I'm back from the show and I absolutely did not care for it, and found the whole thing to be a giant mess. To preface I performed Godspell in high school like so many others, and am fairly familiar with the show.
They have completely rewritten the book for the worse- there are jokes about shake-weights, friending God on Facebook, Steve Jobs sending us the new iPad from heaven (in rather poor taste) and of course an obligatory Wicked reference (during "Turn Back, O Man" she whispers, "for the first time I feel Wicked.")
The songs have been reorchestrated to sound like Top 40 Kelly Clarkson/Pink pop-rock anthems. "Day by Day" now includes a rock section so they can do the Electric Slide. The Chicken Dance and the Macarena are also performed.
The Tower of Babel opening is sung acapella into cell phones, complete with iPhone and Blackberry beeps and dings. It is a confusing mess and they need to make clear what is happening. You could barely make out a word anyone was saying. The sound needs a ton of work, but that can obviously be forgiven at the first preview.
"Learn Your Lessons Well," which is normally a kind of throwaway song has been turned into a big rock number with tons of choreography. They also unnecessarily reprise it at the top of act 2 with full on American riffs and ornamentation.
Although some of the songs are rough it's the book scenes that are insufferable. There is a sense of desperation on the behalf of the creative team to be as current and modern as possible. The king in one parable is played like Donald Trump, with references to The Apprentice and all his Trump Towers. They mimic Charlie's Angels and The Price is Right in that same vignette.
Maybe they feared Godspell becoming a museum piece, but I think the material would be better served to be presented as it originally was. The show is very much a product of it's time, and let it remain that way. It will play much better.
The performers are in earnest, and I actually really like Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. Sadly, and I really wanted to love him, but Hunter Parrish was not up to the task. I don't know if he shot his voice in rehearsals, but he was really straining to sing the songs. "Alas for You" was especially rough, but none of it felt comfortable in his voice. I get that you don't need Paulo Szot to sing the score, but he didn't cut it for me.
I did feel the staging worked in the round. Unlike "The Miracle Worker" a few seasons ago you didn't feel like you missing anything, at least visually.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
