The only thing that I really knew about Godspell was that Ben Stiller quoted from “Day By Day” in one of his goofy movies. Sadie had a role in Singing Onstage‘s production of Godspell Junior (modified for younger actors), which ran tonight at the fabulous State Theatre. So to get ready I did a little homework.
Turns out the whole shebang is based on the the life of Jesus from the gospel of Matthew, using parables as the pieces to move the show forward. There have been lots of adaptations, and tonight’s show was set in a classroom. The kids did a great job telling the story of Jesus, and Parker Kingshipp was fabulous in the role of Jesus. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a 5th grader look so natural and comfortable on stage. I was proud of all the kids, but especially so of our little Sadie, who is turning into a pretty good little singing actress herself!
As I listened to yet another evening of the gospel being presented through the arts (Lilly’s 9th grade concert was last night) I wondered how many of these students are being taught that this isn’t just music, art, and entertainment. I wanted to stand up at the end and tell all the proud parents that this is the real story–that Jesus did these things, taught these things, and literally lived and died, just like the kids sang, just like the choirs have sung, just like the masters have written. It might not have gone over really well, but that thought lingers…
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