpretation of characters. This performance was no different and as well as providing many humorous moments, his vocals were a treat. Never better than in ‘Prepare Ye’
Bee Wilkinson – I have heard Bee sing before of course but never this style of music. Bee was ‘glowing’ and her soulful voice, in my opinion, has never been better than it was in this production
Fay Ellingham – I have always enjoyed watching and appearing alongside Fay on stage. She was born to sing ‘Day by Day’ and her elegance and aura are just a joy to watch and be around
Claire Fee – Claire has a lively and bubbly stage disposition. I enjoyed her performance as the temptress and looking forward to seeing her in future productions
Toby Thorp – Toby was one of the individuals that I referred to earlier, in that Toby hasn’t played a lead principal part for the society to my knowledge but it was very pleasing to see that he is very capable of doing so
Tower of Babel singers – very, very tough scene to do and is normally cut as most societies won’t dare tackle it. It is to TOPS credit that they did and all the voices – Bee, Frances, Matt, Fay, Sweep, Simon, Zoe and Toby came through confidently and strongly – and the scene looked great as did the performers in their cloaks
There were some lovely cameos amongst the ensemble and indeed some lovely voices coming through to back up your main principals.
The A5 souvenir programme had an excellent layout and there was plenty of interesting society reading to be done. I would recommend that the society enters their programme for the NODA competitions. At the very least you will get from feedback from a committee who have seen a lot of programmes.Short biogs and especially photographs are always very welcome as it shows the relevant experience and growth of performers. The photographs and group vignettes were excellent.
Once again thank you for inviting me to The Live Room and best wishes for your next production. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
