Director John Biles said he chose "Godspell" to be Solanco High School's spring musical as a tribute to his students and the community.

" 'Godspell' has never been done here to my knowledge, and we have an upperclassman group that is very experienced, and their identity is extremely faith-based," said Biles, who is a Solanco High School English teacher. "It's partially because I wanted to honor them. The community down here has a very strong faith-based tradition, and I wanted to honor that. The idea was to find something that is appropriate for a public school, but also something a lot of these students can express themselves in that way on stage. ... 'Godspell' is one of the best, especially for high schools."

Biles said "Godspell" follows a rabble of wayward and lost young people, who, with the help of Jesus Christ, tell different parables and the last days of His life by using a variety of storytelling techniques and song styles ranging from pop/rock to vaudeville. He added that "Godspell" explores the journey of these lost young people as they learn to build a new community based on messages of kindness and love.

" 'Godspell' is kind of like imagining a youth group putting on the story of the Gospel from the Bible," said senior Ben Worrell, who plays John/Judas. "It's really cool. Imagine Jesus comes to your youth group and says, 'We're going to act out a bunch of different parables leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel.' It's a really fun time."

Biles noted the movie, which comes from the 1970s, misinterpreted the original intent of the creator, Stephen Schwartz. "Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics for this, acknowledges the movie, which has Jesus as a clown and all the hippies, was a wrong interpretation," said Biles. "It just happened to be that was the culture back then. So it's a show we can take in any time and place. We decided ours is really no (specific) time and place. The cast aren't dressed as hippies. They're colorful. Jesus is not a clown. He is energetic. He's a teacher just like you would find in the Bible, and it's our interpretation of the show itself."

Senior Quinn Wiley, who plays a disciple, said the play tests the cast. "I think the biggest challenge 'Godspell' has for the cast is definitely the physicality of the show," she said. "We are dancing. We are acting. It's mentally challenging in a good, creative way for all of us. The physicality is what makes it difficult, but it's what makes this show so beautiful and so unique."

Senior Isaac West, who plays Jesus, promises a riveting production. "I think people will be wowed by the vocal talent in this musical," Isaac said. "As a school, as a cast, we really stepped it up. This is a very difficult show, vocally and musically. I think people will be wowed by the music and also by the sheer energy that's going to be present on stage throughout the whole time. Everybody is on the stage for the entire musical, and it's a really fun dynamic of Jesus being the MC (master of ceremonies) of sorts. There's a lot of humor. The goodness of Jesus' parables is present. Overall, it's going to be a great mix of emotional impact and having a really fun time."

More than 100 students are involved in this production in roles such as actors, crew, set painters, set builders, and ushers. In addition to Isaac, Ben, and Quinn, main cast members include seniors Emma Reinhardt, Annie Sheaffer, and Reese Zander; juniors Aiden Elliott, Jasel Garcia, Michaela Meyrick, and Sophie Pizzulli; and sophomores Cooper Fuller, Michelle Phillips, and Grace West. Featured singers are senior Addison Beiler, juniors Kenton Green and Kate Zdrojewski, and sophomore Reed Morehouse. The student stage managers are Tai Kauffman and Brianna Null.

The music direction is by Solanco music teacher Erin Biles, the scenic design is by Solanco art teacher Kesse Humphries, and the set construction is by SHS tech education teacher Todd Brown and his construction classes. Other Solanco faculty and staff members involved are Carol Graybeal designing the costumes, Grace Callirgos as the stage manager, Jenn Thompson as the ticketing coordinator, and Levi Palmer as the technical director. The lighting design is by Tim Moser, and the choreographer is Tiffany Shrom from Debbie's School of Dance.

 "Godspell" will run from Friday, Feb. 28, to Sunday, March 2, in the auditorium at Solanco High School, 585 Solanco Road, Quarryville. The show times on Feb. 28 and March 1 (alumni night) will be 7 p.m.

On March 2, a complimentary coffee and dessert social will start at 12:30 p.m. prior to the closing performance at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be ordered by visiting https://cur8.com/projects/14921. For more information, email John Biles at john_biles@solancosd.org  or call 717-786-2151, ext. 8811.