Godspell

One of the biggest off-Broadway and Broadway successes of all time, GODSPELL is based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew. In the Gospel, Jesus Christ preaches through parables and storytelling. The show, which is not built on a traditional plot, utilizes clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics, and vaudeville to tell the story of Christ. A pageant that moves from moment to moment, Godspell is a reflection on the life of Jesus by ten performers who are dressed as clowns.

Featuring a sparkling, seminal score by Stephen Schwartz, GODSPELL boasts a string of recognizable songs, led by the international hit, “Day By Day.” As the cast of actor/clowns makes it way through “Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord,” “Save The People,” “Learn Your Lessons Well,” “Bless The Lord,” “All For The Best,” “All Good Gifts,” “Turn Back, O Man” and “By My Side,” we, as audience members get to see the parables of Jesus Christ come humanly and hearteningly to life.

I have made stars and planets in their courses to go. I have made a moon for the night and a sun to light the day also. I have made earth where trees and grasses spring, Beasts and fowl, both great and small, all thrive and have my liking. I have made all of nothing for man's sustenation And of this pleasant garden that I have mostly goodly planted I will make him gardener for his own recreation.

I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy. For know that this is the command of God; and I believe that no greater good has ever happened in the state than my service to the God. For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, young and old alike, not to take thought for your persons or properties, but first and chiefly to take care about the greatest improvement of the soul. This is my teaching and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, then I am a mischievous person.

(All pick up garbage bags, empty the contents; Herb turns off all PARs, full stage fight, garbage thrown while TOWER OF BABEL is repeated as a fugue. Theme music is heard again, David appears at the back of the house, blows a note on a shofar and sings, Xing down aisle to stage:)

You vipers' brood! Who warned you to escape from the coming retribution? Then prove your repentance by the fruit it bears; and do not presume to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham for our father." I tell you that God can make children for Abraham out of these stones here. Already the ax is laid to the fruit of the trees; and any tree which fails to produce good fruit is cut down thrown on the fire. I baptize you with water, for repentance; but He who comes after me is mightier than I. I am not fit to take off his shoes. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

I tell you this: so long as heaven and earth endure not a letter, not a stroke, will disappear from the Law until all that must happen has happened. If any man, therefore, sets aside even the least of the Law's demands he will have the lowest place in the kingdom of heaven.

You have learned that they were told, "Do not commit murder, anyone who commits murder must be brought to judgment." But what I tell you is this: "Anyone who nurses anger against his brother must be brought to judgment." So, anyone who abuses....

A man was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell in amongst robbers, who beat him, stripped him, and left, leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest came upon the place and saw him and went past to the other side. So, too, a judge came to the place and saw him and went past to the other side.

But, a Samaritan who was making the journey came upon him, and when he saw him, was moved to pity. He went up and bandaged his wounds, bathing them in oil and wine. Then he put him onto his own beast, brought him to an inn, and looked after him there. The next day he produced two pieces of silver and said, "Look after him and if you spend anymore, I will repay you on the way back."

I do! Only so can you be called the Children of your Heavenly Father who makes the sun rise and set on good and bad alike, and sends the rain on the honest and the dishonest. Now if you greet only those who greet you, what reward can you expect? Surely the tax gatherers do as much as that and if you love only those who love you, what is there extraordinary in that? Even the heathen do as much. No, your goodness must know no bounds, just as your heavenly Father's goodness knows no limit.

Remember, my child, that all the good things fell to you while you were on earth and all the bad to Lazarus, and now it is he who has consolation here and it is you who are in agony. Nut that ain't all; there's a great chasm between us and nobody from your side who wants to cross it can, and no one from our side who wants to cross it can... either.

There once was a rich man, whose land yielded heavy crops. He debated with himself: "Oh what am I to do?" he said. "I have not the room to store my produce. Ahh, this is what I will do," he said. "I will tear down my storehouses and make them bigger. I will collect in the all my corn and popcorn and tuna surprise, and M&Ms, and then I will say to myself, 'Man, you have a plenty of good things laid by you, enough to last you many years. Take life easy. Eat. Drink. Enjoy yourself.' But, then God said to the man, "You fool, this very night you must surrender your life. You have made your money. Who will get it now?"

(Percussion plays three rim-shots; on third rim-shot cane appears in Stephen's right hand. Percussion plays another three rim-shots, David attempts to produce a cane, can't; Stephen hits David's hand with his cane, percussion plays third rim-shot. David and Stephen move DSC with canes and sing their verses simultaneously while dancing a soft shoe. At the end of this verse planks are disassembled. All join the dance while Stephen and David deliver the following joke DSC.)

(Stephen catches Gilmer as she falls. Gilmer stands up, does a take to Stephen and begins singing JESUS LOVES ME. She is joined by the others. This is a transition in which all form a straight line US, squirming like children in a school play. This attitude continues throughout the following parable, including the song ALL GOOD GIFTS. Stephen quiets the others who are still singing JESUS LOVES ME. Peggy Xs DSR; Stephen redirects her DSC. She does a stage fright bit in which she holds a take to the audience, becomes terrified, and runs to Stephen, who brings her back DS and starts her off on the following parable.)

So don't store your treasure on earth, where it grows rusty and moth-eaten, and thieves break in to steal it. No, store up your treasure in heaven, where there is no moth and no rust and no thief breaks in to steal it. For where your treasure is, so will your heart be also.

Once upon a time there was a man who had two sons and the younger said to his father: "Father, give me my share of the property." So, he divided his estate between them. A few days later the younger son turned the whole of his share into cash and left home for a distant country, where he squandered it in reckless living. He had spent it all, when a severe famine fell upon the country and he began to feel the pinch. (Ouch!) So he decided to attach himself to one of the local landowners who sent him to the field to mind the pigs.

