Godspell' delights despite preachy script

Torn Ticket II's production of Godspell last weekend marks the third in a series of successes beginning with last year's production of Zombie Prom, followed in the spring by Into the Woods and ending with Stephen Schwartz's Gospel-centered musical. Whatever issues one has with the books of these shows _ and with Godspell, there are many _ the acting, directing and design elements of these shows have been consistently stellar.

The latest production is a loose adaptation of the parables of the New Testament _ stories designed to tell people how to live a moral life. The show has all the big names with one actor playing Jesus (Dan Fink), one actor playing both John the Baptist and Judas (Billy Stanford) and an ensemble of ten performers playing a community of students, teachers, disciples and lost sheep. The show ends with the betrayal of Jesus and his crucifixion (although stops short of his resurrection).

The script and songs can best be described, as I heard many audience members muttering as they left, "kinda preachy." It's slightly unnerving to have Jesus, played by Fink with constant charisma and a commanding presence, remind us with a smile that we should either follow his teachings or burn in hell. That's not his fault, nor is it the director's fault or anyone else's except the show's conceiver, John-Michael Tebelak. And while many of the songs are catchy _ 'Day By Day' is the one most remember, but my favorite was 'Turn Back O Man' _ the show is inevitably a sermon, and I found myself wanting to shrug off the heavy religious overtones and simply enjoy myself. One person in my row wondered aloud, "They're doing such a good job, why's it gotta be about Jesus?"

Fortunately, every other aspect of the show is tuned up, Spinal Tap style, to 'eleven.' Director Amanda Raymond worked wonders with this cast, taking many of the stories we've heard before and giving them new comedic spins. I thought that I would never have to hear the stories about the prodigal son again, but she found a new way to tell it and make it interesting. My favorite was her new version of 'the good Samaritan who saved the man in the desert,' told by gloved pairs of fingers. It was bizarre, but it worked and it was funny.

The ensemble voice work is phenomenal, and most of the people I saw were incredibly moved during numbers like 'All Good Gifts' and 'By My Side'. While the show is essentially a group effort, and every member contributed to the show, there were some members of the chorus that especially stood out. Dan Balkin had a consistent string of hilarious one-liners that just kept getting funnier. Jackie Mantica was always a ray of sunshine that brightened most scenes. Bonnie Lury showed a lot of singing strength and Lisa Birnbaum's solo, 'Turn Back O Man,' positively brought the house down.

As for the two actors who actually have characters, Dan Fink was, again, a very strong and warm presence as Jesus. Billy Stanford, as both Judas and John the Baptist, was a bit more uneven. His song as John the Baptist, 'Prepare Ye,' was beautifully done and a great way to start the show. His other song as Judas, 'All for the Best,' was harder to hear and at times unintelligible.

Stanford was also undermined by the script, which did not include much motivation for Judas or much insight into his character. I realize that he's a classic biblical figure, but I still want some kind of reason for him to betray Jesus Christ. But that did not stop him from being a strong member of the overall chorus, and he had some priceless moments as the comic foil in Jesus's lessons.

If the acting was strong, the other elements of the show were equally up to snuff. Set designer Adam Stahl constructed an impressive series of platforms and ramps that completely filled the large hole left in the theater by the removal of a large section of audience. The structure resembles a giant playground for the cast to play on, and the sense of fun the cast gives out running up and down the structure is positively infectious.

My one question would be this: why, in a show with so many colorful costumes and performances, did they decide to paint the structure a dull grey. It works during the beginning, when the cast comes out as a gaggle of confused philosophers dressed in white shirts and jeans in a scene that plays strangely like the HBO show Oz. Afterwards, the color choice is slightly distracting, but not enough to dampen what Stahl accomplished.

The choreography, done by Raymond and Tali Paransky, was of the kitchen-sink style that can also be seen in The Producers for $150 a pop. There were so many different styles and so much high energy movement that eventually I gave up trying to count them, sat back and enjoyed. One could say that they could have picked a more consistent style, but that would have probably meant no flips and jumps, and let me say that I loved those flips and jumps and all of the other stuff they threw in, as well. The show, from set to dance, was a visual delight.

All in all, the production was about the best job they could have done with the material they had. The pit was strong, the direction inventive and the collective cast was a delight. There is one small but determined nagging that wonders why all this effort was put into a show that is essentially a clever infomercial for Jesus. I also wonder what many of my non-Christian friends had to relate to in the show, and how they felt when Jesus told them they were going to hell. I realize that's not what any of the cast or crew intended, but those are the words, and the words are hard to get away from.

Nevertheless, the show sets another watermark in terms of what can be done with a musical at Tufts, and how well they can do it. I may not like the concept, I may find the book too preachy; but I always like a damn good show, and Torn Ticket II's Godspell was a damn good show.