First things first, it’s a metaphor y'all.
Yes, we know this show raises eyebrows because the principal characters are the Judeo Christian characters; Jesus, Judas and a bunch of their friends and well, they sit down together at the end of the play and share a last meal. A brutal betrayal breaks hearts. We know this imagery is loaded. We also know that people have very strong opinions about what the play Godspell means in the eyes of its authors and what the production means in a New York City Public School.
So right from the gate, in the words of composer Stephen Schwartz “Above all… Godspell must be about the formation of a community… And when Jesus is taken… at the end, the rest of the company remain… ready and able to carry forth the lessons they have learned.” To me, our Godspell is a production about the consequences of devaluing the arts in schools. The metaphor heavy handed? Perhaps. But the thesis is quite simple; students denied access to their creative spirit will suffer. And for those of us who’ve spent our lives fostering community across many disciplines, we can only hope we’ve poured just enough fight into our charges that they keep fighting to build the “Beautiful City” without us. Young people need the arts to survive. The world needs the arts to survive. Period. End of sentence. Full Stop. Fight me.
Godspell was my first professional acting gig. A very nice fellow thought my teenager self was qualified to cover the female tracks in the show in a company of professional adults. Funnily enough the tenor had to leave the show and I ended up playing the roles shared by Milo, Luca and Gabe. It tracks. I was a ridiculous teenager. Cartoon voices. Physical comedy. The most fun I’ve EVER had on stage was singing “The Light of the World” in Godspell.
When I moved to Boston for college, I was devastated to find the music and theatre departments as isolated from each other as if on two different planets. I felt myself split in two. I bridged the gap, helping my voice teacher teach opera students how to act, helping my acting friends embrace that there is a simple physiological truth - if you can speak you can sing.
I also helped found a small on campus musical theatre company “On Broadway” with an inaugural production of you guessed it —- Godspell. That time I played the role Carolyn and Georgia share. A little bossy, a little sassy, a little sweet. On Broadway at Boston University still exists! Oh, and there is a proper Musical Theatre Major now.
When Harry Streep persuaded me help start a theatre company at a small school in a garage on 61st street, the job offer came with a promise from founding Beacon Principal Steve Stoll, “You will cast students from all over the city and of all cultures and backgrounds in every play” and I replied, “I’m offended that you feel you had to say that, Sir”. He smiled and finished, “And you will never, ever, do Godspell!”
