The Godspell Experience: Inside a Transformative Musical

by Carol de Giere

For Tebelak, Harvey Cox's book, The Feast of Fools, helped him justify his feelings that good cheer is spiritually appropriate. He commented in a published interview, "The Feast of Fools says we can not only revere Christ but we can also have fun with Him. Too often we have locked Him into this face of agony that He experienced only within the last few hours of his life, thus wiping out the thirty-three years of his life when He spread happiness around Him."

"John-Michael was very clear that [in the context of the musical] nobody had ideas but Jesus. Jesus set things in motion. He would announce a parable and they would all spring into action. He would put the first dab of makeup on somebody's face and everybody else would go 'Ohhh, that's a good idea.' And we would turn and decorate our assigned cast member."

Godspell's Jesus can also be described as a teacher. He inspires those around him by expressing universal principles.

"John-Michael conceived it as philosophers standing on a world stage, each articulating a belief in God, which then erupted into a literal war of words."

He believes the musical only makes sense dramaturgically with the "Prologue" included. "Since the show is about the formation of a community, the 'Prologue' is the audience's only chance to see how the disciples-to-be function (or dysfunction, if you will) BEFORE they start to become a community—the obdurate clinging to dogmatic philosophies, the inability to cooperate or admit other points of view, the descent into violence, the loneliness and despair, etc. (If this sounds rather like contemporary America, it's not coincidental.) Without the 'Prologue,' what is their problem to be solved?"

Just as The Wizard of Oz movie begins with Kansas farm scenes in black and white, so would Godspell begin in black and white and suddenly switch into vibrant color, like the color Dorothy discovers as she steps into Oz.

Schwartz explains that he wrote the music of "Save the People" to follow the Jesus character's emotional arc: "The first verse is just guitar accompanying him and then it grows a little bit, but it's still very acoustic. Then when he starts becoming more of a charismatic figure who is going to draw people to him, the music becomes more electric pop. Suddenly, he picks up the microphone and starts singing into it."

What did Jesus want? To protect the ordinary people he had gathered around him; for God to save them from despair and all the problems that come from lack of love. And that sets up the rest of the action of Godspell.

took a wonderful musical theater class once where the teacher told us the idea for breaking into song is when words aren't enough anymore. So the song bursts out of feelings that are bigger than words. Stephen created that moment for each one of us. It was a way for each clown to go, 'Oh, I get it.'"

"Day by Day" was a turning point—the audience's heart was fully captured and everyone relaxed into the performance.

Why include a duet at all at this point in the show? Schwartz remembers suggesting to John-Michael Tebelak that Jesus and Judas needed to connect emotionally in order to make the show work dramatically. He knew that having Jesus and Judas perform a piece like this together would layer in a message about their relationship, and be funny to boot.

Leading up to the song, Jesus has offered uplifting spiritual messages in the Beatitudes. Then Judas darkens the mood with a line from Matthew 5:11 that presages traumatic times to come: Blessed are you, when all men shall revile you and persecute you…. Schwartz comments, "It is too soon for the other disciples to know this, so Jesus lightens the mood again and distracts them with his soft-shoe routine."

Schwartz describes this as Judas' cynical counterpoint. Only those who are "the best" in society's view get the good life.

In Salazar's mind the "you" in "You are the light of the world" was the audience. "The audience had watched us perform the lessons and parables, and at that point we were able to turn it around and say you're all with us on this journey."

For Salazar, as for other actors, the message of this song and other parts of the show impacted his life. "You can't say these words, you can't sing these songs, and you can't tell these stories and not be affected by them. Through doing Godspell I realized the themes are universal: be respectful to your fellow man, lend a helping hand, be a light in the world, and be a source of light for other people… My life has been better for

Schwartz intended the song to "serve as sort of movie-like scoring to the action," which is why it is usually sung by the band rather than by the cast while they are involved in the transitional moment with their leader.

Schwartz describes the song's mood as melancholy and wistful. "'On the Willows' is a song about loss, both in the original psalm and here," he explains. "In Godspell the group is losing their leader—this person that they all love, so it's a song of advanced mourning."

"It basically says what the show is saying. These people who came from all different corners are now all together. It really does sum it up. And I think it does so really eloquently in that musical moment."

However, he decided to rewrite the lyrics years later when someone organized a one-night benefit production of Godspell in South Central Los Angeles. It was shortly after the 1991 Rodney King riots. Schwartz remembers, "I suggested that I rewrite the words, because I felt I could come up with something more appropriate for this particular situation."

The revised lines, influenced by the aftermath of the riots in L.A., reflected a more thoughtful, practical approach to rebuilding community spirit in contemporary society. At the same time, they suggested metaphorical construction, or reconstruction, of community spirit, as was the case for the followers of Jesus in Godspell.

The show attracted audiences of all ages and types, and seemed to serve as an antidote to some of the turmoil of the Watergate era.

It was a time when the so-called "generation gap" caused confusion and lack of trust between young people and older adults.

"I want this to be two hours that the audience gets so drenched and embraced by love and joy that they walk out of here transformed, on whatever level. It doesn't necessarily have to be religiously, but on some level they walk out of here transformed."

this musical can help people change their emotional priorities and adopt a new outlook on their lives.

Peggy Gordon suggests that the childlike innocence of clowns impacts the audience in a reciprocal way. A childlike performance moves them into a more profound state of vulnerable receptivity. That is, when they set aside their adult mindset and become more like innocent children themselves, they might be more readily transformed or uplifted by the content of the show. In her words, they might receive "spiritual sustenance that only their vulnerable receptivity would allow them to experience."

When performers joyfully create and support each other's efforts during rehearsals, the benefit of their positive experience is palpable.

It came at a time when people needed to hear those words. Sometimes the whole stage would be filled with light. People left transformed; they left changed. It not only did what theatre should do, which is transform you so you're different when you come out,