Two very different shows from the 1970s are opening on two area campuses.

A time-shifting comedy that takes aim at Victorian colonialism and sexual oppression opens at Northampton Community College, while a musical based on the story of Jesus from The Bible’s Gospel of St. Matthew opens at Lehigh University.

Lehigh University’s Department of Theatre presents “Godspell in Concert,” March 4-12, Diamond Theatre, Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem.

Northampton Community College’s Theatre Department is staging “Cloud 9“ by British writer Caryl Churchill, March 3-7, Norman Roberts Lab Theatre on the Bethlehem Township campus.

“Cloud 9” is one of Churchill’s most renowned works. The play, written in 1979, uses controversial portrayals of sexuality and language to establish a parallel between colonial and sexual oppression.

Director Clair M. Freeman says the two-act comedy is “as relevant today as it was when it was written.”

Act 1 is set in British colonial Africa in the Victorian era and Act 2 is set in a London park in 1979. However, only 25 years pass for the characters between the acts and the two acts are structured in counterpoint.

Each actor plays one role in Act 1 and a different role in Act 2. The characters are played by different actors in each act and some switch genders.

Act 1 parodies the conventional comedy genre and satirizes Victorian society and colonialism. Act 2 shows what could happen when the restrictions of the comic genre and Victorian ideology are loosened.

“It’s a time when gender roles are changing, cultural values are being questioned and social justice is at the forefront of our society,” says Freeman. “This time-shifting comedy offers a reflection of our world as seen through a hall of mirrors.”

The scathing comedy examines the Victorian empire’s rigid attitudes toward sex and conveys Churchill’s message about accepting people who are different and not dominating them or forcing them into particular social roles.

“As trail-blazing now as it was with its first production, it celebrates the journeys to self-acceptance and to finding our own personal definition of happiness,” Freeman says.

The cast includes Griffin Boyle, Meaghan Lawlor, Michael Sheridan, Olivia Byrne, Tamara Decker, Justin Ferguson and Andy Van Antwerp.

Because of its themes, the show is recommended for mature audiences.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4, 5, 7; 2 p.m. March 6.

Audience members are required to wear face masks.

Tickets: www.ncctix.org; 484-484-3412

Lehigh University’s Department of Theatre’s Spring 2020 production of “Godspell” was canceled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Gospel in Concert” will be presented March 4-12, Diamond Theatre, Zoellner Arts Center.

The concert, directed by Jennifer Wescoe, is based on the musical about a group of hippies that parallels the story of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

“Godspell” was the first major musical from three-time Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked,” “Pippin,” “Children of Eden”).

The songs include the international pop hit, “Day by Day,” and, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, illustrate the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

In the musical, Jesus recruits a group of followers who help him enact different parables using a variety of games, storytelling techniques, and comic improvisation, which dissolve hauntingly into a depiction of The Last Supper and The Crucifixion.

Wescoe, who was Freedom High School Theater Department Director 2000 - 2018, is a 1998 graduate of Lehigh University. She says she is honored to return to Lehigh to direct “Godspell.”

“Through my 20 years of directing theatrical productions at various levels, ‘Godspell’ will always stay close to my heart,” Wescoe says. “’Godspell’ is truly a production that has many opportunities for the troupe’s talent and creativity to shine.”

The wearing of face masks is required on the Lehigh University campus.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. March 4, 5, 9 - 12 and 2 p.m. March 6.

The March 9 performance is a Pay-What-You-Wish. Tickets can only be purchased at the door or by phone.

Tickets: www.zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu; 610-758-2787 ext. 0

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com