Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Last night I was assuming the flu position on the couch watching Godspell on cable when I had a somewhat horrifying realisation. I grew up in a strictly non-religious environment (this was not in itself the horrifying realisation, PLEASE BE FUCKING PATIENT), raised by actor parents well-versed in the art of the Broadway musical. I should not, then, have been surprised to discover that EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT RELIGION I LEARNED FROM THE MUSICALS GODSPELL AND JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.
So I guess I've figured out this:
- Jesus wore a Superman outfit with clown shoes
- Judas is always sexier than Jesus
- Caiaphas was a booming baritone
- Bible stories when told in high-pitched, theatre-sports-type voices are no less difficult for a layman to comprehend
- The Last Supper was in the garden of Gethsemane and the apostles got rat-arsed and blamed it inexplicably on the 'bread'
- Jesus was followed constantly by cheery bunch of street performers in rag-tag clothing
- Herod was a waggish wit with a penchant for requesting that Jesus: 'Prove to me that you're no fool/Walk across my swimming pool'
- Mary Magdalene kept trying to get Jesus into bed with torch songs, not unlike Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys
- Apparently if there's a plank in your eye and a splinter in your friend's, you're best to deal with it in the form of an olde time 'I say I say I say' routine. Why you'd be foolish enough to acquire a plank in your eye is absolutely beyond me, but apparently there's a bit of a lesson behind it
- 'Tables, chairs, and oaken chests would have suited Jesus best/He'd have caused nobody harm; no one alarm'.
And of course, my favourite ever lyrics from JCSS:
'ANNAS
What then to do about Jesus of Nazareth?
Miracle wonderman, hero of fools.
PRIEST THREE
No riots, no army, no fighting, no slogans.
CAIAPHAS
One thing I'll say for him -- Jesus is cool.'
817 days til the next election.
Eerie fact! Around the halfway mark of Godspell, the cast are performing a vigorous song-and-dance routine atop a skyscraper with a breathtaking view of New York, which is entertaining not least because it looks so easy to shove them off. When the camera swoops away from the building you realise with a gasp that they are performing on the roof of the Twin Towers. Also the piece ends with a shot of the buildings looking mystical and seventies while the ensemble trill 'Yes...it's all for...the BEEESSSSSST' in their best showtunes voices. Odd.
Comments
Victor Garber's performance as Jesus is amazing, he really nails it.
I have no idea why the media crucified him so, it makes me cross.
That's one career that will never be resurrected
Yeah, it's a miracle he ever worked again.
I guess everyone just lost faith in him.
Poor bastard hasn't got a prayer.
There's been a steady exodus of work from the acting community. You need the patience of Job to get any work these days.
I don't know what you're talking about. He nailed his part in Alias.
Peter, Thou shalt not repeat puns.
superman outfit was Godspell - not Jesus Christ Superstar
That's right St Peter. If you are in doubt, ask Jess, Nadine or Ms Fits, they know all, like John they are the bapp'dest.
*applauds Adam's bapps pun*
your puns are just like Noah's ark- two of everything.
"Jesus was followed constantly by cheery bunch of street performers in rag-tag clothing"
Hey Abbott, Jesus was a Green. Deal with it.
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
Fits, you and I are enemies in real life but on this topic, we are of one mind.
You forgot to mention that Pilot (sp?) has a shiny black bob, hurt, sensitive eyes and a purple gown.
Oh, your post made me laugh and laugh.
M
Miranda? Is that you?
People. Some discipline if you will.
Watching Godspell?...... were you tied to a chair with your eyes taped open?
Hey Fitz.
When are we gonna get some Last Man Standing related posts eh? I wanna know what you think about how the show's going?
I have an extremely soft spot for Jesus Christ Superstar. My friends down the road and I put on a play when I was a kid in the bungalow. We mimed and played several roles each. I remember being embarrassed to sing [mime] I Don't Know How to Love Him to Tony/Jesus. I told my brother, who wanted to be in it, "I suppose we could fit you in as a leper".
bapp'dest
GOLD!
me thinks you just earnt yourself some first class titting off time, adam.
i have a similar problem. most of my bible knowledge is derived from The Life of Brian and Ned Flanders.
This article http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=banish describes your blog to a letter.
This article http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=banish describes your blog to a letter.
ah, there's always one.
killjoy that is.
No, Melbourne Girl, I'd say that anonymous is spot on! Thank goodness I have been introduced to that page. I am now hooked. It is 50 000 000 000 000 times better than this.
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord"? Someone must also have repeatedly inflicted Handel on you, too.
C'mon, Ms Fits - I happen to know that you attended a nice, caring, non-draconian, totally un-puritanical high school ... for at least a year, anyway.
So you had slightly more of a religious upbringing than you first claimed.
Oh, ye of little faith.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS POST.
*cries*
Oh, shit.
I did repeat, didn't I? To be perfectly honest, I missed the pundemonium for the first few comments and began to mentally prepare a genuinely spirited defence of Victor Garber. Then, as the cunning word-play slowly dawned on me, I was the kid who never getsthe joke til waaaay too late and was already too set on proclaiming how ace Victor is in Alias and I scrambled for a pun, ANY PUN, to keep the ball rolling and oh God I should just stop typing now and go back to work.
*sighs*
My brother watched the John Farnum one in Perth. Sadly, the only impression it left on him was "She has huge boobs" (we were in nosebleed seats). So no religion for my brother then.
I acquired a copy of Godspell Nov. 27 (2006) and I think I have watched it about 12 times since then. I was very pleased to find it. It really gave me comfort when the story of James Kim and his family broke. When we all heard that James was found dead, I think I watched it about 5 times in 5 days. It helped me feel better when I was feeling down.
It's on my Christmas list this year for a gift. I found that the DVD was still for sale.
It's such a happy musical for the first hour or so.
And yes, when I saw the scene on top of that really tall building, the first think that hit me was, that view was shown a lot not long after 9/11 with the tourist standing there and the plane behind, yada yada... the web can be pretty slimy at times. However, I remembered that shot and realized instantly that the scene was being shot from on top of the towers. I didn't remember when the movie was filmed and I didn't know when the towers were completed, so when I saw the end of the song and saw that the towers were still under construction, I was really surprised and a little glad to see that the towers were used for such a musical.
On the number it self and the actors dancing so close to the edge, I was really surprised. If I were one, I would have been terrified. I realize that they probably rehearsed many times before filming, but still, they were really close to that edge.
I started looking around for some info on the show. I found a recording from a performance dated around 2001. I was horrified at how much it had changed and how odd the music sounded.
Ah well, sorry so late with this comment, but I was searching for a list of locations that were pinpointed by Google Earth and found this.
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