No matter what content you watch online or on TV, there is nothing like attending the theater or a live concert performance. As a kid, I my mother made a special effort to take me to see local theater shows and then go out for brunch. We had interesting discussions over sandwiches after the show and I was soon inspired to act in the local shows as a tween – a journey that lasted into college. I credit that time acting in local children’s theater as helping me to feel comfortable giving presentations and appearing on video and TV as an adult.
While the West Coast has great Theater, I decided to enlist a show buff I know near New York City to attend plays and share her thoughts. Her name is DocMamaEast and listed below is her review of the play Godspell – currently on Broadway. Here is a link to the Godspell main page and images. DocMamaEast is a professional mom with four kids who enjoys going to shows with family, friends or even as a date night with her husband. What better way to have a night out?
DocMamaEast’s night at Godspell on Broadway
We Godspell on Broadway and loved it. The show is running at Circle in the Square, an intimate theatre in the round. The staging takes advantage of this small venue; the actors are often in the crowd and audience members are included in the performance in creative ways. The band is scattered throughout the theater. We really felt like we were a part of the show.
Each cast member is a talented actor and singer. The show is written so that each actor is the lead singer in at least one song. Just as one number ended and we thought “that can’t be topped,” the next performer was just as amazing. Part of what made the show so much fun was the feeling that the actors were having a blast on stage – we truly felt the camaraderie amongst the disciples.
One of the challenges for any revival is making the show relevant today. Godspell’s writers have done a terrific job. Entertaining updates to the show include imitations of Donald Trump, hip-hop and rap, and clever references to Steve Jobs and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Another challenge the show faced was a small stage in the round. This provided limited opportunities for elaborate sets and effects.
The production does an outstanding job of creating exciting scenes with these limited resources, including but not limited to baptismal waters and a fun trampoline scene. Act II was not as fun as Act I but then again, the same was true of the life of Jesus. All in all we had a great night on Broadway and would recommend Godspell to anyone.
Beth Blecherman started her career in application development then Senior Manager, Computer Process Integrity, for Deloitte. After senior management she took on family management blogging as her career 2.0. She is a Co-Founder of the Silicon Valley Moms Group, a collaborative of mom blogs across the country, and their first international blog Canada Moms Blog.
Blecherman founded her personal blog, TechMamas.com, as a platform to discuss technology and gadgets for families. Beth vlogs with other female tech bloggers at Gadgetspin.com. She also consults with companies on blogger outreach and social media strategies and speaks at conferences on parenting, social media and technology. TechMamas.com was chosen as one of the Nielson Power Mom 50 influencers. On Twitter as @TechMama she was chosen as one of the 25 Influential Moms to Follow on Twitter and BizTechDay’s 25 Influential Business Women in the Bay Area. Beth is on the Board of Advisors for MommyTech at CES.
