So they're really going to put GODSPELL back on Broadway, huh? Well, why should I be surprised? They put GREASE back on. I can see a local production (a GOOD one, mind you) of GODSPELL approximately 3 times a year in DFW. Don't get me wrong.. I love Godspell. I love the music and.... eh....I love the music. AND I'm Christian - so the music means something to me. That's the point, though - it's ALL about the music. And to be honest, I find it hard to believe that people would pony up 125 bucks to see a musical as simple to produce as GODSPELL. Some producer is hoping to lick his chops! On the OTHER hand - I think that a good production of Godspell could settle in at some off-broadway house and enchant audiences for as many years as The Fantasticks did. It's that kind of play!
George:
Rubbing alcohol for you, Martha?
Martha: Never mix, never worry!
Who wants to be Jesus is stunt cast at some point?
I saw a pretty bad production of the show at a church in Dallas on Friday night... I think having it on Broadway will be great. I'd definitely pay...50 dollars for a ticket to the show. Depending on what the reviews are like for the show--I might pay full price.
"If it walks like a Parks, if it wobbles like a Parks, then it's definitely fat and nobody loves it." --MA
Parks: Well, naturally, if you see GODSPELL at a CHURCH (and haven't we all) you're looking at a cast of 20 that was pooled from an audition of 30! And only 4 or 5 of them are even in the CHOIR. That's not what I was talking about, and you know it. Get REAL!
George:
Rubbing alcohol for you, Martha?
Martha: Never mix, never worry!
"That's the point, though - it's ALL about the music. And to be honest, I find it hard to believe that people would pony up 125 bucks to see a musical as simple to produce as GODSPELL."
You mean that a producer could just hire a bunch of kids, skip the set, throw up a bunch of neon lights and hope people come? Simple to produce that way? I might go out on a limb here and guess but there might be more people interested in the story more than the music. I don't know, just a hunch.
There has never been a revival of GODSPELL. The original production closed in 1977. I would say it's due for a revival. I don't get the comparison to the current GYPSY revival.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Oh, OK. I didn't realize that. Thanks for the info.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
The Off-Broadway revival had some people that we now call "names", like: Barrett Foa (Jesus) Shoshana Bean Capathia Jenkins Chad Kimball Leslie Kritzer
While I'd love to hear who has been cast, I'd love to hear what theatre it's going into... I keep reading on here that it's happening (on Broadway) but where?
Here's hoping it goes into Circle in the Square, that way the sad kids who didn't win the Wicked lotto, can pop over next door and see a scaled down production of a sub-par musical by their most favoritest composer evar!
Bleh, we don't need this, bring Pippin back if you're going to bring back another Schwartz show!
http://theaterfag.blogspot.com/
Reviews and the like
And to be honest, I find it hard to believe that people would pony up 125 bucks to see a musical as simple to produce as GODSPELL
With the right staging and the right cast, the show could easily be a smash hit. While it is simple to produce, it is not so simple to direct a good production.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
And the average theatre-goer really likes this show--I've seen it twice and stage managed it once and there wasn't a dry eye in the house--standing ovations too--and the shows weren't all that good.