Bringing the gospel of Godspell to Toby’s Dinner & Show Theatre

Jeri Tidwell Photography

1971 was an interesting year for Broadway when not one but two musicals starred Jesus, but in two very different ways. Jesus Christ Superstar focused on the last week of His life and is definitely the more emotionally heavy of the two shows. The other show, Godspell, is more upbeat, presenting a series of parables from the Bible without any real story on the surface, but there is a subtle one that does come to the same inevitable conclusion, although not quite as emotionally devastating.

I have to admit that Godspell has never been high on my list of shows to see. In all my years (and I pre-date the show by nearly a decade), my familiarity with it is limited to some images from the film (with Victor Garber as Jesus in a huge Afro and clownish makeup) and that song, ‘Day By Day’, which somehow became a radio hit back in the day despite the fact it just repeats the same stanza seven times. It’s basically the chorus of a song over and over again, and it’s an ‘earwig’ that you will have trouble getting out of your head. With that being said, I went into Toby’s with an open mind knowing that at least the production would be worth the trip.

The book of the show is actually pretty cleverly constructed because it’s obviously been adapted over the years to reflect the current time in which it’s being performed. At the top of the show, the cast are all glued to their cell phones, something unimaginable in 1971, and there are topical references mixed in with the Biblical parables from Judge Judy to Family Feud to Schitt’s Creek to the former and current president. One way to keep a show fresh is to include material of the day, and these pop culture references help to make you forget the show is 50 years old. A stroke of genius! If you ever attended church (Christian faith) then you are probably familiar with some of the parables being presented, such as ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘learn your lessons well’, all of the basic tenets of Christianity (which sadly seem to have been forgotten today).

As Jesus teaches these lessons, though, it’s just that — a series of lessons. There is no real story structure although aside from Jesus, there is only one other named character – Judas who begins the show as John) and they do have a throughline that leads to the betrayal of Jesus. The rest of the cast use their real names.

If you’re a regular patron of Toby’s Dinner Theatre, you will surely recognize every single player, and each of them gets to have their moment in the spotlight (and they are all on stage for basically the entire show). All of these ‘apostles’ have fabulous voices so it’s difficult and unfair to single one out but … DeCarlo Raspberry probably has one of the most powerful moments in the show that truly moved me nearly to tears with his glorious voice and deeply emotional performance in that moment. That’s not to take anything away from anyone else, as they each have a song which run the gamut from funny to tear-jerking, but most importantly it looks like they are having fun.

Jeri Tidwell Photography

The two actors playing named characters are also just as wonderful. Shane Lowry as John/Judas kicks off the show with a rousing rendition of ‘Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord’ which gets the audience clapping along like any good church hymn should. I love watching Shane’s facial expressions and performance, and he does a great job going from the ebullient John of Act I to the darker Judas in Act II. His voice is powerful but the moment he betrays Jesus with a kiss really got to me. Justin Calhoun is Jesus, the focal point around which the rest of the cast orbits. This is a very dialogue-heavy role and he has to deliver these parables with conviction, and he does. Justin could have a second career as a preacher because he has that ability to draw you in to what he’s saying and it sinks in. And his voice. His marvelous voice. I don’t really have words. I’ve seen Justin in many a show at Toby’s, but he’s had few lead roles (he was fabulous as well in The Little Mermaid. What Justin is is a team player, shining in any role he’s given (and every one of the regulars at Toby’s takes on roles from the chorus to the spotlight depending on the production), and the role of Jesus just fits him like a glove. Yeah, I’m a fan and I’m glad to see Justin leading a show in an award-worthy performance.

The production itself is fairly simple with only a few set pieces that are moved around the stage, but as it all takes place in one location it’s not a typical production with scene changes. There is, however, some terrific lighting design that at one point mimics the iconic lighting of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and later turns the apostles into demons. Really impressive work from David A. Hopkins. The music, as always, is excellent and for this show we actually get to see conductor and keyboardist Ross Scott Rawlings on one of the upper performance spaces (or Nathan Scavilla depending on the performance), accompanied by Rick Peralta (or Kim Spath) on guitar. Not seen, but also heard are Matthew Carroll/Michael Kellum on Bass, and Bob LaForce/Brent Schatz on Drums/Percussion. All very skilled musicians, and ably mixed with the vocals by Sound Designer John Pantazis.

This production is directed by Mark Minnick and David James, with choreography by Minnick, and while it seems like a simple production it had to be quite a challenge with ten principle cast members on stage for nearly the entire show. Even when you don’t have dialogue or a song, you can’t just be sitting or standing on stage like a statue with a blank expression. You have to be doing something and that is part of the director’s job, to give the actors ‘business’. It all flows smoothly from one parable and song to the next, and it takes a lot of skill and understanding not just of blocking a scene but how the space at Toby’s works to make it appear as effortless as it does.

Godspell was actually the very first show produced at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in 1980, and it is dedicated to James W. Rouse who encouraged and supported Toby’s mission to ‘enrich, educate and entertain’. I think he would have been very proud of what this company of Godspell has accomplished. I came into Godspell with many reservations, and while it’s still not my cup of tea as far as the storytelling or structure (which is already baked into the show), this production from this team on and off stage still managed to make me laugh … and shed a few tears. ‘Day By Day’ may be the most well-known song from the show, but all of the songs are really good and the cast just elevates them with their voices. Godspell probably isn’t a show I’d run out to see again … unless I was seeing it again with this cast at Toby’s Dinner Theatre.

And speaking of dinner … WOW! The food seemed extra delicious this time, from the corn and broccoli to the seafood salad, to the potatoes and Spinach Funque (a Toby’s classic) to the baked tilapia. And that’s just what I could put on my plate. It was all so good, I really needed a bigger plate (but you can get seconds). Still no ice cream bar due to COVID policies, but the chocolate cake I had was divine (cheesecake was also an option). And, as always, there is a signature drink, ‘The Light of the World’, which I believe was a frozen strawberry lemonade concoction that is available with a splash of spiced rum if you so choose. It was delicious. And you get to keep the collectible glass (you’ll get a clean one to take home).

Over all, it was another wonderful experience at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, MD and well worth the trip.

Godspell plays through October 31 and has a run time of about 2 hours and 20 minutes with one 15 minute intermission. Next at Toby’s is White Christmas, from November 5 – January 9, 2022.