- This article is about the musical. For the movie Godspell (film)
Godspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas...
. For the albums see Godspell (1971 Off-Broadway Cast) and Godspell (album)The soundtrack album of the movie Godspell was released in 1973 on Bell Records.-Musicians:*Drums and percussion: Ricky Shutter*Bass: Richard LaBonte, Steve Manes*Guitars: Jesse Cutler , Don Thomas...
Godspell is a
musicalMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
by
Stephen SchwartzStephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
and
John-Michael TebelakJohn-Michael Tebelak was an American playwright and director. He was most famous for creating the musical Godspell based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. The music was by Stephen Schwartz...
. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway. Several cast albums have been released over the years and one of its songs, "
Day by Day"Day by Day" is a song from the 1971 Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak musical Godspell.Day by Day is the third song in the show’s score and it is also reprised as the closing number for the 1973 film version...
" from the original cast album, reached #13 on the
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop singles chart in the summer of 1972.
The structure of the musical is that of a series of
parableA parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
s, based on the
Gospel of MatthewThe Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
(though three of the parables featured are only recorded in the
Gospel of LukeThe Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
). These are then interspersed with a variety of modern music set primarily to lyrics from traditional hymns, with the passion of Christ treated briefly near
the end of the performance. It started as a college project performed by students at
Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and moved to
La MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
in
Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. It was then re-scored for an off-Broadway production which became a long-running success. A junior one-act version with some songs removed has also been made under the title
Godspell Junior.
Background
The show originated in 1970 as Tebelak's
master'sA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
thesis project, under the direction of
Lawrence CarraLawrence Carra was an American professor of drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director of theater and television as well as a mentor to hundreds of actors and directors....
, at
Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. A version was performed at Carnegie Mellon in 1970, with several of the cast members from the CMU Music Department. Tebelak then directed the show, with much of the student cast, for a two-week, ten performance run at
La MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
(aka Cafe la Mama), New York City, opening February 24, 1971. It was brought to the attention of producers
Edgar LansburyEdgar Lansbury is an award-winning British theatre, film, and television producer.Born in London, Lansbury was the son of Belfast-born actress Moyna MacGill and Edgar Lansbury, a politician and businessman, and the grandson of former Labour Party leader George Lansbury...
(brother of
Angela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
) and Joseph Beruh by Carnegie alumnus
Charles HaidCharles Maurice Haid III is an American actor and director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in Hill Street Blues....
(associate producer), who wanted to open it Off-Broadway.
The producers hired
Stephen SchwartzStephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
, another alumnus of Carnegie Mellon's theater department, to write a new song score. Schwartz's songs incorporated a variety of musical styles, from
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
,
gospelGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. One song, "By My Side", written by CMU students Jay Hamburger and Peggy Gordon, was kept from the original score. As with the original score, most of the non-Schwartz lyrics were from the Episcopal Hymnal. (See also
Godspell (1971 Off-Broadway Cast).)
All ten actors are on stage throughout the show.
The word "Gospel" is derived from Anglo Saxon "Gódspell" (ca AD 1000), which means "good word".
Characters
The original cast defined the personalities of each character as the show was developed. Most of the characters' names are simply the first name of the actor, so the characters are more easily identified by the song they sing. The actor cast as
John the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
doubles later in the show as
Judas IscariotJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
.
Act one
The show begins with the Voice of
GodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
declaring his supremacy: "My name is Known: God and King. I am most in majesty, in whom no beginning may be and no end." The company enters and takes the role of various philosophers throughout the ages (Although many times this section of the play is excluded):
Socrates Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
,
Thomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
,
Leonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
,
Edward GibbonEdward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
,
Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
,
Martin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
,
Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
, and
Buckminster FullerRichard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
(In the revival, Gibbon, Luther, Nietzsche and Fuller were replaced by
Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
, Jonathan Edwards,
Marianne WilliamsonMarianne Williamson is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that...
, and
L. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
). They sing fragments of their respective philosophies — first as solos and then in cacophonous
counterpointIn music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
— in "Tower of Babble (Prologue)". In some productions, "Tower of Babble" is replaced by "Beautiful City," which Jesus sings to open the show. In still other productions, the company cuts Tower of Babble and Beautiful City, opting to begin with "Prepare Ye"(The Way of the Lord).
