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Cappies: Francis Howell North brings 'Godspell' to life

This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 11, 2011 - Funny as it sounds, there is only one show where audiences can be serenaded by Jesus in disco pants, and that show is the musical, "Godspell," which was recently performed by Francis Howell North.

Originally a college thesis project, "Godspell" hit the stage in 1970 as a collection of parables from the Bible set to music by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. Godspell's cast is primarily focused on two 1970s portrayals of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist teaching the rest of the cast Christian philosophies through song and dance.

Francis Howell North's production of "Godspell" really captured the color of the show, but not without some bumps. Vocals were consistently stronger than character development or stage presence. Many times, choreography was poorly executed or was a mechanism for upstaging. However, this is not to say that the production was not entertaining or not enjoyable to watch, for "Godspell" is an advanced show for even the most talented.

Characters who are exceptions to note were Jesus and Sonia. Jesus, played by Jeremy Hyatt, claimed his role of lead with compelling stage presence and strong vocal direction. Hyatt was especially impressive during the scene in which Jesus asks God to take him away from Calvary; an almost overwhelmingly emotional performance, he kept a believable face and proved to be one of the strongest points in the production. Additionally, Brittany Burke with the role of Sonia, was easily the strongest female vocalist of the cast and portrayed excellent character development. While other characters seemed to fade away Burke held strong energy throughout the entirety of the performance.

Such a colorful performance would not be possible without the production's tech team. The set (provided by Matt Spak, Paige Jungermann, Sam Scott and Eliessa Polhamus) was an overall impressive and huge permanent mass of flats, doorways and staircases, covered in a variety of colors and paint techniques. Other pieces of the set, such as stage blocks, were also brightly colored and cleverly utilized throughout the play. Costumes and makeup, (designed by Sidney Boden and Kaylee Waters) adequately clothed about 20 cast members while keeping the '70s feel. However, some costumes seemed neither radical nor '70s and distracted from the actual characters.

Though Francis Howell North chose a particularly difficult play to work with they pulled it off with real showmanship and provided an entertaining production and lovely evening.

Megan Horn is a student at Howell High School.

About the Cappies

The Critics and Awards Program for high school theater - known as Cappies - was formed in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting to celebrate writing and performing arts at America's high schools. It operates chapters across the nation.

St. Louis' program was launched in 2002-03.

This year, 16 schools are participating, producing 32 shows. Some 195 student critics will write nearly 1,000 reviews of the productions.

At the end of the year, the top performers, technicians and reviewers are honored during a Tony-style gala.

The Beacon is happy to help spread the word by printing some of the reviews.