“From a completely irreligious perspective, what the story means and what it stands for is completely separate from the religious aspect and is still something that can be touching even if it’s not a religion you personally subscribe to.”
If You Go
Stage Door Productions, Inc. presents “Godspell The Musical” FSa 7:30 p.m., Su 2:30 p.m., Allstate Community Theater, tickets $20-$30, reserve them here.
So says Abdel Hamid Shehata, who plays Jesus in Stage Door Productions’ performance of “Godspell.” The theater troupe opened the John-Michael Tebelak musical last week at the Allstate Community Theater in downtown Fredericksburg, with additional showings June 26-28.
Since its debut in 1971, the show has brought the parables of Jesus to life with music by composer Stephen Schwartz. A 2012 revision updated the score, dialogue, and cultural references — and this production goes further, weaving in local touchstones like Benny Vitale’s pizzeria alongside social media gags and pop culture nods. Audience participation and cast members venturing into the crowd make it a lively night for anyone with a theater-loving bone in their body.
Director Paul Beaulieu came to “Godspell” somewhat by circumstance — the production is his first after a six-year hiatus, and it replaced “Chicago” when the group couldn’t secure the rights. Beaulieu, who joined Stage Door Productions in 2013, said the show’s score drew him in immediately, given his background as a musical director. But it was the story that sealed it.
“I told the cast that while I am a Christian, all I want is for you to feel what this story means to so many people,” he said.
Abdel Hamid Shehata in “Godspell” at the Allstate Theater.
That approach proved especially meaningful for Shehata, who was raised Muslim, a faith in which Jesus is honored as a prophet rather than a messianic figure. He said the material never felt like an obstacle.
“‘Godspell’ isn’t a super religious story,” he explained, noting that the cast was encouraged to bring themselves to their roles — including their own wardrobe. For Shehata, that meant a Nirvana t-shirt, a plaid button-down, and a pair of overalls with a distinctly 1960s hippie feel.
Actress Barbara Breen took the same approach, playing what she describes as an elevated version of herself — complete with orange go-go boots that landed so well they could pass for canon.
“Other than Jesus and Judas for the most part we kind of portray ourselves,” she said. “So we just crossed out the character names and used our own.”
Breen is a self-described fan of both “Godspell” and Stephen Schwartz, and said getting to sing the score again — and work once more with Beaulieu — was reason enough to audition.
Actress Ashley Anglin shares that fandom on a deeper level. Born the same year “Godspell” first hit the stage in 1971, the musical has been woven through her entire life — cast recordings on sick days from school, songs catching her on the radio. As a student at the College of William and Mary, she was cast in her first production. She’s still finding new layers in it.
Barbara Breen in “Godspell”.
“It feels like I live in it so much more deeply,” she said. “It’s just been incredibly therapeutic and joyful for me but it’s also been really good to lean into the role.”
Breen hopes audiences leave with something simple: a sense of community, and a nudge toward loving and supporting one another.
The cast includes Shehata as Jesus; George Gray in the dual roles of John the Baptist and Judas; Ashley Anglin as Uzo; Caitlyn Fanning as Anna Marie; Barbara Breen as Morgan; Ava Sherwood as Lindsay; Taylor Humphries as Celisse; Trip Lloyd as Nick; Shawn Fanning as George; and Zach Cloven as Telly. Amy Beaulieu served as assistant director and choreographer.
“Godspell” runs June 26-28 at the Allstate Community Theater in downtown Fredericksburg.
