Godspell

[Cat]

I believe in the version my son wants to try out for, they will be doing something similar to signify the resurrection, but it isn’t part of the original script.

We rented & watched a movie version… the disciples were clowns. Like literal clowns. It was cheesy beyond cheese.

You do realize that the movie was made in the 1970s? Back then, we didn’t think we were "cheesy–we thought we were cool! Just like today, people think they look cool, but 30 years from now, someone will call them “cheesy.”

Do you understand the symbolism of why the disciples are “clowns?” Hint: the answer is in the Bible.

Theater is not necessarily meant to be taken literally.

 

[Cat]

When I was in high school (Catholic high school) we did a production of it. I would say it was respectful of the gospel.

Just recently a local theater group put it on and it was very good, again respectful and the music is fun. But the tone does change when it gets to Holy Week.

(I think John and Judas are always played by the same actor, that’s the way I have always seen it. At first I thought we had to do it that way because we were an all girl school and we needed to find boys to audition.)

I have always seen it with some form of resurrection at the end.

I have not seen Jesus Christ Super Star but I have heard that show does not make mention of the resurrection.

You may be able to find it to rent or view so you can see before he auditions.

I’m sure if your son does do the show he will have a wonderful time. Our cast always became like family and I felt we grew spiritually. We would attend mass together etc.

Yes, it’s respectful of the Gospel because it IS the Gospel.

The script of Godspell is word for word the Gospel of St. Matthew. Anyone who is in this musical will literally memorize several dozen chapters of Matthew.

Worthwhile? I would say so.

 

[Cat]

Are you familar with the musical Godspell? What do you think of it? Is it Christian or do you think it mocks the Gospel? I’ve never seen it, but my teenage son wants to audition for it. Your thoughts?

YES it is Christian!

My husband and I “collect” Godspells. We’ve seen around 30 different productions of it, including productions where our daughter as part of the cast.

So we know this show well.

The script and the songs are all straight out of the Gospel of St. Matthew, or are historical traditional Christian poems. The music is beautiful, although it is very dated–my husband and I were teenagers in the 1970s, so to us, the music is beautiful. I’m sure a lot of modern people think it’s corny! But the words are beautiful. Some productions are using an updated arrangement of the music. We’ve seen these versions and like them very much.

YES, let your son try out for it, assuming that the DIRECTOR of the show has an acceptable “artistic vision” for his production.

There are some directors who decide to take the show in a new direction, and that can be very anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Gospel. Whether or not you let your son work with such a director is up to you. Some kids are strengthened in their faith by adversity, while others are led astray. You know best what kind of young man your son is.

But most directors who do this show try to stay true to the vision of portraying Jesus Christ and His teachings, and respect the Christian faith. (In fact, many Godspell directors ARE Christians, and this show is one of the few shows that they can do that actually presents the Gospel!)

The one thing that all directors do differently in Godspell is the resurrection. The script allows for a lot of flexibility. We’ve seen the resurrection portrayed obviously, subtly, and not at all. The versions with no resurrection fall kind of flat for us, and I’m guessing that you would feel the same way. Again, it’s up to you whether you allow your son to participate in a version with no obvious resurrection. (It’s in the music, even if it isn’t done onstage.) Some kids will understand that the resurrection is in the music, while others will be adversely affected by this missing part of Jesus’s life.

(see next post)

 

[Cat]

(continued from last post)

My suggestion is to ask to talk to the director. Ask him or her specifically about his/her “artistic vision” for the show.

If the director refuses to talk to you, then you might want to steer clear of the show, or if you do decide to let your son try out, make sure that your son realizes that he may have a difficult time dealing with a difficult director, and he will have to stick it and not lose his temper and not walk out on the director . (If he walks out, he may be blacklisted from future productions in the school or community. The best way to deal with a difficult director is to finish out the show, but avoid him/her in the future.)

Hopefully the director will talk with you and share his/her artistic vision. (Most directors LOVE talking about their artistic vision!) You will get a feeling for whether the director is doing “straight Godspell,” or some weirdo, new-age, way-out-there version of the show that totally perverts the Gospel and insults Jesus Christ. (E.g., I would probably stay away from a show in which Jesus is portrayed as Pres. Obama, and all the disciples are the Congressman–that’s really pushing it, IMO! But it might work–it would be interesting!)

