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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212;When Talia Johnson sings &#8220;Turn Back, O Man,&#8221; in the King&#8217;s College production of &#8220;Godspell,&#8221; her performance involves jumping into the arms of three castmates.</p><p>&#8220;One, two, three, go!&#8221; someone called at rehearsal, as the little group practiced her jump and the trio&#8217;s lift over and over.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a very burlesque-y, Mae-West-y kind of song,&#8221; Johnson, 18, of Nazareth, said afterward.</p><p>It&#8217;s also just one of many types of music represented in the updated show, in which a Jesus figure, played by Dylan Koch, of Hardyston, N.J., uses parables to teach his followers, just as the biblical Jesus did in the Gospel of St. Matthew.</p><p>&#8220;&#8216;By My Side&#8217; &#8221; is like a ballad,&#8221; said Britney Benkoski, 20, of Exeter.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a sprinkling of vaudeville in &#8216;All For the Best,&#8217;&#8221; said Jessica Mulligan, 21, of Bethlehem.</p><p>&#8220;Light of the World&#8221; is presented &#8220;like Jimi Hendrix-style rock,&#8221; said director Dave Reynolds, who gives student set designer Rachel Vecillio credit for crafting the setting of the play as a modern-day music festival.</p><p>Vecillio, in turn, said she got the idea from real life.</p><p>&#8220;Some of Dave&#8217;s friends came back from Bonnaroo (a music festival in Manchester, Tenn.) and some have been to a (much smaller, private) three-day barbecue called McKeownFest,&#8221; she said.</p><p>In the spirit of Bonnaroo and McKeownFest, the ensemble, referred to as a &#8220;tribe&#8221; on the cast list, will camp out and cook around a faux fire while Jesus tells them parables with a few modern references, such as the one about a rich man who refused to give food (not even &#8220;a Chick-fil-A sandwich&#8221;) to a beggar at his door.</p><p>&#8220;At first I was really excited to have the role,&#8221; Koch said. &#8220;Then it kind of hits you, you have to portray Jesus &#8230; the pinnacle of love and acceptance.&#8221;</p><p>Mulligan said Koch has a natural aptitude for the role, perhaps because the show focuses on Jesus as a teacher and Koch is an education major, preparing for a lifetime of teaching.</p><p>One of the best aspects of &#8220;Godspell,&#8221; Benkoski said, is the way it shows people from diverse walks of life shedding their everyday identities and &#8220;all coming together as a community, as a family.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re doing here,&#8221; she added.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">King&#8217;s College production of &#8216;Godspell&#8217; places the play at a music festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Godspell.jpg</photo0><caption0>King&#8217;s College production of &#8216;Godspell&#8217; places the play at a music festival. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</p><p><strong>What: </strong>&#8216;Godspell&#8217;</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>George P. Maffei II Theatre, Administration Building, 133 N. River St., King&#8217;s College, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>When:</strong> Sept. 29 to Oct. 8 with performances 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $12</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $7 seniors, $5 students</p><p><strong>Info:</strong> 570-208-5825.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

King’s College presents ‘Godspell,’ opening Sept. 29