In response to the philosophers,
John the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
blows three notes on the
shofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
to call the community to order. He then beckons them to "Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)", and baptizes the company (this can be done in various ways, aiming to be comical).
JesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
comes, also to be baptized. John responds by, instead, asking to be baptized by Jesus. Jesus explains that it is not his place to baptize; that he has come to "Save the People".
In his first
parableA parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
, Jesus explains to the company that he has come "not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to complete." In the original production, the company donned clown makeup at this point. Subsequent productions may instead use some object—a pin, a scarf, or a badge, for example—to denote that the company has become followers of Jesus. Jesus explains to the company that those who adhere to the law of God will earn the highest place in the
Kingdom of GodThe Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
. He tells them the story of the widow and the Judge: God is a just jurist who will support those who cry out to him.
The company begins to understand Jesus and his teachings, and they take it upon themselves to tell the story of the
PhariseesThe Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
and the tax gatherer praying in the temple. "Every man who humbles himself shall be exalted!"
As Jesus teaches of the law regarding the offering of gifts at the altar, the company makes offerings—themselves. They are taught that to approach the altar of God, they must be pure of heart and soul.
Then, they act out the story of a master and a servant who owes him a debt. The servant asks his master for pity in repaying the debt, and the master absolves it. The servant then turns to a fellow servant who "owed him a few dollars" and demands that it be paid in full. The master, hearing this, then condemns the servant to prison. Jesus explains the moral: "Forgive your brothers from your heart." The member of the company telling the parable sings "Day by Day", and the company joins in. After the song, Jesus teaches that if one part of you offends God, it is better to lose it than to have the whole of the body thrown into hell.
The company then plays charades to finish several statements posed by Jesus, including "If a man sues you for your shirt..." and "If a man asks you to go one mile with him...."
Then, a cast member comes forward after charades saying, "You wanna see a show?" The company performs the
Parable of the Good SamaritanThe parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus and is mentioned in only one of the Canonical gospels. According to the Gospel of Luke a traveller is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a...
in the form of a play-within-a-play. Jesus explains the need to "love your enemies", and "not make a show of religion before men." He goes on to say, "God will reward a good deed done in secret." ("Shhh! It's a secret!")
The parable of
LazarusThe Parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a well known parable of Jesus which appears in one of the Four Gospels of the New Testament....
and the rich man is next tackled by the company, who are quickly learning how to work together. On earth, the rich man feasts, and Lazarus begs and is ignored. Upon dying, Lazarus is rewarded with Heaven, while the rich man is in Hell. We are told to "Learn Your Lessons Well", or be faced with eternal damnation. When the rich man asks Abraham if he would send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers of their impending doom, Abraham tells him no, and says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead."
Jesus teaches that no man can serve two masters—God and money. A member of the company tells a story of a man who spent a lifetime acquiring the good things in life, then dies before he has the time to enjoy them. She sings "Bless the Lord," then Jesus tells them not to worry about tomorrow; "Tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has problems of its own."
In an
antiphonAn antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....
ic chorus, the company recites the
BeatitudesIn Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
.
JudasJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, however, directs the final beatitude regarding persecution at Jesus, and Jesus quickly changes the subject. ("Did I ever tell you that I used to read feet?") However, with this Jesus persuades the company that it is "All for the Best"; heaven contains the ultimate reward. Judas sings a verse, and the two do a soft shoe and a vaudevillian joke. The company, and chorus if used, join in the final verse (sung in counterpoint) to bring the song to conclusion.
This is followed by the parable of the Sower of the Seeds, which Jesus tells them represent the Word of God. "All Good Gifts" is sung to further illustrate the point.
The action to this point, while amusing and entertaining, has been to do one thing—create from this rag-tag company a community of love and caring. At this point in the musical, they have formed this community and they now march as soldiers in the military, signifying their ability to think as one unit. With Jesus as the drill sergeant, they segue into the famous
Parable of the Prodigal SonThe Prodigal Son, also known as the Lost Son and the Prodigal Father, is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospel of Luke a father extravagantly gives his sons their inheritance before he dies...
. They sing "Light of the World" about Christ's Light and how it should shine in each of us. Jesus thanks the audience for coming, and announces a ten-minute intermission. (In the original production, the cast joined the audience for wine and bread.)