Be CAREFUL not to jump to conclusions! There are many many ways to stage Godspell! Please don’t assume that because the director is staging the show a certain way that he/she has an objectionable “artistic vision” that insults Jesus.

E.g., one show that we saw was set “on the streets,” and all the disciples were homeless people. That was pretty cool, and we know that the director and most of the actors in that show were devout Christians.

We’ve seen versions where all the disciples are children on a giant playground–that was a children’s production, BTW, starring around 200 children, and so the staging made perfect sense.

We saw a production set in a barn and the disciples were all farmer-types. That was OK, appropriate for the town.

And of course, there’s the classic “circus” setting. Some Christians get all upset about this, assuming that the show is making fun of Christians and Jesus. That’s NOT the case at all! The Bible says that we must become like little children. The Bible also says that we are “fools for Christ.” THAT’S the symbolism behind this classic setting.

(I think that Catholic Christians connect the circus setting of Godspell with “clown” Masses and they get upset. Just remember that Godspell is NOT a Mass, it’s musical theater.)

So don’t be scared of something different. (E.g., maybe the director will stage the play by making all the disciples NFL players, and Jesus is the “coach.”) You’ll see–it works out (or it will bomb and the director will get poor reviews for his/her artistic vision.) Give it a chance.

Also during your talk with the director, ask what he/she plans to do with the resurrection. He/she might refuse to tell you the specifics, but he/she should at least tell you whether the resurrection will be included or not included in the production.

Hopefully your talk with the director will reassure you.

BTW, be careful during this interview. By asking to speak with the director, you might be the cause for your son not getting a part, and your son might not be happy about that and might be mad at you. Directors, with good reason, HATE stage parents. IF it is possible for your son to speak with the director, that would be preferable.

One more possibility–if you are hesitant to make an appointment with the director, ask if you can speak with the Production Stage Manager. This person’s job is to help make the director’s artistic vision a reality. The stage manager is also the liason between the director and the actors. If the stage manager is a good one (not just an actor who didn’t get a part and agreed to manage the stage as a “consolation prize”), he/she will speak with you and share the director’s artistic vision with you. He/she will also give you a good idea whether the director is temperamental and hard to work with, or a devout Christian who prays with the cast before every rehearsal, or something in-between. Make friends with your stage manager!

(Note: my daughter is a professional stage manager!)

Break a leg!

 

[Publisher]

Are you familar with the musical Godspell? What do you think of it? Is it Christian or do you think it mocks the Gospel? I’ve never seen it, but my teenage son wants to audition for it. Your thoughts?

I absolutely love Godspell. The first time I heard about it I was a teen…the religious community I attended at the time was DEAD SET AGAINST IT…they were extremely conservative evangelical.

After I became a Friend, the Meeting I attended went to a school production of Godspell…I was very nervous about seeing it…still had that “conservative” bend to me…it was one of the most joyful presentations of the gospel I have ever witnessed.

The last song “Long Live God”…was so moving…there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as the “disciples” took Jesus off the chain link fence and carried him through the audience to the rear of the auditorium…then the tempo changed very upbeat and joyous as the disciples danced back through the audience…as a “shadow” of a risen Christ was spotlighted on the back wall of the stage with a big “S” emblem…lots of clapping and shouting.

I highly recommend the play…the movie is very good as well.

 

[Publisher]

Well, I don’t often reant movies, and now I know to skip this one, thanx.

No resurrection sequence in the original GS script? So it ends with him ‘dying’ in the shadows? That would be depressing beyond belief. I doubt it would play well.

ICXC NIKA

The end of the movie has the disciples carrying the body down a street in New York…they turn the corner…and as the camera itself goes around the corner…the crowd of humanity meets them and has swallowed up the disciples…the music picks up to a joyous note…Christ is now present among the people he came to redeem…is how I viewed it.

 

[sweetcharity]

Deleting my comment as a duplicate of what someone else said.

But to add to the conversation. I liked the movie. It can be watched on Youtube.

I find the discussion about the resurrection, to be interesting. In the movie, Jesus is carried around a corner. When the camera shows what is around the corner, it shows a large crowd of people getting on with their lives.

Maybe Jesus is somewhere in that crowd and we are just don’t see him?