Godspell
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Godspell is a musical based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by John Michael Tebelak.
Following closely on the heels of the similarly-themed Jesus Christ Superstar, it opened off-Broadway on May 15 1971 and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since. Several cast albums have been released over the years; the most well-known song from the musical is "Day By Day" which was a top 10 hit in the summer of 1971.
The show was originally produced as a masters thesis project at Carnegie-Mellon University, but Stephen Schwartz added songs for the commercial opening. The form of Godspell closely follows the Episcopal communion service, and in the university premiere, all its songs except "By My Side" were from the Episcopal Hymnal.
The presentation of the story is typically not entirely realistic, and productions of the musical often set it in places and times other than the obvious (one notable production was set in a circus).
A film version of the musical was released in 1973, set in modern New York, and featuring Victor Garber as Jesus, and Lynne Thigpen in her first film role. One filming location was the roof of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.
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Trivia
- Godspel is the archaic Old English spelling of the word "gospel" and literally means good news.
- Holly Sherwood recorded a version of Day By Day which became a hit on the Billboard chart.
Songs
Act 1
- Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord
- Save the People
- Day by Day
- Learn the Lessons Well
- Bless the Lord
- All for the Best
- All Good Gifts
- Light of the World
Act 2
- Turn Back, O Man
- Alas for You
- By My Side
- We Beseech Thee
- On the Willows
- Finale
- Day by Day (Reprise)
External links
- Godspell at musicalswartz.com (http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell.htm)
- IMDb entry for the 1973 film version (http://imdb.com/title/tt0070121/)
- Origin of Godspell (http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Lobby/4209/origin.html)
- The ULTIMATE source for Godspell information (http://www.godspellpage.com)
- Toronto's Legendary Production of Godspell (http://www.godspell.ca/)