Godspell

Okay, as I mentioned before, Centre Stage's Godspell was this past weekend. It was absolutely amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I just have to use up an entire post just for it.

It's no secret that I love Centre Stage. I found Centre Stage through Juliette and Alison who run the dance program, and they are two of the most incredible people I know. I shouldn't have been surprised to find that everyone in their dance company was also incredibly incredible, but I'm not sure it's possible to ever be prepared for the level of incredible that Centre Stage is at. It's just beyond expected human capabilities.

So I go to all of their shows, schedule willing. Godspell was no different; I went Saturday night, ready for another incredibly Centre Stage production. What I got, however, was far from what I expected.

The show was already "in progress" as the audience members found their seats and skimmed their programs. There aren't any curtains in this particular "theatre" (it's actually a church chapel), so you could see the coffee house set right away, along with the actors on stage doing ordinary things like arguing on cell phones; chatting; typing on laptops; playing ping-pong; battling each other on the Wii; or (my favourite) walking into the audience, hugging you, and sitting down to talk.

The word "Godspell" means "good story"; Godspell, however, was much more than just a good story. From the initial intimacy and "real" feel established from before the house lights even dimmed, Godspell was not just a performance, but an interaction, a conversation. As the patrons of the coffee shop journeyed and learned their individual lessons, so did the audience. The anxieties, hopes, fears, dreams, and emotions of the characters were shared by everyone in the theatre.

These kids weren't acting though. There were no characters, just real people with real emotions. The penultimate scenes were excruciating for the "characters", actors, and audience alike. It was horrifyingly painful. I was angry. I didn't come to watch this misery; it was like watching all hope just burned away to nothingness. I felt empty.

I can't remember what the last scene was like, really. I was so torn up from the scenes before that, despite the sort of "happy ending" that Godspell has, it didn't leave me feeling bubbly. Instead, I felt stronger. Hurt, beaten up, and aching, but stronger. Like after a really good run, when your body is exhausted, but it's a good kind of exhausted; you're becoming stronger, faster. My heart was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhaustion.

I've never seen any other version of Godspell before, but it was the best I've seen from Centre Stage so far. Each production they do seems to only be an improvement from the last. The pick good shows to begin with, and then the direction, the choreography, the sets, the lighting, the costumes, the acting, and the sheer volume of dedication that is obviously put into their productions all make for incredible shows.

I'd rather see a Centre Stage performance than a Broadway performance.