|
|
"Godspell" revealed at CIHS this weekPosted Online: 11/19/02 By Greg Hunt It's fun and funky, with a good message to share. "Godspell" the musical is ready for shows at the Cambridge-Isanti Theater this week. The CIHS Theater Dept. will present "Godspell" Nov. 21, 22 and 23 at 7 p.m., with a matinee final show 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24. Tickets are going fast, but as of Monday afternoon (Nov. 18) seats were still available to each show. CIHS choir teachers Aaron Knudsvig and Frank Wells are teaming up to direct the musical this year. Knudsvig is handling the stage direction and choreography, taking over from long-time director Bruce Danielson. Wells is back for his 17th CIHS musical as vocal director and heading the pit orchestra. Knudsvig has worked with three C-I musicals after teaching choreography to theater groups in his native North Dakota after graduating from Concordia College (Moorhead). "I have never done 'Godspell,' but it's a show I've always liked. I've seen many productions of it, and I'm convinced it's great for high school groupsñjust the creative opportunities it presents for high school kids," began Knudsvig during a Nov. 11 interview session. "Looking ahead to this year, we had about four or five musicals to choose from, and 'Godspell' wasn't on the list. We noticed we had a big group of strong singers and actors coming up for this fall. 'Godspell' is written for 10 people, but I was confident we could expand it to accommodate our numbers. We expanded the leads to 12 characters, and we're right at 55 students altogether on the stage. "Another factor was since Bruce wasn't directing this year, I wanted to do a show that I would be comfortable with. He helped along with the decision-making process, and after hearing a CD of the music, he said, 'You have to do this show!' Bruce has been a great supporter of us again this year." As the practices wind down and the lights go up for audiences this week, Knudsvig is highly anticipating to show off what the students put together. Continued from front "I am really excited. The kids have been able to play with the improvisation that we do with the show and really fine tune it. I think it's going to be a really great show. There's just so much fun music, and singing and dancing," he spoke. "People in the audience will be familiar with the story and the parables, and they will really appreciate the twists the show and the cast, more specifically, has taken with them." Senior Clinton LaBeau, serving dual roles as student manager and actor, appreciates the flexibility of this year's musical. "I think the important thing is the improvisation we are allowed with 'Godspell.' We don't have to do quite so much tweaking with doing things exactly as they are scripted because the kids bring more ideas of what they can do on stage. As a student director that helps me. I think the show is going to be a great experience when we're in front of an audience, and I'm hoping we get big crowds each night," said LaBeau. Junior Bjorn Johnson was handed the lead role of Jesus Christ with this being his first theater production. At an earlier dress rehearsal, Johnson showed a good grasp of the character and exuded a lot of confidence, despite his short experience time on the stage. "I was kind of interested in the musical in earlier years, but I always had (youth) hockey, and that season ran into the time needed for the musicals. But now that I'm playing high school hockey, that season started later so it was easier for me to try out. I was very surprised to find out I got the role of Jesus. It wasn't as hard to memorize the lines as I thought it would be. I was always the actor-type around my family and friends, but now I have to learn more about the official, technical things of theater." Along with Johnson, the leads for 'Godspell' are Lisa Carlson, Dan Connors, Tim Jensen, Andrew Johnson, Hilary Opatz, Cassandra Soderman, Howard Spitzenberger, Jennith Tarmann, Toni Tischer, Ben Wuerflein, and Kristina Zins. "We have a lot of pretty talented kids. This is a very balanced ensemble cast," said Wells. "The pop style is a little different than most musicals we've done. The vocal production is essentially the same as Broadway, it's just a little more of a rock flavor. The show relies on a lot of harmony, so it's very demanding that way, yet the harmonies are very sensible. There is one song in Act II that is a bearcat which has some challenging things. For the most part it's pretty straight-forward 70s rock style." "This pit orchestra is completely different from past productions; we're essentially a rock band on stage," continued Wells. "This year we have basically one wind player who is doubling on the sax, three guitars and bass, and the keyboard. A couple of the guitar players are doubling on brass instruments, so we do have a little horn trio here and there." Raina Ice is another senior in the cast and also the assistant director; she is piling up years of musical experience by working with the C-I summer youth theater group. She was asked about the challenges of such a production as 'Godspell.' "The fact that there are no major costume changes helps," said Ice. "But apart from one or two spots where the cast leaves the stage, we're on stage all the time. So it's pretty challenging to stay focussed on what's going on. We do have some pretty cool choreography with this show. It's kind of my thing to go to other schools and watch how they do their musicals. I can't believe how much choreography can add to a show." While the choice of the musical was based more on what talent the CIHS students have developed over there years, the message of 'Godspell' does seem to come at a time where folks could use a little inspirational reinforcement, considering the harsh news headlines of late regarding many areas of the world in turmoil.
Sounds groovy, gospel-ly and everything in between. Plan for a night at the CIHS Theater to see "Godspell" (wearing your old love beads is optional, but recommended). For tickets, stop in at the CIHS ticket booth between 11:30-5 p.m. or call the ticket office at 689-6466. The Rockin' Methesulahz Godspell Backstage Crews ©Isanti County News |