Abbey Players Cast a Godspell at St. Benedict the Abbot

Nicole Marie Gasse and Lorra Brannen co-directed “Godspell Junior” at for back-to-back performances on Saturday.

The 1969 musical is a series of parables told by Jesus Christ based on the Gospel of Matthew. The show was created by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak, and it started as a college project performed by students right here at Carnegie Mellon University. The junior version is a one-act play with some songs removed. Though, all the Schwartz favorites are here.

After the signature song, “Day by Day,” John the Baptist (played by the charismatic Josh Reardon) meets Jesus (David Tucker) who relates the parables to his followers. All of the Bible favorites are here—the Prodigal Son, the story of Lazarus and the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

As the story progresses, a lurking danger stalks Jesus. He has a traitor amidst his congregation. If you guessed Judas (song-and-dance man Jakob Brannen), you might guess the rest—Jesus must hang on a cross. The cast sings a heartrending rendition of “On the Willows” as Jesus announces “Oh God, I am dying!”  

Other highlights of the show are Josh Reardon’s “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” and Kylie Marshall’s “We Beseech Thee.” Marshall’s performance was stunning. She was last seen on stage as Veruca Salt in the 's " (another encapsulated version of a much longer original work)." Let's hope we will see more of her on stage in the coming years.

Sebastian Hymson, David Tucker, Jakob Brannen and Charlie Meyers presented a rousing rendition of “All for the Best.” The song is one of the most joyous moments in the dour play. Though, there are a few moments of humor provided by the cast. This updated version has a few add-ons, like a lyric or two from "Who Let the Dogs Out," and Hymson (the eponymous Wonka from "Willy Wonka Junior") performs an extremely truncated version of  "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story."  

To expect a play about the crucifixion to be hilarious sounds a bit sacrilegious, but there are some fun moments, and, of course, one very sad one. The play takes a revered look at Christ's death. It's a defining moment for the cast as well. Many audience members were moved by "On the Willows," and uplifted by the "Finale."

There were a few other notable moments, especially when Brannen captivated the audience with a solo tap performance. Cullen Browell (Mike Teevee from the aformentioned production of "Willy Wonka Junior") chewed some of the sparse scenery in this production. 

The cast also included (in alphabetical order) Samantha Abraham; Emma Brannen; Matthias and Rachel Campion; Sienna Dalessandro; Lauren DiCello; Isabella, Anna Victoria, and Mariajose Figueroa; Sebastian Hymson; Katie Koenig; Arianna Ranallo; Ally Ruggieri; Chelsea Schultz; Lauren Tamilia; Nikki Wall; Christine and Jonathan Wallach; and Gabrielle Zacharia.