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‘Godspell’has messagefor all
ByLizaHoltmeier
Senior Reporter
Jesus just traded in his sweeping robes
for a pair of rainbow suspenders and a
Superman T-shirt.
The laid-back ’70s garb is more suitable
for him in the rock musical “Godspell,”
which production company KOOR
Entertainment debuts this weekend.
The musical, conceived by John
Michael Tebelak and with music and lyrics
by Stephen Schwartz, tells the Gospel
according to Matthew by setting it in mod
em times. It features such well-known songs
as “Day By Day,” “All Good Gifts” and “By
My Side.”
Schwartz received two Grammys for his
work on “Godspell” and has since gone on
to work on Disney Is “Pocahontas” and “The
Hunchback of Notre Dame,” as well as the
Broadway musical “Pippin.”
As an atheist, Schwartz often provides a
contemporary, practical view of religion in
his biblically-based productions like
“Godspell” and the recent “Children of
Eden.”
Robert Rook, the musical’s director,
said he wanted to retain this practicality
Schwartz had in mind when he produced die
work.
“I’m not a huge study of the Bible,”
Rook said. “I wanted to be able to relate this
show to today’s audiences.”
To accomplish this, Rook included such
popular culture references as “The Brady
Bunch” and “The People’s Court” He also
dressed the characters in free, relaxed cos
tumes -jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts.
Rook set the play in an alley, using road
barricades, emergency ribbon and orange
lights to emphasize the idea that die place is
“off-limits.”
“We’d like to get the message across
without preaching,” Rook said. “Whether
people believe in Jesus or not the lesson of
being good to one another is important”
Vincent T. Learned, who plays Jesus,
agreed that the show’s themes were univer
sal and crossed religious boundaries.
“Whether you are a follower of Christ or
Buddha, a common thing that most reli
gions have is forgiveness” Learned said “I
hope (the audiences) take away that there is
a love for all creatures, young or old or
wherever they come from.”
Learned added that he personally identi
fied with the aspect of Jesus as a teacher.
“Jesus embodies the importance of
being a teacher and the different processes
involved with teaching,” Learned said. “I
teach a music class for dancers at die univer
sity and I’ve realty been motivated by exam
ples in die show.”
“Godspell” is the second show KOOR
Entertainment has produced since it lost its
performance space at The Green Room, 245
N. 13th St, in October. The groups last pro
duction, “Oddience Participation,” was
moved to the Futz Theatre, 124 S. Ninth St,
during the last week of rehearsals.
While lack of a permanent home has
created its inconveniences, cast members
said they enjoyed the opportunity to work in
different environments, including the
Studio Theatre, where “Godspell” will be
staged
“This will be the first time I’ve ever
done anything in the Studio Theatre,” Rook
said. “I’m really excited. Not only is it inti
mate, there’s so much you can do since it’s
not a proscenium stage.”
Learned, who has performed in the the
ater numerous times, also commented on
die intimacy of the space.
“It is so personal. The audience is really
right there with you,” Learned said. “It’salso
very versatile. The room doesn’t have to be
set up any one way.”
“Godspell” will show in the Temple
Building’s Studio Theatre Thursday through
Saturday and Dec. 18-21 at 7:30 pan. Also,
Sunday will feature a 3 p.m. matinee.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for stu
dents.
Author disputes Spielberg’s rights to film
‘Amistad’ steals from 1989 book, writer’s lawsuit claims
Lua AwuiiLiis (Ai*j — me
premiere of Steven Spielberg’s
historical slave ship epic
“Amistad” is competing for atten
tion with another drama opening
this week: a courtroom confronta
tion that has turned personal and
vitriolic.
The director’s new
DreamWorks studio is accused of
stealing the story for the movie
that Spielberg calls “perhaps the
most important of my career.” In
turn, DreamWorks is attacking the
integrity of the award-winning
novelist who filed the lawsuit,
Barbara Chase-Riboud.
A judge is to hear arguments
Monday on whether she should
block Wednesday’s release of the
film, which is about slaves who
revolted at sea aboard a Cuban
ship and won their freedom in pre
civil war u.s. courts.
Lawyers on both sides say U.S.
District Judge Audrey Collins is
unlikely to stop the debut in New
York and Los Angeles. A prelimi
nary showing was held Friday in
New Haven, Conn., where much
of the original story unfolded
more than 150 years ago.
President Clinton saw “Amistad”
Thursday in Washington, and
showings are set for Tuesday in
Rhode Island, where parts of the
movie were filmed.
However, millions of dollars
could be at stake.
Studio attorneys say Chase
Riboud is using the movie's immi
nent opening to pressure
DreamWorks into a $5 million set
tlement. The fledgling studio says
it has invested $70 million pro
ducing and marketing “Amistad
The movie isn t the only art
form bringing the once little
known event to life. An opera
titled “Amistad” premiered in late
November in Chicago, telling the
story from the viewpoint of myth
and African religion. And writer
David Pesci’s novel by the same
name was published last spring.
Chase-Riboud claims
DreamWorks based much of
“Amistad” on her 1989 book
“Echo of Lions” without her per
mission.
“What an irony that the
renowned filmmaker who pro
duced and directed ‘The Color
Purple’ would be a party to deny
ing a prominent black American
of letters and the arts her rightful
recognition for raising public con
sciousness about slavery,” Chase
Riboud’s attorneys said in court
papers.
While historical events cannot
be copyrighted, Chase-Riboud
maintains DreamWorks illegally
copied “themes, dialogue, charac
ters, relationships, plots, scenes
and fictional inventions” she cre
ated in “Echo of Lions.”
DreamWorks insists its movie
is an original blend of history and
the book “Black Mutiny” - first
published 36 years before “Echo
of Lions” - whose rights are
owned by DreamWorks.
“Amistad’s” producer, actress
choreographer Debbie Allen, said
she began working on the film
before “Echo of Lions” was even
published, ahd the film’s credited
screenwriter, David Franzoni,
swears he never read Chase
Riboud’s book.
John Shaeffer, a lawyer for
Chase-Riboud, said Franzom may
be lying, that he may have read
“Echo of Lions” but not “Black
Mutiny.”
DreamWorks’ lawyers allege
that Chase-Riboud herself is a pla
giarist, arguing there are at least
88 similarities between her “Echo
of Lions” and the earlier “Black
Mutiny.”
DreamWorks attorneys also
are circulating a passage from
Chase-Riboud’s 1994 book “The
President’s Daughter” that
appears almost verbatim in Nella
Larsen’s 1929 book “Passing.”
Chase-Riboud said she did not
plagiarize “Black Mutiny” and
that any similarities are merely
historical facts. Shaeffer said the
allegedly plagiarized “President’s
Daughter” passage “looks like it
came from a historical source.”