Wendy R. Williams' Theatre Column

December 5, 2011

In the last two weeks I have had the privilege to see two oldies-but-goodies - A Tuna Christmas and Godspell.

Thanksgiving week in Austin, Texas I saw A Tuna Christmas. New Yorkers won't be able to see the show anytime soon, the next stop for the Tuna Tour will be Galveston, Texas. But the Tuna boys have been to the big city before and I guarantee you, they shall return.

The Tuna shows are written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard. They are performed by Williams and Sears under the direction of Howard. Williams and Sears play around twenty bizarre characters, the residents of the mythical Tuna, Texas - the third smallest town in the state. Male, female, young, old, fat or tall - they play them all.

If you ever get a chance to see any of the shows - Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, Red White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas - drop everything and run to the show. And those boys are as blisteringly funny today as they were the first time I saw a Tuna show. And if I told you how long ago that was, I would have to kill you because you would then know my expiration date. Williams and Sears are living breathing Ever Ready batteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tuna_Christmas
http://greatertuna.com/

Then on to Godspell. Godspell has been around for a long time; it opened on Broadway in 1971 and there have been hundreds of regional and community productions. It would be hard to not be familiar with the music which is quite wonderful. This music is sprinkled through the spoken words of the show - the "acted out" parables of Jesus Christ.

So how does the Circle in the Square theater revival measure up? It is quite good but even with the superb energy of the cast, it seemed dated to this reviewer. But that is only how it seemed to me because by now I have so many musical memories of the show, it would be hard for any production to compete with the musical-in-my-mind. I had a similar problem with the revival of Hair - another show that I had seen many times in the past.

But thank goodness, jaded old theater lovers like me are not the entire possible audience. So if you have never seen the show, listened to the sound track hundreds of times etc. etc, you should run to the Circle inthe Square. The show is very well done and the actors are simply amazing - wonderful voices and timing.

Godspell runs Tuesday - Saturday nights at 8PM, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 and Sunday night at 7:30. Ticket Price: $125.00; $135.00 Saturdays Tickets by Phone: 212-239-6200
800-432-7250 http://www.Godspell.com
telecharge.com

Circle in the Square Theatre | W. 50th St. Between Broadway and 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019