Protesters picket "Godspell" show

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33252, 15 June 1973, Page 10

Protesters picket "Godspell" show

Thirty “Jesus people” waved placards and sang religious song outside the Theatre Royal last evening as a protest against the rock musical show “Godspell.”

The protesters gathered outside the theatre at 8 p.m. in time to distribute leaflets and talk to members of the audience arriving for the show’s opening nignt in Christchurch. One young man entered the foyer of the theatre but left when asked by the tour manager (Mr A. McNally). Mr M. Thompson, the protesting group’s leader, said that the protest was against the “commercialism” of “Godspell.” "It uses the name of Jesus to make money,” he said. “Jesus was not a popular person in his time, yet the show relies on the recent worldwide revival of interest in him to draw its audiences.” Mr Thompson said that he had not seen the show but knew of many who had seen it. Some of these people were not Christians but had walked out part-way through because they had not enjoyed it. “Many Christians will go to the show out of interest,” Mr Thompson said. “It is not our intention to say that Christians should not see it, but rather to say that ‘Godspell’ should present the other side of Jesus.” Mr McNally said that the protesters had not caused any trouble. He doubted whether many of them were qualified to protest against the show because they had not seen it. “Just because a show is good entertainment does not mean that it is commercial,” he said. “I have seen it 54 times and do not regard it as being wholly commercial — the words are taken straight from the Gos-

pel of St Matthew.” “Most of them say they would not come to see it, but I would not be surprised to see one or two of them away from the group sitting surreptiously in the back row at one session,” Mr McNally said. Ten members of the audience said last evening that the protest had done nothing to change their views on Jesus before they had seen the show.