communion on a Sunday afternoon

I almost missed it, too.
This afternoon matinee was the final performance of the 2012 Broadway Revival of "Godspell". The Savannah Community Theatre had brought it to town for two weeks, with several of the performers again inhabiting roles from the first time it was staged in this coastal town.
That's dedication! Both to the musical and to the director.

As the story goes, Tom Coleman, III, had posited the question via email and social media to former castmates - and they had come running to his call! Sure, he had directed the play seven times in its original incarnation, but this would be his first time in charge of this fresh take.
No worries!
Everyone was primed and ready to sing!!!
"Day By Day"!
"O Bless The Lord My Soul"!
"All Good Gifts"!
Those are my favorites, and I sang along in my front-row seat! Well, I didn't sing out loud, mind you, but I did lip-sync the lyrics! And grinned like a madwoman when the actors would play off of my energy - being an audience member is magical for me!
Then, at intermission, communion was served.
I was the first asked to partake of the grape juice and crackers.
HiHo! Of course I did!
How could I turn it down when Steven Ware asked so nicely? (He's on the back row, in the blue shirt and brown vest. He really belted out "All Good Gifts"! His performance touched me so much that I had tears at the end of it. Really! I wish that version was recorded somewhere so I could share it here.)
I really did feel as though I were at church, when in reality I was at Muse Arts Warehouse, listening to parables and song.
Maybe that was church, after all.

The second half had an even more profound impact on me.
The stage was sparse, consisting of the two benches, the two walls, the wheelbarrow.
In the first act, the followers of Jesus were given items to wear to show their solidarity with him, simple items. Ballcaps, bandannas, ties, flowers, a flowing shirt.
In the second act, the container is retrieved from the wheelbarrow and Jesus begins the task of gathering together the items he had distributed. As each piece of attire was returned, he would hold the hand of the giver or grant them a tender kiss on the forehead or offer a farewell hug...
I almost wept.
I knew, from my days in theatre, the specialness of those actions on this final performance of the play. On the stage, he was bidding them farewell as both those characters and as the fellow actors.
Such a tender moment for all...
I'm so grateful to have been able to share this blessed time.
This was definitely where I was meant to be on this sunny Sunday.