The Pharisees try to bait him, but Jesus sees through their schemes and hypocrisy. The story takes a somber turn when Jesus encounters the authorities. While one or two lines may raise some eyebrows (including mine), the solo showcases Jonas’ incredible talent. Her style, resembling Mae West‘s, is supposed to taken entirely as a joke. The words added to the hymn are sassy and suggestive. Joanne Jonas singing “Turn Back, O Man” is a show stopper. Lynne Thigpen gives a hearty rendition of “Bless the Lord,” and young, innocent Merrell Jackson praises God with “All Good Gifts” (James 1: 17). “Day by Day” (sung by Robin Lamont) is not the only song that highlights the intimate relationship the group enjoys with Jesus. The 10 member cast is made up of five men and five women, most of whom sing a solo. In light of 9/11, it is jarring to see the cast singing “All the Best” on top of one of the Twin Towers. Jesus and his followers are filled with joy and frivolity as they parade through empty streets, stop at landmarks (such as Times Square), and sing on rooftops. While the film clips are playing on screen, “Jerry” (played by Jerry Sroka) gives a hilarious impersonation of a cowboy.ĭespite the comical way in which some of the parables are presented, the doctrines of heaven, hell, and the divinity of Christ and his role as the Messiah are not compromised. The most sobering parable is that of the sheep and goats, which stresses that only the true followers of Jesus–the ones with whom he has a relationship–will inherit eternal life. Silent film fans will have fun sorting out which clip belongs to which film. The cast not only uses mime and vaudeville to illustrate the parable, they also use clips from silent films–mostly slapstick. The most engaging parable is the Prodigal Son. As Jesus tells the parables, the cast acts them out through a clownish but clever combination of mime and vaudeville. Much of the film is devoted to the parables. Replacing their city clothes with colorful, hippie-like garb, Jesus’ rag-tag followers listen closely as he teaches them about the importance of the Law of Moses and the commandments from the Sermon on the Mount. All of them leave their jobs and/or activities to follow John the Baptist to the Bethesda Fountain where he baptizes them–and Jesus (played by Victor Garber). Sounding the shofar and shouting “prepare ye the way of the Lord,” he walks through the city appearing supernaturally to eight ordinary people, including a waitress, a taxi driver, a parking attendant, a college student, a window shopper, and a ballet dancer. “John the Baptist” (played by David Haskell, who also plays “Judas”) is a magician. This is not your typical orthodox presentation of the Gospel–far from it but it is the Gospel, nonetheless. If you’re unfamiliar with GODSPELL, but plan to watch the film, be prepared.

The story is based on the Gospel of Matthew. I have never seen the play, but since “Day by Day” is one of my favorite songs, I decided to rent the film and see the story behind the music. GODSPELL was produced as a play in 1971 and as a film in 1973. In GODSPELL, John baptizes Jesus and his followers in New York City’s Bethesda Fountain named after the Pool of Bethesda. These are the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.

Women playing judas in godspell