stage matters / By William Kowinski

Don’t Forget to Remember

While I welcome attempts to explore the vagaries of aging, I don’t think theatre about the old or for older audiences needs to concentrate exclusively on what is lost or troublesome. It seems to me rather that what theatre and this society are losing is the irreplaceable perspective of those who have lived long enough to actually have perspective, and maybe even to have learned something.

Memories is at the Eureka Theatre this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Aug. 7-9) at 8 p.m.

Back in 1996, Marilyn McCormick began her tenure as artistic director of the Ferndale Repertory Theatre with a production of Godspell, a musical that had a family connection: Her sister Gilmer, who followed her to study drama at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh (now Carnegie Mellon University), was in the original cast when her fellow tech student John-Michael Tebelek created it.

When Godspell moved to New York in 1971 with a new score, Stephen Reinhardt was hired as its musical director. That’s how he met Gilmer McCormick. Before long, he married her. So when Marilyn suggested that Godspell should also be her last show as artistic director, her sister and brother-in-law came up from Los Angeles to put it on. It starts this weekend.

Gilmer McCormick directs, Stephen Reinhardt choreographs, but there’s also lots of local talent involved, including the cast of Patrick Croft, Bob Beideman, Denim Ohmit, Anthony Hughes, Tina Beideman, Shannan Dailey, Laureen Savage, Monica Schallert, Erin Jones-Martin and Dion Davis. “It’s an excellent example of ensemble theatre,” Reinhardt told me. “This group reminds me of the original — all these wonderful kids, everyone contributing their talent to the whole. It’s very high energy, very funny, with totally infectious music — even all these years later.”

But this musical based on aspects of the life of Christ as told in the Gospel of Matthew is “a transformative experience,” he said. “It’s reverent in its own way, and very honest about the gospels.”

Godspell is at Ferndale Rep Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. from Aug. 7 to Sept. 6, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

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