Godspell will never make my list of favorite musicals. Despite its melodious Stephen Schwartz score, I find the show itself pretty much a snooze. Still, its many fans could hardly ask for a more imaginatively directed or more sparklingly performed production than The Wayward Artist’s at Santa Ana’s Grand Central Art Center.

 Unlike the plot-propelled Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Children Of Eden, 1970’s Godspell is made up almost entirely of parables recounted pretty much word for word from the Gospels (hence the show’s title), just what the preacher ordered if Sunday School is your thing, but not so much for those of other religious persuasions or a more secular bent.

 Fortunately, these parables (The Good Samaritan, The Rich Man and Lazarus, The Prodigal Son, and half-a-dozen more) serve as preambles to songs revealing the same knack for melody Schwartz demonstrated two years later in Pippin and three decades later in Wicked, among them the Top-20 pop hit “Day By Day,” and whenever any of Wayward Artist’s cast of ten take to singing under Rod Bagheri’s assured musical direction, Godspell takes flight.

 As for the rest, it’s up to a director and cast to turn moral lessons into entertainment, and here co-directors Craig Tyrl and Sarah Ripper and an ensemble of talented 20somethings show off an abundance of imagination and triple-threat gifts.

 A game of audience-participation charades, a ventriloquist-and-dummy act, sock puppets that are quite literally socks, and feats of legerdemain are among Tyrl and Ripper’s clever touches, with choreographers Natalie Baldwin and Ripper providing show-stopping dance moves from vaudeville soft-shoe to A Chorus Line-ready high kicks.

 Bagheri’s charismatic Jesus and fight choreographer Wyn Moreno’s double-bang John The Baptist and Judas anchor the production and give Roxie and Velma a run for their money with the Chicago-esque “All For The Best.”

 A terrific supporting ensemble combine burlesque-style patter, Mad TV-ready comedy, and song-and-dance chops promising bright musical theater futures.

 Ari Hyers’s bluesy “Turn Back, Oh Man,” Asia Washington’s passionate “By My Side,” Cody Bianchi’s gospel-soulful “Light Of The World,” Gabrielle Adner’s sing-and-dance-along “Day By Day,” Jonathan Le Shana’s jaunty “We Beseech Thee,” Monika Peña’s power-piped “O’ Bless The Lord My Soul,” dance captain Shayanne Ortiz’s infectious “Learn Your Lesson Well,” and Joshua Wright’s Stevie Wonderesque “All Good Gifts” all earn deserved applause, and a crucifixion-accompanying “On The Willows” could coax tears from a stone.

 Technical director/scenic designer Chris Schmidt’s chain-link-fence-backed set gives this Godspell a contemporary urban feel complemented by Rachael Lorenzetti’s colorful costumes, Nadine Tran’s ingenious props, Aspen Roger’s vivid lighting, and Lauren Zuiderveld’s expert sound design.

Erica Larson is stage manager and Tran, Carla Leoz Maurer, and Satarupa Thyme are assistant stage managers.

 Those who’ve turned Stephen Schwartz’s maiden effort into the international sensation that it has become will find The Wayward Artist’s first-season-opener a Godspell-lover’s dream come true. As for non-believers, even they will find much to appreciate and enjoy.

CSUF Grand Central Art Center, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana.
www.TheWaywardArtist.org

–Steven Stanley
April 15, 2018
Photos: Jordan Kubat

Tags: Orange County Theater Review, Stephen Schwartz, The Wayward Artist