He would have been glad to have filled his belly with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father's paid servants have more food than they can eat, and here I am starving to death. I will set off and I will go to my father and I will say to him: "Father, I have sinned against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants." So he set out for his father's house, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart went out to him. (Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.) The son ran to meet his father, threw his arms around him, and kissed him, saying: "Father, I have sinned against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants. But the father called to one of his servants (Whistle. Narrator affects Yiddish accent.) "Kvick, fetch me my robe, my best one, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet and bring the fatted calf and kill it - a nice Kosher vun - and let us have a veast to celebrate the day, for this son of mine was lost and is found." And the festivities began.

And on his way back, as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called to one of the servants and asked him what it meant. The servant said: "Uh, uh, uh, your nephew - nope, nope, nope, your brother-in-law, nope, nope, nope - your cousin - your brother, your, your brother's come back home again and your father's killed the fatted calf cause he has him back safe and sound, yup, yup, yup!" But the brother was irritated.

He was pretty damned mad! And refused to go in the house. The father came out and pleaded with him but he retorted, saying: "You know how I've worked for you all these years and I never once disobeyed your orders and you never gave me so much as a kid for a feast with my friends, but once this son of yours turns up, after running through your money with his women you kill the fatted calf for him." "My boy," said the father, "you are always with me and everything I have his yours. Now, how could we help but celebrate this happy day, for your brother here was dead and has come back to life - metaphorically speaking - was lost and is found."

We're gonna take a little ten minute break now, but in the mean time, we'd like to invite you all up on the stage or in the house for a little wine; go out in the lobby, smoke a cigarette, get some fresh air. We'll be back in ten minutes and thank you all very much for coming.

(Lamar accompanies himself on piano, song is sung from band platform while others set the stage for Act II. All enter at random during first verse of song; Peggy turns out PARs, Gilmer sweeps up garbage, finds broom and wig block, sets them aside, David and Joanne tear off sheets of aluminum foil which they wrap around Robin, Herb, and Jeffrey in preparation for the Pharisee scene.)

(Song ends, Lamar is applauded by all, takes bow and leaves band platform; Music cue: TURN BACK, O MAN. Sonia, hidden, waves pink scarf from back of house, appears at back of house. General exclamations on-stage referring to Sonia's entrance. She vamps her way down the aisle singing:)

He went to the first, and said, "My son, go and work in the vineyard today." "I will go," said the boy; but he never went. Then the father said to the second, "Now go my son, go and work in the vineyard today." "I will not go," said the son, but later on he changed his mind and went.

And I tell you this; tax gatherers and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven, because when John came and showed you the right way to live, you didn't believe him but the tax gatherers and the prostitutes did, and even when you saw that you did not change your minds and follow him.

Thou shalt love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul. This is the greatest commandment of them all and the second is like it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. All the rest of the law, and all the prophets have written, is based on these first two.

The doctors of the law and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses, therefore listen to what they say, pay attention to their words, but do not follow their practices. For they say one thing and do another. They make up heavy packs and pile them on men's shoulders and they don't raise a finger to lift the load themselves. Everything they do is done for show. Oh, they go about wearing broad phylacteries with large tassels on their robes. They like to have their places of honor at feasts and at the synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the streets and to be called 'teacher.'

But, take care that no one misleads you for many will come claiming my name and saying, "I am the Messiah!", and many will be mislead by them, for the time is coming when you will hear the noise of battle near at hand. For nation will make war upon nation, kingdom upon kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes in many places but with all these things the birthpangs of a new age begin.

The man charged by his master to take care of his servants and pay them at the proper time. Well, happy is that servant who is at his job when his master comes, for I tell you, he will be out in charge of all his master's property. But, what of the bad servant who sits around saying, "Oh well, the master is a long time coming," and he begins bullying the servants and eating and drinking with his drunken friends. I tell you this, the master will come on a day when he does not know at a time he least expects and will cut him to pieces. Then he'll take his place among the hypocrites...

Now, when the Son of Man comes in all his glory with all his angels with him, he will sit in state on his throne with all the nations gathered before him and he will separate the men into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep (indicating division) - Whoops!... - from the goats - Baah!... - and then he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left...

... to the eternal fire, that has been ready for you with the devil and his angels, for when I was hungry you didn't give me anything to eat, when I was thirsty you didn't give me anything to drink, when I was naked and without a home, you didn't take me to your house, and when I was ill and in prison, you didn't come to my aid. And then they will say to him:

(DAY BY DAY reprise; all finish WE BESEECH THEE in place for the Last Supper. David gets Albolene, Kleenex, and mirror, hands mirror to Stephen who holds it up to each face, to show them how make-up looks. They pass Kleenex and Albolene and remove make-up; song, and make-up removal end with Stephen's line:)

(Music cue: ON THE WILLOWS. From the Last Supper formation all form circle; Stephen bids farewell to each in pantomime, beginning at one o'clock with Herb. The order follows as: Jeffrey, Joanne, Gilmer, Robin, Sonia, Lamar, Peggy. The following lines are underscored with ON THE WILLOWS:)

(Full stage freeze as all return to their places; with rhythmic breathing, door slam, all sit up as though awoken. David enters from back of house. All watch him. He attempts to approach Christ, tries to leave, finds himself walled in on three sides but the path to Christ is open. He and Stephen embrace, then sit up.)

(Stephen kisses David on both cheeks, pause, David blows shrill blast on police whistle, rolls up sleeves, stands above Stephen, arms outstretched, raises his eyes to heaven, and grabs Stephen. Stage is flooded in white light, all rush to fence. Herb pantomimes sword and raises it.)