According to Matthew

All through my life, up until 1993, I was heavily involved in theater. I've been in the chorus and I've been the lead, but the best experiences have come from being a part of an ensemble cast. You know, those groups that just come together and work so well you never want to take that final bow.

In 1987, I found myself working with a cast like that. We were reviving "Godspell," the musical based on the Gospel According to Matthew, at Aurora University. They had run the show a few years previously with great success, and wanted to reprise the magic. Many members of the same cast, myself included, went on to tour the show with Broadway Bound Players, performing all over Illinois.

And now, 20 years later, we will revive it once more.

This Sunday, October 28, at Our Lady Good Counsel church in Aurora, many members of our 1987 cast will join together again to share in a concert version of the show. We'll share our favorite parables and the music and (hopefully) rediscover the magic.

But the real magic for me happened at rehearsal. I hadn't seen some of my castmates in 20 years. Keith and Val had gone on to their "real lives" and we just lost touch. And yet, to be in their presence again, it is as if we never missed a beat. In Keith I once again find the man who never fails to make me laugh, or inspire me with his innate ability to become part of the scenery. And Val ... sometimes ya just gotta say "wow." She and I were never particularly close, but I remember loving her anyway. But the woman she has become is someone I admire - she is strong and confident and funny, and she and I seem to relate on a very personal level.

When I left that first rehearsal, I felt full. Not of food (although Patrick's dad did not disappoint!) but of love and friendship - the sort of friendship that stands the test of time and proves itself stronger than you ever thought possible.

So if you don't have anything to do this Sunday night, join us in Aurora at 7 p.m. for "Godspell: The Concert." If for no other reason than to see if we've still got "it" after 20 years.