Reason for the Season
The Gospel of Matthew is retold in a musical way in “Godspell,” being staged by Sing Hosanna! for three shows starting March 22.
Coinciding with the Easter season, director Ralph Christy Jr. is making last minute tweaks to his rendition of the musical.
“It is the basic story but in a little different setting,” Christy said.
Playing the role of Jesus is Matt Ferree of Valencia. The senior at Shady Side Academy has been in Sing Hosanna! productions before, but recently took the stage as Riff in Shady Side's production of “West Side Story.”
“Ironically I am probably the least religious person in the entire cast, so it's been a bit of a challenge for me to portray,” said Ferree. “It took a lot of studying and learning to keep Jesus close enough to how people would expect him to be portrayed.”
Scott Winter of Renfrew, who plays Judas in the musical, is a youth pastor at CrossWay Church and took the opportunity to educate Ferree. Winter plays both Judas and John the Baptist because that's the way the musical is set up.
“'Godspell's' message is both important and powerful, but the challenge is adapting my interpretation of John the Baptist and Judas to accommodate the humor written into the show without compromising the impact of their characters and the overall message of Christ,” Winter said.
New Testament teachings are presented through hippie-style characters in this Stephen Schwartz musical.
Sing Hosanna! welcomes two newcomers for this show: Matt Nocera and Lorraine Martin.
Martin, who was active in theater at Grove City College, is playing the role of Gilmer.
“My character is a bit goofy, but she has a big heart and really cares for those around her,” Martin said.
Conveying the message adequately is important to Martin. “I think the biggest challenge is bringing a very important message to the audience in a way that is easily understood,” she said.
Martin of Butler Township auditioned for the show with Matt Nocera, a chemistry teacher at Butler Intermediate High School. They both were pleasantly surprised at the ease with which the cast accepted them and how quickly the group meshed.
“It actually amazed me at how close I became to the cast. Going into the first rehearsal, I had one friend, Lorraine, who was cast with me. We did not know anyone else, but that changed quickly,” Nocera said.
He plays Lamar, “the simple, kind-hearted, innocent one.”
“It takes him more time than most to understand the lessons Jesus teaches during the show, which can provide a few laughs to the audience,” Nocera said.
The other actors rounding out the top-10 character list are Dale Riemer of Sarver; Ty Kunzelman and Donna Gumpper, both of Butler; Megan Rockcastle of Butler Township; Jordan Luntz of Saxonburg, and Jayson Reppart of Grove City.
<B>WHO: </B>Sing Hosanna!<B>WHAT:</B> “Godspell”<B>WHEN: </B>7:30 p.m. March 22 and 23 and 2 p.m. March 24<B>WHERE: </B>Succop Theater at Butler County Community College<B>TICKETS: </B>$15 for age 11 and older and $10 for age 10 and younger, available at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.<B>INFO:</B> 724-287-8362