Act Two
The second act opens with one or more cast members singing "Learn Your Lessons Well", to call the audience back into the hall. Another member of the community sings "Turn Back, O Man", in which she implores mankind to give up its temporal pursuits and to turn to God.
Jesus says, "This is the beginning."
At this point, several members of the community begin to question Jesus's authority, and he responds with yet another parable. He is asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" and responds, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul... And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The Pharisees continue to question him, and he laments "Alas for You", and calls them hypocrites. Members of the community gather and join in his song, and throw garbage at the Pharisees.
Jesus predicts that he will not be seen for quite a while, while standing at the "
Wailing WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
", and predicts great wars and famines. He reminds us of the time of
NoahNoah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, and teaches that faith can calm the storm. The community is told to "keep awake, then. For the
Son of ManThe phrase son of man is a primarily Semitic idiom that originated in Ancient Mesopotamia, used to denote humanity or self. The phrase is also used in Judaism and Christianity. The phrase used in the Greek, translated as Son of man is ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου...
will come at a time when you least expect it."
One woman is cast out as an
adulteressAdultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
. Jesus says, "Let the one of you who is faultless cast the first stone." He explains that he will not condemn her either, but that she must not sin again. She watches Jesus walk from her, and entreats him to remain "By My Side". During this song, we see Judas agree to betray Jesus and receive thirty pieces of silver for it.
In one of the lighter moments in the second act, Jesus tells how he will separate men as a shepherd separates his flock into
sheepSheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
and
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s. The sheep will enter heaven while the goats must suffer eternal damnation. "We Beseech Thee" cry the goats, begging for mercy.
After the song, the community reminds each other to take things "Day By Day", as they remove their clown makeup (or other accoutrement). They assemble for the
Last SupperThe Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
, and Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. Each member of the community asks, "Is it I?" ending with Judas. Jesus tells him to do quickly what he must do, and Judas runs off. Jesus breaks the bread and shares the wine and tells his followers that they will dine together in the Kingdom of Heaven. He asks that they wait for him as he goes into the
Garden of GethsemaneGethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...
to pray. The band sings "On the Willows", which is about what has been sacrificed. In the song, Jesus says goodbye to the company members.
In the garden, Jesus implores God that if there is another way, to let the burden be lifted from his shoulders. He is tempted by
SatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, but orders him away. Jesus returns to his followers to find them all asleep.
Judas returns and kisses Jesus on the cheek, to bring him to be
crucifiedCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. The community starts to attack Judas, while Jesus reminds them, "He who lives by the sword, will die by the sword... This has all happened to fulfill what the Prophets have written."
The "Finale" begins, loud and in B-minor, with Jesus being put upon an electric fence, representative of the cross described in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus wails, "Oh, God, I'm dying," and the community answers, "Oh, God, You're dying." Jesus dies and the music comes to a rest. One woman sings "Long Live God," joined on each phrase by another female voice. The men join in with "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" in counterpoint, as they remove Jesus from the fence and carry him out (either offstage or through the aisles of the auditorium). There is controversy over the fact that there is no obvious resurrection of Jesus present in the show, though some see the singing of "Prepare Ye" in the finale and/or the curtain call (where all including Jesus return to the stage) as representations of the resurrection. Some productions have placed the song "Beautiful City" after the finale to show the resurrection.
Songs
Act I
- Opening ‡
- Prologue:Towers of Babble ‡
- Prepare ye The Way of the Lord
- Save the People
- Day By Day
- Learn Your Lessons Well
- O Bless the Lord
- All for the Best
- All Good Gifts
- Light of the World
Act II
- Learn Your Lessons Well (Reprise) ‡
- Turn Back, O Man
- Alas for You
- By My Side
- Beautiful City †
- We Beseech Thee
- Day By Day (Reprise)
- On The Willows
- Finale
‡ These songs were not part of the original production, but are sometimes performed in contemporary productions
† See notes below on "Beautiful City"
"Beautiful City"
"Beautiful City" was written in 1972 as part of the movie and re-written in 1993 after the
Rodney King riots in Los AngelesThe 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
. Its position in the film is directly after "By My Side," which in turn follows directly on from "Alas for You," omitting the parable in between. This provides a sequence where Jesus upturns the
tables at the templeThe narrative of Jesus and the money changers, commonly referred to as the cleansing of the Temple, occurs in all four canonical gospels of the New Testament....
before the pharisees. Then, scared by what he has done, he walks off, followed by the disciples, who ask, "Where are you going? Can you take me with you?" and they are reunited with Jesus, and sing "Beautiful City."
