This Sunday, we look to Broadway for what you might enjoy hearing at your house of worship. And I will start with some lovely music from Stephen Schwartz.I will start with "Beautiful City/Bless The Lord" from 'Godspell'. The show debuted off-Broadway in 1971, and was met with great support. The show began as a masters thesis project for John-Michael Tebelak, grew into something much larger, and by 1976 have moved to Broadway, and just about everywhere on earth. This is the cast of the 2011 revival appearing on 'The Rosie Show' starring Rosie O'Donnell.
Our next show has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a charming book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It debuted on Broadway in 1950, and a movie adaptation was released in 1955. It has be played all around the world in the 62 years since it hit the stage. The show is 'Guys and Dolls', and the song is "Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat". This clip is from the movie version, and in the beginning you can catch a young Frank Sinatra.
Composer Stephen Schwartz has quite the healthy resume, although any time a list of shows can include the likes of Godspell, Pippin and Wicked, you are pretty much given the royalty card on Broadway. However, he recently concluded another collaboration, one that is very important, and so very moving. He wrote the music for the San Fransisco Gay Men's Chorus, and worked with Dan Savage to compile the words from many of the It's Gets Better project videos, and made a truly heartfelt and moving piece that was given a world premiere by the talented men of the San Fransisco Gay Men's Chorus. It is called Testimony, capturing the feelings of disenchantment and despair, as well the feelings of joy and self-acceptance one feels when they come through the other side, when if finally does start to get better.
Not only is it wonderful to hear those words set to music, it is also great to see the tapestry of faces who sing them, a great cross-section of the community. The lyrics are:
I don’t want to be like this. I don’t want to be who I am. Every day that I don’t change I blame myself. I am not trying hard enough.
I don’t want to be how I am. When they find out, no one will love me, I’ll lose my family and all of my friends. I’m trapped like a fish with a hook in its mouth.
I am impersonating the person I show as me. I am an imposter. I am a spy behind enemy lines. I pack my feelings so deep inside me, they turn to concrete.
Every night I ask God to end my life. I am an abomination. God, take this away or take me away.
Today, I’m going to hang myself. I’m trapped. Today, I’m going to slit my wrists. I’m stuck. Today, I’m going to jump off my building.
Take me away. Take me away. Take me away.
Hang in. Hang on. Wait just a little longer.
I know it now, I know it now. If I had made myself not exist, there is so much I would have missed.
I would have missed so many travels and adventures, more wonders than I knew could be.
So many friends with jokes and secrets not to mention, the joy of living in authenticity.
Sometimes I cry, life can still be hard, but there’s no part of me still crying “Hide me.”
I would have missed the chance to sing out like this with people I love beside me.
I have been brave. I grew, and so did those around me. And now look what a life I’ve earned.
It gets more than better. It gets amazing and astounding.
If I could reach my past, I’d tell him what I’ve learned. I was more loved than I dared to know. There were open arms I could not see.
And when I die and when it’s my time to go, I want to come back as me.
I want to come back as me.
You can purchase the song from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus online store by clicking here. You can purchase the single for download, offer a donation to the chorus, or order any number of other musical selections.
On Good Friday, I posted some clips of Broadway/Hollywood's depictions of Jesus being put to the cross, as he was on Good Friday. For tonight, I thought I would offer up some of the very beautiful music that went in two of those movies, music that was not quite as heavy as, well, watching God's son die. Godspell was released in March of 1973, based on a Broadway musical. The show and movie open with John The Baptist calling to the flock to be baptized in preparation of the arrival of a savior. He is played by David Haskell, who sings Prepare Ye.
The Broadway show cast singers/actors who were not well-known in the business, something also done for the movie. A young woman by the name of Robin Lamont sang the song everybody knows from this show, Day By Day.
Katie Hanley sand the beautiful By My Side, joined by the other disciples for some outrageous harmonies. This depicts when the disciples pledged their devotion to Jesus, and when Judas first turned away.
Now the story and music for Jesus Christ Superstar, released, oddly enough, in the fall of that same year, had a different feel altogether. Where Godspell was folkie and pop, Jesus Christ Superstar was a rock opera, complete with electric guitars and basses. Even the story told is more in-your-face, more earthy. But it also served up it's fair share of pop, especially with the wonderful Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. Mary, of course, was a woman of ill repute with the heart of gold, and a penchant to fall in love with saviors. But first she tries to use her womanly ways to ease his burden, and get Jesus to relax just a bit. She sings about it in Everything's Alright.
Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem, and is greeted at the city limits by large crowds to welcome him, the savior. They laid down palms on the road, giving Jesus a clean and safe path to walk. This later became celebrated as Psalm Sunday, the week prior to Easter. The crowds greet Jesus singing Hosanna.
Well, it never fails, does it? A musical mus come down to love, be it lost love, found love, or unrequited love. It is the latter for Mary Magdalene, as she sings about her 'unexpected' feelings for the savior of mankind in I Don't Know How To Love Him.
As Jesus is put before a court, Pontius Pilate, played by Barry Dennen, wants to know if there is proof he is the son of God, or does he just want to be treated like a savior? For the trial, he drops in like a rock God, with his fringe flying, and sings Superstar.
In the end, he finds Jesus guilty, and orders him to be crucified outside of the city. Something both of these stories have in common? Neither ends well for the son of God.
Steven Schwartz and company updated the crucifixion of Jesus by placing it in a schoolyard, and by making the son of God and his disciples the children of hippies. The outdated mode of torture, the crucifix, was replaced by the chain-link fence. And fluffy hair ruled the day. But again, since it is Good Friday, another depiction of Jesus on this day a in the Middle-East, or maybe Brooklyn.
In keeping with the holiday theme for an extra day, in 1971 the musical Godspell opened off-Broadway. It was developed as a Masters thesis project at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. The storyline was a series of parables found in the Bible, found in the Gospel. In fact, Godspell is the Anglo-Saxon word for Gospel. The show also used lyrics from some Episcopal hymns. The production also utilized modern pop music to bring the message a more current feel.
The first production in New York was at LaMaMa Eperimental Theater Company in Greenwich Village. Music for the production was written by recent CMU alum Stephen Schwartz. The show was a success, and eventually moved to the Cherry Lane Theater [still off-Broadway] before finally making it to Broadway in 1976. And in 1973, a film version was made, supplying the video for this post. The film starred Victor Garber as Jesus. The show quickly made an impact on pop culture, as the song Day By Day from the original Cast Album made it to #13 on the Billboard Pop Chart.
Prepare Ye (The Way Of The Lord) & God Save The People
By My Side
Day By Day
Beautiful City
Yes, It's All For The Best
All Good Gifts
The show has seen many a performances since, from New York revivals to high school productions all over the world.
