Godspell, the Musical
An abundance of nostalgia inspired me to buy this ticket to “Godspell,” a show I thought was under-appreciated. “Jesus Christ Superstar” drew far more acclaim, and perhaps rightfully so, but the more low-key sounds of “Godspell” lingered in my mind since childhood. I believe it is the first staged musical I ever saw. I was in grade school when my sister’s high school drama club under the direction of a Mrs. Pratt (man, it’s crazy the details you remember) performed this show. I feel like I saw that school production of “Godspell” 40 times, though it was certainly far less than that.
Rather than attending this Broadway revival production I should have simply watched the movie version of this show. The production annoyed me, not least because of the audience participation element. Oh, how I loath performances of any stripe that rely on audience participation.
Another anxiety-inducing feature of this show was the way one of the cast members looked so much like an ex-gf of mine that it was eerie. The resemblance traced itself all the way down to the fat parts of her body — and I say that with no derision or judgmental commentary, for the heated day of the spotlight exaggerates physical imperfections of any stage actor. It’s just that even the veins on her legs and the fatty stuff under her eyes were shockingly familiar to me.
I combed the Playbill for details about that woman, to be sure it really was not her — there was the remotest of remote chances that this ex could have transitioned her career to the Broadway stage — but there seemed to be no possibility. Playbill bios are often filled with fantasy (as was my ex’s public biography) so I read the summary information like a cryptogram cracker, looking for clues that would connect this woman to my ex. But there was none.
The resemblance was scary at first, but amusing in the end.
I left the show early. The production was giving me nervous tics and the mood was too contemporary. I don’t mind bringing current cultural references and sounds into old shows, but for my tastes this went too far. “Godspell” is a hippy, not a hipster show.
A few nights later I watched the DVD of the 1970s-era film version of the show. As I said, I should have just done that and skipped the Broadway revival. The show itself did not live up to my vaunted memories, memories which I know are tinged by childhood nostalgia more than any substantive influence the show had over me.
One thing about the movie surprised me: some of it was filmed on Randall’s Island. I did not know of that. I have been in the areas where scenes from “The French Connection” were filmed.
A depressing scene passed me by: for a few moments in the film the cast dances and prances and skips-to-ma-lou atop the World Trade Center. It made me sad. Those mighty towers were more than just blunt icons of capitalism. Even in their ugliness they were aspirational, and inspirational, at least among creative artists. To see a moment of joy at the top of the Twin Towers makes the vulgarity of what brought them down so much more brutal.
I had a feeling of dread as that scene began, with that unique view to the Empire State Building as it could only have looked from the top of those Towers. At first you didn’t see where the scene was set, but anyone familiar with that view knows there was none other like it. As some cynics have iterated: the best view of the Twin Towers was from the Observation Deck.
After that scene I decided to watch, for the 4th time, “Man On Wire.” My feelings about that film and its players are mixed, but the beauty of the dance is unassailable.