Many theatrical directors choose to use it in place of the "Day by Day" reprise. "Beautiful City" has also been used at the very end of the play in an additional dialogue-free scene that depicts the Resurrection, which was not depicted in the original.
In their Broadway Junior series — popular musicals edited to one act and appropriate for middle school — Music Theater International supplies "Beautiful City" as part of the show. This version contains much of the first act and very little of the second: "By My Side" is omitted entirely. "Beautiful City" is at a point in the beginning of the traditional second act, but followed quickly by the Last Supper, the Betrayal, and the Crucifixion.
The 2011 Broadway revival places "Beautiful City" between "We Beseech Thee" and the Last Supper, sung as a slow ballad by Jesus to his followers.
Carnegie Mellon (1970)
The first Godspell cast at CMU in 1970, listed in speaking order: Andrew Rohrer, Mary Mazziotti, Martha Jacobs, Robin Lamont, Robert Miller,
Sonia ManzanoSonia Manzano is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street since 1971. She also licenses her image to promote items of baby clothes and plates in Hispanic America....
, Stanley King, Randy Danson, James Stevens,
David HaskellDavid Michael Haskell was an American film, stage and television actor and singer.-Career:Haskell is best remembered for his dual performance in the 1970s in the New York City, New York, Off-Broadway musical-theatre production Godspell and its subsequent film adaptation Godspell: A Musical Based...
.
Original LaMama and Off-Broadway (1971)
The show was first presented at Cafe LaMama as a non-musical play. Songs were added by Schwartzand it then opened as a musical at the
Cherry Lane TheatreThe Cherry Lane Theatre , located at 38 Commerce Street in the borough of Manhattan, was New York City's oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater...
on May 17, 1971, transferred to the Promenade Theatre three months later,and closed on June 13, 1976 after 2124 performances. Directed by Tebelak, the original cast included Lamar Alford, Peggy Gordon,
David HaskellDavid Michael Haskell was an American film, stage and television actor and singer.-Career:Haskell is best remembered for his dual performance in the 1970s in the New York City, New York, Off-Broadway musical-theatre production Godspell and its subsequent film adaptation Godspell: A Musical Based...
, Joanne Jonas, Robin Lamont,
Sonia ManzanoSonia Manzano is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street since 1971. She also licenses her image to promote items of baby clothes and plates in Hispanic America....
,
Gilmer McCormickGilmer McCormick is an American actress and singer best known for her performance in the stage and film versions of Godspell in the early 1970s and for her role in the 1984 horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night....
,
Jeffrey MylettJeffrey Mylett was an American actor and songwriter. Born in North Canton, Ohio, he attended Hoover High School there, and studied theater at Carnegie Mellon University....
, Stephen Nathan, and Herb Simon.
London (1971)
Godspell opened at the
Roundhouse TheatreThe Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
in
Chalk FarmChalk Farm is an area of north London, England. It lies directly to the north of Camden Town and its underground station is the closest tube station to the nearby, upmarket neighbourhood of Primrose Hill....
, London on 17 November 1971, starring Johanna Cassidy,
David EssexDavid Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
, Neil Fitzwilliam,
Jeremy IronsJeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, Verity-Anne Meldrum, Deryk Parkin, Tom Saffery,
Gay SoperGay Soper is an English actress.She is perhaps best known for her performance in the musical Godspell with David Essex, Julie Covington and Jeremy Irons as well as Mme. Thenardier on the Complete Symphonic Recording of Les Misérables. She also performed all the voices for The Flumps, a famous...
and
Marti WebbMarti Webb is a musical actress from England, who appeared on stage in Evita, before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980...
. After a very successful run it transferred to the Wyndhams Theatre on 26 January 1972.
Toronto (1972)
The
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
production in 1972–1973, which opened at the
Royal Alexandra TheatreThe Royal Alexandra Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located near King and Simcoe Streets. Built in 1907, the Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.-History:...
