Theatre Tuscaloosa will be presenting an interpretation of the Gospel according to St. Matthew through the musical “Godspell” starting this Friday, Nov. 30.

“Godspell” was written by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak and originally opened on Broadway for the first time in 1971. The musical tells the story of Jesus and his followers according to the book of Matthew. The narrative, based on a set of parables, is enacted through singing, dancing and acting.

The director and choreographer of the musical, Abe Reybold, said the collaboration of the performers makes his rendition of the show spectacular.

“It’s the cast that makes it so special,” Reybold said. “There’s incredible singing, there’s wonderful dancing and the teamwork of the cast is what brings everything together.”

Natalie Riegal, a student in The University of Alabama musical theatre track, plays the part of Peggy and sings “By My Side.”

“This has been one of the most collaborative fun casts I’ve ever worked with,” Riegal said. “In our own heads, we all had our vision that began to overlap that created this amazing project.”

For Riegal, performing in “Godspell” is will be a lifelong dream come true.

“It’s been one of my dream roles for a long time,” she said.

The cast consists of 10 actors – five women and five men. Will Erwin, also a member of the University’s musical theatre track, plays the part of Jesus. He said he really connected with his character, and the role helped him view life from a different stance.

“You can never be too nice to someone,” Erwin said. “Helping someone out is never taken for granted. It’s really just showing their compassion to everyone.”

The cast has been rehearsing since early October, learning the music and choreography to all of the songs, as well as memorizing their lines and stage directions.

“The best thing the audience can expect is just having fun, enjoying the show, and really being drawn in,” Riegal said. “Not only as an audience that came to watch this musical, but to become part of our world that we’ve created on stage.”

Tickets for “Godspell” can be purchased online at www.theatretusc.com. The production will run Nov. 30 through Dec. 9 at the Bean-Brown Theatre at Shelton State Community College.