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Post by starofwonder on Jan 11, 2020 17:27:55 GMT
Godspell is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with the book by John-Michael Tebelak.
The show opened Off-Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has since been produced by multiple touring
companies and in many revivals
Two wonderful songs come to mind... Prepare ye the way of the Lord
and Day by Day ...
But a religious themed musical ... kind of going against the grain of those hedonous days of the 60s and 70s ...... of musicals like Hair etc
Could have been inspired by Jesus Christ Superstar ?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 17:36:29 GMT
Last time i saw Godspell was in the 80's, at the Alex in Birmingham with Alvin Stardust. Yikes.
It's definitely a show of the 70's.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jan 11, 2020 18:10:30 GMT
Great. Thanks
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Post by starofwonder on Jan 11, 2020 18:56:15 GMT
How clever was that... those guys put Godspell together while still
at University.... Carnegie Mellon...
By age 26 Stephen Schwartz had 3 big hit musicals running on Broadway !
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Post by nick on Jan 11, 2020 19:06:18 GMT
I saw one of the 70s revivals in the West End - in 1976. I don't think I've seen any other professional production, only a few amateur ones. I love the music.
I remember that I tried to see the film for years and Channel 5 showed it on their first day of operation. Unfortunately their transmitters weren't very good so I had to make do with a fuzzy VHS recording. Not much of a loss - it's not a very good film. Better than the film version of Hair.
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Post by justafan on Jan 11, 2020 23:31:06 GMT
I remember my late father taking me to see a production of Godspell in the early 70s at Bristol Hippodrome - I wasn’t yet a teenager but I still remember the silence of the audience as the lights went down (no mobiles 👍😀) and then ‘Pip Miller’ started singing ‘Prepare ye ...’ without music from the back of the auditorium and then walked through the audience to the stage - I’m convinced that’s the moment I fell in love with live theatre 😃
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Post by peggysue on Jan 12, 2020 10:01:21 GMT
I saw this back in 1973 with David Essex and Jeremy Irons, then in 1978 with Su Pollard who was great and the last time was on tour in 2007. I absolutely love the music but the film was dire as was the film of Jesus Christ Superstar. Godspell was the first musical I saw and is still one of my favourites
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 12, 2020 11:01:52 GMT
I have hapoy memories of my sister and I dancing to Mum's LP. We would take it in turns to dance and 'do the lighting' ie operate the dimmer switch.
Great songs but this atheist finds it very preachy.
I love the film as its such a guilty pleasure.
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Post by xanady on Jan 12, 2020 13:59:18 GMT
Directed it twice as an am-dram.
Hired a graffiti artist to do the set for me the second time and he wore a mask but didn’t open the dock doors to let any ventilation into the theatre and subsequently the cast nearly died from the toxic fumes when they arrived for the dress rehearsal.
Favourite songs for me are-
All For The Best(ideal for a tap routine)
Alas For You
On The Willows
and a song that is strangely only in the movie called Beautiful City.
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Post by richey on Jan 12, 2020 17:21:35 GMT
Have seen this a few times: one tour where Daniel McPherson and Jonathan Wilkes took turns alternating the roles of Jesus and Judas every night and the last one being a revival with Stephen Gately in the lead.
Coincendentally, the show got a mention on EP's show earlier during her interview with Stephen Schwartz
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 12, 2020 18:54:44 GMT
Godspell is one of my favourite musicals! It was also the first movie I ever saw at the cinema as a kid. I've always preferred it to Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw a local production in my teens that was also excellent. It was a very modern take without a hippy in sight and it worked incredibly well outside of those confines. I also love Beautiful City which was only in the film, great song! Centre Stage are doing the recent Broadway Revival in March if anyone is interested x www.centrestage.london/godspell |
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 12, 2020 19:07:28 GMT
It's not a musical I particularly love, but I 100% agree on the Broadway revival version of Beautiful City, it's gorgeous.
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Post by xanady on Jan 12, 2020 19:28:12 GMT
^Thanks for the info,intoanewlife.
I will definitely be at the Bridewell to see a show with so many good memories.