, was expected to be a run of a few dozen performances for what was largely an audience of subscribers to the theater's season. The Toronto run had a cast drawn entirely from local performers instead of from a touring company. After an enthusiastic response from the audience, the show moved uptown to the Bayview Playhouse in
LeasideLeaside is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who settled there in the early years of the nineteenth century. The area first developed as farmland along with Toronto through the nineteenth century. It was incorporated as a...
after its scheduled run at the Royal Alex ended and ran until August 1973, setting what was then a record run of 488 performances.
The Toronto production provided the first regular acting jobs for several notable performers, including
Victor GarberVictor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is...
,
Eugene LevyEugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
,
Andrea MartinAndrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
,
Gilda RadnerGilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
,
Dave ThomasDavid "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
, and
Martin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, and the show's musical director
Paul ShafferPaul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
.
Broadway (1976)
The first Broadway production opened on June 22, 1976 at the
Broadhurst TheatreThe Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
. It was directed by John Michael Tebelak, musical director Steve Reinhardt, costumes by Susan Tsu, lighting by Spencer Mosse, and sound by Robert Minor. The opening cast featured Lamar Alford,
Laurie FasoLaurie Faso is an American television actor and occasional voice actor. In his career, he has held several bit parts on various shows, in addition to doing voices for several animated series and films, such as The Snorks, Monchichis, Darkwing Duck, Transformers and The Little Troll Prince...
,
Lois ForakerLois Foraker is a television, film, and stage actress. She was in the original Broadway cast of Godspell in 1976 and played a nurse in M*A*S*H for three years.-Filmography:* Child's Play 3 * The Exorcist III * Gremlins...
, Robin Lamont, Elizabeth Lathram, Bobby Lee, Tom Rolfing,
Don ScardinoDon Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, Marley Sims, and Valerie Williams. Alternates were Kerin Blair, Bob Garrett, Michael Hoit, and Kitty Ray. The band consisted of
Paul ShafferPaul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
(Keyboards, Conductor), Mark Zeray (Guitar), Chris Warwin (Bass), and Michael Redding (Percussion).
The musical transferred to the Plymouth Theatre and finally to the
Ambassador TheatreAmbassador Theatre can refer to:* Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassadors Theatre...
, where it closed on September 4, 1977 after 527 performances and 5 previews.
Broadway (2011)
The first Broadway revival began performances on October 13, 2011 at the
Circle in the Square TheatreThe Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
and officialy opened on November 7th 2011 to positive reviews from publications such as USA Today, New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Starring
Hunter ParrishHunter Parrish is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Silas Botwin in Showtime's television series Weeds.-Personal life:...
, it is directed by
Daniel GoldsteinDaniel Goldstein is an Americanpsychologist known for the specification and testing ofheuristics and models of bounded rationality in the field ofjudgment and decision making.-Academic career:...
, choreographed by
Christopher GattelliChristopher Gattelli is a choreographer, performer, and director for the theatre. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography for South Pacific and the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Choreography for Altar Boyz. He won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreograper for...
, and produced by
Ken DavenportKen Davenport, born Kenneth A. Hasija is a New York-based Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre producer.-Shows:Davenport has produced several Broadway and Off-Broadway plays including the current Broadway revival of Godspell, Chinglish, Oleanna, Speed the Plow, You're Welcome America, Blithe Spirit,...
. The production is an open-ended run.
Modern productions
The original production of
Godspell made the company a troupe of clowns who follow Jesus in an abandoned playground; subsequent productions have been set in museums, classrooms, on top of buildings, an apocalyptic world or in an abandoned theater. Since the setting is never explicitly stated in the text, directors frequently see this show as a chance to show off their creative abilities. In one such production, the setting was simply three construction scaffolds. In another, it was done with a wall, some steps, and a treasure chest. The setting has even been in a
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant.
Godspell was revived Off-Broadway at the
York TheatreThe York Theatre is an Off-Broadway theatre at 619 Lexington Avenue at the corner of 54th Street in the East Midtown section of Manhattan, New York City. It is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each season consists of three or...
from August 2, 2000, to October 7, 2000.
The 2000 national tour mounted by Stephen Schwartz's son Scott Schwartz set the play in a "world of technology". In addition to new arrangements, "The Good Samaritan" story was "an episode of a reality cop show."
