Production History Godspell is a rock 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 offBroadway on May 17, 1971. One of its songs, “Day By Day” from the original cast album, reached No. 13 on the Billboard pop singles chart in the summer of 1972.
John-Michael Tebelak, a student director who had once thought of becoming an Episcopal minister, created the show. Tebelak had attended an Easter service and was struck by the lack of joy and celebration in the service as well as by the personal hostility he felt from some of his fellow churchgoers because of his youth and long hair. Also struck by the number of similarities between a religious service and theatre, he created the show for his masters thesis in theater at Carnegie Mellon University. After graduation, the show moved to New York City to the famed Cafe La Mama. Interested producers brought in Stephen Schwartz to write additional music and new lyrics. The show opened May 17, 1971 and became one of the longest-running off-Broadway musicals before moving to Broadway in June 1976. It won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Original Score and several Drama Desk Awards.
Faces in the Toronto Cast
A film version of the musical was released in 1973, set in modern New York and starring a young Victor Garber, the father on Alias, as Jesus (the role had been Garber’s big break in his native Canada.) Godspell has remained an important part of the modern musical theatre vocabulary because of its versatility. The original production 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, or in an abandoned theatre. This show can occur anywhere. Although Godspell has been produced in many cities around the world, the Toronto production in 1972 had a large effect on the entertainment world. The Toronto cast, drawn entirely from local performers ran for what was then a record of 488 performances and provided the first acting job for several performers in addition to Garber. Eugene Levy (of American Pie), Andrea Martin (Kim Possible and a voice in Jimmy Neutron,) Gilda Radner (Saturday Night Live) and Martin Short rounded out the cast. Radner came to the attention of producer Lorne Michaels during the production and three years later, became the first cast member hired for the groundbreaking television comedy show Saturday Night Live. Levy, Martin and Short went on to join the Toronto improvisational comedy group Second City. Another person to establish his reputation in the show was its musical director Paul Shaffer, who would join and Radner on Saturday Night Live and later become the musical director for her one-woman Broadway show and of The Late Show, starring David Letterman.
The Rise of the Rock Musical (Arguably Born: 1960 - Bye Bye Birdie) Jesus Christ Superstar
Hair
Grease and Pippin
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1975 The Who’s
Tommy (album)
Godspell
The Who’s
Tommy
Educational Outreach
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The Wiz and
24
(film)
Information courtesy of www.musicalschwartz.com Photos (from top:) Victor Garber (tv.yahoo.com); Eugene Levy (movies.about.com); Gilda Radner (jwa.org); Martin Short (weta.org.)