By Kelly A. McCoy
The Stages of Omaha Theater Company has set its sights on the retelling of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the current production of *Godspell at the Millennium Theater.
The play is a theatrical take of the teachings of Christ, with an emphasis on love.
“The show really doesn’t have a plot line or action,” director Nichole Nelsen says. “It is the most basic story ever told, with the most simple message: love. On a more concrete level, though, the show follows Jesus and his disciples through the three years that he taught up to his death, with a bit of an allusion to the resurrection.”
The cast will have a handful of veterans to the Stages of Omaha, as well as many new faces to look forward to. They have sincerely tried to steer away from nailing the retelling of the gospel to one particular brand of Christianity.
Nelsen says: “The show isn’t about the forming of a religious group, or claiming a correct or incorrect philosophy on God or man’s existence. It is about the teaching of love and respect for all things in life, and the practice of living together as a society of human beings who respect and support each other in every facet of life.”
There have been numerous interpretations of the play, originally written by John-Michael Tebelak. The Stages of Omaha crew has kept its production relatively close to the original.
“We mostly kept to the script as it was originally written in terms of dialogue and the forward movement of the plot and theme, but a lot of the blocking, set, and costumes were reworked to offer a more basic, universal setting in the hopes of being able to reach a broader span of audience members,” Nelsen says.
The play will run Thursday through Saturday nights until March 17. Additional information can be found on www.StagesofOmaha.com.
