History Theatre / Godspell

''Godspell'' is a musical rendition of [[Literature/TheFourGospels the Christian Gospel]]--primarily the book of Matthew but also some selections from Luke and one from John--with a contemporary soundtrack and aesthetic. It was created by John-Michael Tebelak, who wrote it as his master's thesis at Carnegie Mellon University, but after its (successful) debut, its producers hired an up-and-coming composer named Creator/StephenSchwartz to rework the music. It was Schwartz' second break-out success (after ''Theatre/{{Pippin}}'', which he worked on alongside Creator/BobFosse), winning him two Grammys and paving the way for further successes, such as some of the Creator/DreamWorks cartoons, the movie ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', and the musical ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''.

* {{Bishonen}}: In the 2011 revival, Jesus was played by [[http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/11/06/arts/06GODSPELL1/06GODSPELL1-articleLarge.jpg Hunter]] [[http://www.manhairstyles.net/resimler/hunter-parrish-0.jpg freaking]] [[http://www.iballer.com/malecelebs/parrish_hunter/images/hunter_parrish_6_jpg.jpg Parrish]].

* BadassBaritone: John/Judas as compared to {{TenorBoy}}s Jesus, Jeffrey, and Lamar (Herb barely sings at all unless other cast members' lines in Light of the World are reassigned to him).

%%* BSODSong: "Alas for You". Jesus is ''not'' a happy camper.

%%* DarkReprise: "All for the Best"

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: The slapstick fight.

It was released the year after the ''other'' [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative 70's-rock-musical-about-Jesus]] ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'', and definitely benefited from the resultant hype; furthermore, it lacked the DarkerAndEdgier quality that put a lot of Christians off the Creator/AndrewLloydWebber offering (if anything, ''Godspell'' is LighterAndSofter than the way the Bible is preached in many churches!). One of its songs, "Day by Day," was released as a single and achieved some success that way; it's toured about a gazillion times; there are a number of cast recordings out; [[Film/{{Godspell}} and there was a movie in 1973]].

* {{Filk}}: InvertedTrope. Most filk songs set new lyrics to someone else's melody; Schwartz took ''lyrics'' from a hymnal and wrote new music.

The musical mostly uses lyrics from pre-existing Episcopal hymns, but with completely new melodies composed by Schwartz (plus one song from a fellow student of Tebelak and member of the original cast); it also showcases many of the more famous parables from the Gospels. The story is told in a light-hearted, almost vaudevillean style; indeed, in the original stage production and TheMovie version, the characters dressed up as clowns, symbolizing their conversion. From a production standpoint, it can be run with a ''very'' small cast (four or five instrumentalists and ten actors), and the stage directions are quite vague: each production is advised to come up with their own settings, costumes and contexts for the show, and ad-libbing and audience participation are encouraged. Long story short: this is an easy production for theatres of any size, quality and shape to take and make their own (which is part of why it's been financially successful). Finally, it isn't particularly preachy, which helps keep it accessible to all audiences.

It was released the year after the ''other'' [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative 70's-rock-musical-about-Jesus]] ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'', and definitely benefited from the resultant hype; furthermore, it lacked the DarkerAndEdgier quality that put a lot of Christians off the Creator/AndrewLloydWebber offering (if anything, ''Godspell'' is LighterAndSofter than the way the Bible is preached in many churches!). One of its songs, ''Day By Day'', was released as a single and achieved some success that way; it's toured about a gazillion times; there are a number of cast recordings out; [[Film/{{Godspell}} and there was a movie in 1973]].

* MovieBonusSong: "Beautiful City"

* BSODSong: "Alas for You". Jesus is ''not'' a happy camper.

* CompositeCharacter: The actor who represents Judas also takes on the John the Baptist role, in contrast to the other apostles who take on various philosophers who this trope also applies to. It also sets him up as Jesus' Lancer, who assists him with his teaching while still learning himself [[spoiler: which makes his eventual betrayal all the more painful for the both of them]]. Of course some people get confused or desperate for parts and either treat them as two separate characters or have them played by different actors, which is CompletelyMissingThePoint.

* DarkReprise: "All for the Best"

* TheJester: Jesus is interpreted as one of these, teaching his message through humor and clowning. The others get in on the act, and he paints their faces to mark them as his followers.
** In some productions, the face painting is replaced with tokens such as flower pins, friendship bracelets, or bandanas.

* MovieBonusSong: "Beautiful City"
* [[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents Noo Yawk]]: It's ''specifically'' written that Abraham speak with a heavy Brooklyn accent.

* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: All the songs, and maybe the entire play.

* BreakawayPopHit: Of all the songs, "Day By Day" was the one that had mainstream success.

.* BreakawayPopHit: Of all the songs, "Day By Day" was the one that had mainstream success.

In 2011, a revival opened on Broadway starring [[Series/{{Weeds}} Hunter]] [[Theatre/SpringAwakening Parrish]], [[Theatre/{{Grease}} Lindsay Mendez]], [[Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack Uzo Aduba]], [[Series/HannahMontana Anna Maria]] [[Film/CampRock Perez de Taglé]], and more (with [[Film/{{HighSchoolMusical}} Corbin Bleu]] eventually replacing Parrish).

** The production after ''All for the Best'' becomes increasingly more serious. ''Alas for You'' marks the end of all buffoonery in the production, and takes a markedly darker tone.

* TriumphantReprise: "Prepare Ye/Day by Day".

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "Alas For You".

** In some productions, the face painting is replaced with tokens such as flower pins or friendship bracelets.

* GospelRevivalNumber: A lot. "Day By Day", "Bless the Lord", "Light of the World", "Beautiful City", and "We Beseech Thee" all go gospel. I mean... what would you expect?

* GospelRevivalNumber: A lot. "Day By Day", "Bless the Lord", "Light of the World", "Beautiful City", and "We Beseech Thee" all go gospel.

--> JUDAS: But who is the land for, the sun and the sand for? You guessed! It's all for the best!

The musical mostly uses lyrics from pre-existing Episcopal hymns, but with completely new melodies composed by Schwartz (plus one song from a fellow student of Tebelak and member of the original cast); it also showcases many of the more famous parables from the Gospels. The story is told in a light-hearted, almost vaudevillean style; indeed, in the original stage production and TheMovie version, the characters dressed up as clowns, symbolizing their conversion. From a production standpoint, it can be run with a ''very'' small cast (four or five instrumentalists and ten actors), and the stage direction quite vague: each production is advised to come up with their own settings, costumes and contexts for the show, and ad libbing and audience participation is encouraged. Long story short: this is an easy production for theatres of any size, quality and shape to take and make their own (which is part of why it's been financially successful). Finally, it isn't particularly preachy, which helps keep it accessible to all audiences.

It was released the year after the ''other'' 70's-rock-musical-about-Jesus ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'', and definitely benefited from the resultant hype; furthermore, it lacked the DarkerAndEdgier quality that put a lot of Christians off the Creator/AndrewLloydWebber offering (if anything, ''Godspell'' is LighterAndSofter than the way the Bible is preached in many churches!). One of its songs, ''Day By Day'', was released as a single and achieved some success that way; it's toured about a gazillion times; there are a number of cast recordings out; [[Film/{{Godspell}} and there was a movie in 1973]].