The Babe and I had a date night tonight. We attended the beautiful Benson Theater in Omaha. “Godspell” was a theater production in the early 70s, as was “Jesus Christ, Superstar.” My then husband considered these plays/stories to be sacrilegious in the way they were presented. After all, we each had twelve years of Catholic school teaching. The 70s were a time of significant changes to our entire world. Segregation, social changes, music, and family structures all underwent massive changes. With all that, along came changes to how society viewed Jesus himself. It was time; it was necessary. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are all much more loving and merciful than originally portrayed.
I’m glad I’ve become more open-minded and married to the Babe since then. The world is bigger when we learn to open our hearts and accept our differences.
We’ve all heard the stories of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This play portrays scenes from Matthew’s telling of the story, and it was told exceptionally well by the McGuigan’s, the cast, and musicians. Matthew McGuigan is such a talented musical director. You can experience the love put into the songs by the ensemble and musicians. It is incredible to watch.
Billy McGuigan played the role of Jesus. He definitely does the character justice. He was a teacher, preacher, brother, and Savior. His energy reached all over the theater; you could feel it in every corner. That, my friends, is what Jesus does!
The McGuigan Arts Academy kids are developing lots of techniques, skills, and the ability to speak, act, and sing to large audiences. For this former wallflower, I’m in awe of the nerves of steel these kids all have. They were ushers for the audience pre-performance. They all were so polite, welcoming, and offered to answer questions audience members may have. You could tell the kids were proud of their new-found skills. And the Academy staff are proud of what they do. They are changing the lives of these kids. They will have the confidence to meet life head-on. How fortunate we all would have been to have these skills! Thank you, to all who work so hard to bring this all together.
All combined, the play, the Academy kids, the music, and the atmosphere make this such a top-shelf entertainment option. Kudos to Kimberly Faith Hickman and Kate Whitecotton who keep all the cats herded well to pull this off for over ten performances. Find out more at theomahaseries.com. Take it in and feel it in your heart. You’ll be glad you did.
Kathy Raabe 