BLANK SLATE
Questions
Asked for clarification during rehearsal and can't remember the answer? Here's a collection of all questions and answers from our rehearsal process!
Resources on Judas:
Godspell wasn't the only musical grappling with the Jesus/Judas relationship! Jesus Christ Superstar, which opened the same year, looked at the same relationship with far different results. Click here for an interview comparing the film versions of both musicals.
WHAT DO THE OTHER GOSPELS SAY?
Luke 22
1 "Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. ”
Da Vinci:
Da Vinci was a true 'Renaissance Man'—he had great interest and expertise in painting, sculpture, architecture, mathematics, engineering, and invention. Below is his Vitruvian Man, which shows the intersections of art and math in his exploration of proportion, and which also indicates the rise of Humanism, a movement focusing on the radical power and innate capabilities of human beings.
Mark 14
1 "Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” 3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. ”
"Lives" vs. "Lyres"
"On the Willows" is taken from Psalm 137, which states that the people in question hung up their "lyres" (sometimes translated to 'harps'). In the original production, the lyric was changed from "lyres" to "lives," and published editions of both lyrics exist. Why the change?
From Stephen Schwartz:
"The adaptation of the lyric, with the change of words, was suggested by the conceiver and original director of the show, John-Michael Tebelak. I'm not sure I would make the same change today, but the reasoning behind it was that we wanted to be clear it was their entire life that had changed for each of the disciples, and we weren't sure the metaphor of the "lyres" would be clear enough, particularly since we don't get to the explanatory line about singing the Lord's song in a foreign land until much later in the song"
You can read more of Schwartz's thoughts about "On the Willows," and several other songs in Godspell, here.
John
6:
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
12:
3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. ” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”
13:
1 "It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God” ……… 26 "Jesus answered, “[my betrayer] is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night."
Cake Walks
Cake-walking is a form of dance originated by African-American slaves. It was commonly adopted in minstrel shows and vaudeville, and found popularity among whites throughout the early 19th Century.
Check out the video below for a brief glimpse into a cake-walk
What is "By My Side" about?
"By My Side" is the only song that carried over from the original Carnegie-Mellon production. It was written by Peggy Gordon. Because that show is not exactly the same as our production of Godspell, the meaning it once held can get lost. From Gordon:
"She asks him where he is going. She gleans that he is going far beyond where the horizon lies and wishes to go with him. But, she is fearful and must dare herself to take the journey with him. She puts the pebble in her shoe to show him that she has faith. She will walk with her "courage," and when she no longer needs this symbol of her courage, she will take it from her shoe singing, "meet your new road." Then, she will be ready to join him. She reaches out to take his hand and tells him that she is finally glad to be there by his side.”
Blessings over Bread and Wine
Below are pronunciation guides for the ha'motzi (Hebrew blessing over bread) and the kiddush (Hebrew blessing over wine). Typically, these would be said at a weekly Shabbat meal, as well as on some holidays