A musical based on the bible. Not everyone's cup of tea you might imagine. But this high-quality production provided by "MofO productions" certainly is. "Godspell" is a sometime-comedic, some-time gut-wrenching amalgam of story and song, based on the gospel of St Matthew. The writing of the show is very open to interpretation by the company, something that the MofO company have taken full advantage of. Take for example, the story of the Good Samaritan, retold here as a BBC news broadcast, with the injured man being whipped off in a shopping trolley. Which, may I add, is seamlessly drawn from the psychedelically delightful set. This show looks GREAT, from the opening scenes when the hippy disciples are baptised in glitter, to the final, awful scenes of grief when Jesus is first tortured and then crucified. In part this is testament to the skills of designer Adam Perchard, director Laura Corcoran, and choreographer Rachel Goodyer - the physical imagery in this production is outstanding. But credit must also go to the excellent cast, who maintain their exuberant energy from start to finish, despite what was a sinfully unresponsive audience.

And did I mention that this show SOUNDS great? The ensemble work is impeccable, with musical director Matthew Jones drawing out excellent performances from each and every performer. Ensemble is the operative word here, but Barry Gibney as Jesus cannot be passed over for special mention. This gentle, amiable northerner strikes exactly the right balance between command and friendship with the disciples, making his eventual betrayal all the more gutting.

I must admit I came to this production with Godspell with a bit of a bias. I hate Godspell. Having worked on it in nearly every capacity available, far more times that I would care to remember, I really thought that there was no chance that this production could bring something fresh to it for me. I was very, very, wrong.

Hanna Johnson, 16.11.04