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Show , 'GocfepelP a treat not to miss; greatest message rings out -J vf "'M ft although smaller and less complex than many earlier parts, I may form my own Farry B. Stewart Fan Club. . . And I'm not forgetting any of the others, although lack of space, time and words will not allow me to go into any depth. Turning in other fine performances were Mel Close, Kristina Fuller, Mitzi R. McKay, Valeen Ogzewalla and David A. McMurtrie. And, of course, I must again congratulate Stage Director Fred C. Adams, who once again has done fine work. I especially enjoy, and have probably said so in past reviews, the way Adams uses the entire auditorium. The aisles are part of his workshop or playground. The back of the auditorium is as important im-portant as the front. And through it all the audience becomes the center of the production, sometimes unwittingly, but always enjoyably. And what would a musical be without great musicians and musical direction. Vocal direction was under Ellison Glattly, and musical direction was under David Nyman. Both are deserving of kudos. t ' It was certainly a night to be remembered, a night to think about, a night to cherish, and to repeat again. I By BRUCE LEE 1 Record Editor "If you have ears to j hear, then listen." I CEDAR CITY - It's I fun, but it's so much more than fun. It's thought-provoking, i but it is certainly not pedantic or preachy. It's message is universal and well-known, well-known, but it is not superficial or sen- timental. It's "Godspell," and ! it's playing in the Southern Utah State College Auditorium tonight through Saturday. Satur-day. It's a treat, and no one should miss this one. I guess I liked the opening night performance per-formance of the musical as much because of the things it's not as the things it is. I have seen too many religious plays that are pedantic, preachy, superficial and sentimental, sometimes without being fun or thought-provoking. But not so with "Godspell." And I think the quality that made this production different than the mass market ones that have flooded us all exists in the young actors and actresses involved in the production. It was their honesty, their love, their understanding of the greatest message of all time, that made the play a success. We all became students of the Master because we could see how enthralled, how excited, how devoted were his diciples. Like the tear on John the Baptist's face, nothing could simply be painted on for long. It had to become real, just as his real tears eventually smeared and removed the makeup. Thus it is with these young actors in "Godspell," and with their audience. They were real, they were genuine. And they convinced con-vinced the audience to go with them in exploring the teachings of the Master as recorded in St. Matthew. Leading the small band with the most outstanding performances were Randall S. Hickman as John-turned-Judas and Jeff Schneiter as the Master. They both have excellent voices and excellent stage presence, as exhibited so well in their duet, "All for the Best," which for me was. the highlight of a very enjoyable night. But more than their music was their portrayal por-trayal of a very human struggle between the Master and the student with the most potential. Yet, it was also John who had the least faith, who understood the least and who finally betrayed his teacher and Master. And there was the struggle of Schneiter trying to teach as the Master a group of children-diciples. And, I think, through his portrayal por-trayal I learned something new about the Master. I learned something of his patience and of the frustration, and yet the love, he must have felt in teaching those who were so obviously ob-viously immature compared to him. Yet, there were also many other shining performances. In fact, there was not a single poor scene or actor during the entire evening. I was especially struck with Angela Winterrose and Connie Ann Layton, both of whom have marvelous voices and played exceptional parts as the students, followers and deciples of the Master. These two are young but confident and talented actresses. I'll be looking for them in future productions. And their was Parry B. Stewart, also a student, follower and diciple. I have a admired his work for some time now.and with this performance, "Godspell," a Stephen Schwartz musical based on the gospel of St. Matthew, continues through Saturday at SUSC. Curtain time is 8 p.m., and tickets are available by calling the box office, 58(-7S7fi. 58(-7S7fi. . , 1 |