Cotton Patch Gospel was a wonderful theatre experience.
The story of Jesus has been put to music several times, most
notably GODSPELL and Jesus Christ Superstar; however, never
has the story been told quite this way. The tag line
(What if Jesus had been born to a poor girl in Georgia?)
tells you all you need to know about the story; as soon as
an early narrator (Sarah Garringer) steps out of character
to guide the Guiding Star (Aubra Whetstone) to Gainsville,
she breaks through the fourth wall between actors and audience,
establishing the wink-wink, nudge-nudge comedic tone we are to
enjoy the entire evening. Personally, at that point I couldn't help but think
of a bizarre (but fun) mix of The Beverly Hillbillies and
The Charlie Brown Christmas Pagaent.
Musically, the foot-stomping, hand-clapping opening number,
"Somethin's Brewin' In Gainsville," represents one side of the
equilibrium; soon after, the more somber "It Isn't Easy,"
sung by Herod and his henchmen, presents us the dark side.
Thereafter, the show shifts back and forth between
light comedy and high drama, both musically and thematically.
This type of high-wire balancing act is obviously difficult,
and with a large cast it must be especially hard.
Luckily for all in attendance, Director Jason McGraw was
able to draw out memorable performances from all concerned,
and deserves congratulations for helming what must have been a
labor of love (but a labor nonetheless!) The only criticism I can
make against this production is that sometimes actors garbled,
mumbled, and/or simply did not project their lines, but that
problem was definitely not shared by the majority of the cast,
which was mostly exceptional.
Deserving of special praise was the young Todd McCowan as Jesus.
After his initial appearance he is in nearly every scene, yet his
performance never seemed strained or tired. He was especially
good as the young and naive Jesus at the beginning, which
took a lighter comedic touch. Todd then shows how Jesus grows
steadily more sure of himself as the story unfolds, much as it
seems Todd is doing with the role. His scene with
John the Baptizer (a wonderful Pete Voegler) and in
the musical number, "When I Look Up," were highlights.
The other actor that must be singled out for special praise is the
wonderful character actor, Darrin Sanderson, as Jesus' first disciple
Rock (ie Simon/Peter). Darrin flat-out steals every scene he is in.
Especially memorable is the fishing scene where Jesus asks him and
his brother Andy (a strong Larry Grier) to be disciples.
Darrin and Larry are sitting on the edge of the stage when Todd
walks by and tells Rock to try fishing with his left hand. Darrin does so,
then begins to flail off the edge of the stage like Kermit the Frog,
pantomiming battling a huge catch.
Later, when Rock attempts to walk on water with Jesus,
Darrin ends up doing some sort of crazy dance step.
Darrin, blessed with his strong skill at physical comedy and the best lines,
makes Rock the most well-developed of the disciple characters. Because of this,
watching his reaction to the death of Jesus is all the more heartbreaking.
Which leads me to my only criticism of the show itself, which is that we never really get
to know most of the other disciples. Jennifer McGraw, Amie Billington, and Greg Ashley
are all terrific performers, but had little to work with to make their characters distinct.
Other disciples, especially Broguen Whetstone and Dusty Howell, had moments of sparkle,
but faded back into the crowd all too soon. However, this seemed to have been the fault
of the book (or should I say The Book), rather than of this particular production or
of this particular cast.
I must also mention the fantastic Mike Hess, Jr. and the fabulous
Carly Fennig. They play several comedic supporting characters to
perfection. Besides their tour de force as a couple of TV
evangelicals who doubt the sincerity of Jesus, Mike gets laughs
as the farmer who brings his flock to see the birth of Christ
and Carly hams it up as the wife of Harold (ie Herod) who insists
on the murder of John The Baptizer while she is decked out in a
bathrobe, cold cream, and curlers.
Vocally, I'm not able to evaluate quite so confidently, but I do
know that whenever Jamie Fennig sang, such as during, "I Did It,"
she held the audience in the palm of her hand. Her voice was
wonderful, and I look forward to hearing it in many future
productions.
On the "dark side," Andre' Whetstone, as the President of Southern
Company, and Dustin Franklin, as Herod and then, later, as Jud (ie Judas),
both shine as characters we love to hate.
Likewise, Greg Rittenhouse brings a powerful presence as the Governor
Pilate; he is seen for only a short time, but is not soon forgotten.
Which brings us full circle to the "darkness" of the story, the
murder of Jesus. In Cotton Patch Gospel instead of a crucifixion,
Jesus is said to have been lynched (which occurs off stage.)
While one of the narrators tells of the murder, the stage lights go
down, leaving only two red spotlights shining on the back curtains,
eventually forming a heart of light. It sounds hokey, but it actually did work.
(Click here for a photo of the phenomenon.)
courtesy photographer extraordinaire Jennifer McGraw.
It was a powerful way to show a disturbingly possible event.
It was the only time during the show that the mood was so completely
different.
And that is why it worked. With the resurrection of Jesus (Todd dressed in
white instead of his earlier brown), the tone of the show returns, too.
"Well I Wonder" promises us all the possibility of love and
acceptance, then singing through the standing ovation, the entire cast
allows us the flip side, "Spitball."
A wonderful time was had by all.
---Russell Burbage
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