Film
A
film versionGodspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas...
of the musical was released in 1973, set in modern
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and starring
Victor GarberVictor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is...
as
JesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
,
David HaskellDavid Michael Haskell was an American film, stage and television actor and singer.-Career:Haskell is best remembered for his dual performance in the 1970s in the New York City, New York, Off-Broadway musical-theatre production Godspell and its subsequent film adaptation Godspell: A Musical Based...
as
John the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
/
JudasJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, and
Lynne ThigpenCherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen Sandiego television series.-Early life:...
in her first film role. John-Michael Tebelak co-wrote the screenplay and served as the creative consultant. The song "Beautiful City" was written for and first included in the film, while the songs "Prologue/Tower Of Babel", "Learn Your Lessons Well", and "We Beseech Thee" were left out.
In popular culture
- In the film Meet the Parents
Meet the Parents is a 2000 American comedy film written by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg and directed by Jay Roach. Starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, the film chronicles a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless male nurse while visiting his girlfriend's parents...
, Greg (Ben StillerBenjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
) recites "Day by Day" when asked to say graceGrace is a name for any of a number of short prayers said or an unvoiced intention held prior to or after eating, thanking God and/or the entities that have given of themselves to furnish nutrients to those partaking in the meal. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing...
over his first meal with the family.
- In the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
, Ford keeps a copy of Godspell's script in his bag to convince people he's an actor.
- In the film Wet Hot American Summer
Wet Hot American Summer is a 2001 satirical comedy film written by David Wain and Michael Showalter, and directed by Wain. The film takes place during the last day at a fictional Jewish summer camp in 1981, before closing for the summer...
, "Day by Day" is performed at the camp talent show. At first, the other campers enjoy the performance, but at the end of the song, booing ensues when an image of the cross appears behind the performers. In the DVD commentary for the film, director David Wain noted that the booing was not directed at the cross but rather at the performance itself.
- On their album Jesus Freak, Christian rock band dc Talk
DC Talk , is a Grammy-winning Christian rock music trio. The group was formed in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They have released five major studio albums together: DC Talk , Nu Thang , Free at Last , Jesus Freak , and Supernatural...
has a cover version of "Day by Day."
- On their album F♯A♯∞
F♯ A♯ ∞ is the debut album of the Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was released twice, first in 1997 by Constellation Records and then again on 8 June 1998, by Kranky as an expanded edition that ran for 63:27...
, the band Godspeed You! Black EmperorGodspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
used a sample of the opening line of "By My Side" for the song "Providence".
- In an episode of King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
where Bobby Hill attends a high school, he is overjoyed to find that the play is being held, as it was banned from his middle school.
- In Scotland, PA, the characters sing "Day by Day" in a homage as to what people did in the 70's.
- In the novel How I Paid for College, the main character is starring as Jesus in a production of Godspell at his school.
- In an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
, the employees of Harvey's law firm are so overjoyed at the seeming resurrection of their boss Phil (who had been killed off in the previous episode) that they break into a song which parodies Godspell, complete with costumes similar to those of the play.
- In an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance (Season 4)
So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season four premiered on May 22, 2008, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host...
", contestants Joshua Allen and Katee Shean dance a Broadway dance number set to "All for the Best", choreographed by Tyce Diorio.
- In the novel "Fall Musical," of the Drama Club series, the school play is Godspell. One character notes, "As you know, it's about Jesus, but you don't have to be a Christian. Stephen Schwartz wrote it, and he's Jewish. Actually, so was Jesus."
Controversy
The
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
garb that the cast wears has caused controversy. In the 1999, "Notes on the Script", Stephen Schwartz wrote, "There are often misconceptions about the concept of the clown
analogyAnalogy is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject to another particular subject , and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process...
in
Godspell. For instance, sometimes it is misunderstood as the cast being 'hippies' or '
flower childFlower child originated as a synonym for hippie, especially the idealistic young people who gathered in San Francisco and environs during the 1967 Summer of Love. It was the custom of "flower children" to wear and distribute flowers or floral-themed decorations to symbolize altruistic ideals of...
ren'. The concept was derived by John-Michael Tebelak from a book by
Harvey CoxHarvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. is one of the preeminent theologians in the United States and served as Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009...
, a professor at
Harvard Divinity SchoolHarvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, entitled
Feast of Fools.
External links