One lesson repeated throughout history is the world is built on moral foundations - well with the good and ill with the wicked. This is the message from the Walnut Street Theatre in its current production of "Godspell." Having survived adaptations of just about every high school and church drama club, "Godspell" is nothing if not durable. This production features a rich cast: talented, committed and infectiously endearing.

By any standard, "Godspell" has been so successful, comments made about its diffuse, hard-to-follow storyline seem irrelevant.

The question thus arises: can the show - which takes the story of Jesus as related in the Gospel According to St. Matthew and puts it in the distinct style of the late 1960s - survive a new century?

An entertaining and thought-provoking morality play, this popular rock musical conveys Jesus as a folk hero. Young people are lost in their problems and Jesus arrives in contemporary garb, showing them a new perspective. He advises morals are something more than social habits or circumstantial necessities.

Composer Stephen Schwartz fashioned some refreshing lyrics, creating a mood of innocent wonder. The method is modern, youthful, crisp-sounding and sensitive. More than just a beat, the music serves a dramatic function.

"Godspell" was fortunate to hit Broadway in 1971, five months before "Jesus Christ Superstar," the flashier variation of the same biblical source. It won public favor with its frolicsome air of amiable piety. The parables are in antic, colloquial style, the songs conveying the spirit of the entertainment.

A string of recognizable hits, including "Day by Day" - which has emerged with a life of its own - "All for the Best" and "By My Side" will be familiar to most. The hippie-esque "flower power" of the original production has been updated with a contemporary sound and new lyrics, giving it fresh vitality.

The success of the score over the years has all but obscured the quality of the book. In fact, it was a highly inventive approach to a pastiche entertainment piece in the mold of "Hair," which was a big hit on Broadway at the time.

"Godspell's" storyline follows a group of young people acting out many parables and, as their camaraderie strengthens through the collaboration, they advance to enacting the final hours of Jesus, ending with the crucifixion.

The Walnut retains both the message and the spirit of the teachings of Jesus, yet it is not a proselytizing pitch for Christianity. Instead, it emphasizes a sense of community and commitment.

The enthusiastic cast establishes a fresh feeling - good friends sharing good times together. Among the women in the cast are Jenny Lee Ramos, who leads a heartfelt "O Bless the Lord My Soul"; Katie O'Shaughnessey, who sells the Mae West-type spoof "Turn Back, O Man"; and Marcy McGuigan, whose "Learn Your Lessons Well" is a kick.

As Jesus, Michael Gruber gives a well-rounded, sure-handed performance. Jason Wooten and Andre McRae have polished their performances. Wooten opens the festivities with "Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord" and McRae has the highest energy piece of the show with his "We Beseech Thee." Marsha Lawson's voice in "Day By Day" is strong and sure and Joshua Lamon passionately sings "By My Side."

The two-hour show is staged and performed with hyperbolic zeal, theatrical even more than spiritual, which is why the children in the audience will be kept totally involved.

But the strength of "Godspell" is not just in the music, lyrics, performances or even in the book. It is in the creative and imaginative direction of Bruce Lumpkin, who conceives the show in terms of constant inspired movements.

It also has the sophistication of a meticulously cluttered set by Todd Ivins: a delapidated shantytown beneath the recognizable Ben Franklin Bridge.

Like the original, this "Godspell" is a good-humored work without being particularly witty. It's never irreverent: its message is presented with earnestness and care, and is pretty simple and familiar.

Although preachy at times, the script is saved by the cast's inventive interpretation. This is one sermon you won't sleep through and may even want to hear twice.