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Godspell
Jan 12, 2020 20:54:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 20:54:14 GMT
I also love Beautiful City which was only in the film, great song! I don't know much about the history of Godspell, but I did see a UK tour in 1994 with some guy from Neighbours as Jesus, and Beautiful City was in that production. It's also on the cast recording for that tour... castalbums.org/recordings/Godspell-1994-UK-Tour-Cast/2506/I agree, it was one of my favourite songs in the show. Was it written for the film (which I've never seen) and added to future productions? |
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 12, 2020 20:59:44 GMT
Godspell is one of my favourite musicals! I also love Beautiful City which was only in the film, great song! I don't know much about the history of Godspell, but I did see a UK tour in 1994 with some guy from Neighbours as Jesus, and Beautiful City was in that production. It's on the cast recording for that tour... castalbums.org/recordings/Godspell-1994-UK-Tour-Cast/2506/I agree, it was one of my favourite songs in the show. Was it written for the film (which I've never seen) and added to future productions? Yes I believe that's how it went. It was so popular because of the film it was added to later productions. Though in saying that I don't believe it was in the production I saw in the 80's, but that was just a local production in OZ. |
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Post by richey on Jan 12, 2020 21:00:21 GMT
Godspell is one of my favourite musicals! I also love Beautiful City which was only in the film, great song! I don't know much about the history of Godspell, but I did see a UK tour in 1994 with some guy from Neighbours as Jesus, and Beautiful City was in that production. It's on the cast recording for that tour... castalbums.org/recordings/Godspell-1994-UK-Tour-Cast/2506/I agree, it was one of my favourite songs in the show. Was it written for the film (which I've never seen) and added to future productions? That was the tour I mentioned earlier- Daniel McPherson was from Home And Away. He alternated the roles of Judas and Jesus with Jonathan Wilkes. Had a look at the programme for this earlier and didn't see Beautiful City listed in the songs. |
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Godspell
Jan 12, 2020 21:05:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 21:05:02 GMT
I don't know much about the history of Godspell, but I did see a UK tour in 1994 with some guy from Neighbours as Jesus, and Beautiful City was in that production. It's on the cast recording for that tour... castalbums.org/recordings/Godspell-1994-UK-Tour-Cast/2506/I agree, it was one of my favourite songs in the show. Was it written for the film (which I've never seen) and added to future productions? That was the tour I mentioned earlier- Daniel McPherson was from Home And Away. He alternated the roles of Judas and Jesus with Jonathan Wilkes. Had a look at the programme for this earlier and didn't see Beautiful City listed in the songs. I think the Daniel McPherson tour was around 2002. This was in 1994, and it was Felice Arena (I had to check his name) as Jesus, who played Marco Alessi in Neighbours in the early '90s. The link I posted above will give you more info on that production. P.S. Daniel McPherson also played Joel in Neighbours. 😉 |
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Post by starofwonder on Jan 12, 2020 21:06:28 GMT
Everyone keeps mentioning it.... its time we had a listen...
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Godspell
Jan 12, 2020 21:24:09 GMT
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 12, 2020 21:24:09 GMT
Love it. Ramin Karimloo sang it at the concert performance of the show at Cadogan Hall last year and I adored it instantly.
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Post by meister on Jan 18, 2020 14:48:40 GMT
Anyone got a copy of the Music for Pleasure 1972 LP recording? Who was on the cast list for that one? Had one in my childhood which I loved but not available now.
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Godspell
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Post by danb on Jan 18, 2020 16:33:51 GMT
That’s gorgeous.
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Godspell
Jan 26, 2020 14:22:28 GMT
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Post by richey on Jan 26, 2020 14:22:28 GMT
Everyone keeps mentioning it.... its time we had a listen... Elaine Paige must have been paying attention to this thread as she's just played it on today's show |
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Post by horton on Jan 26, 2020 15:29:17 GMT
I'm pretty sure Godspell pre-dates Jesus Christ Superstar from memory.
The OLC is actually better than OBC to my ear.
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Post by starofwonder on Jan 26, 2020 15:41:24 GMT
this mucical could have inspired Andrew and Tim .....
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 26, 2020 16:23:54 GMT
Everyone keeps mentioning it.... its time we had a listen... Interestingly that version is lyrically totally different to the film version. |
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