You would have really been confused by a summerstock production I did back in the 80's, which we nicknamed "Beach Blanket Godspell."
I think, in the original production, the starkness of Jesus being "crucified" to the very plain, perhaps slightly forbidding chain link fence was still dramatic. But in this version, having a "Frankie Avalon" Jesus dying upon a surfboard (yup) was just unintentionally comic. To me it took all the potential drama out of the scene. And I'm Jewish, btw.
And btw, I think the "murder followed by a great celebration" is still done very respectfully. The music (in the original version, somewhat reworked in the recent revival) gradually shifts from the tragedy of the death and the mourning ("Long live god" etc) to a very beautiful, prayerful layering of "Prepare Ye" - even for someone who doesn't believe in the resurrection, there's something very profound in that moment. (I ALWAYS get chills hearing that part.) Then yes, the music does finally move to the joyous uptempo beat of the originally sung "Prepare Ye." But maybe you've never seen a New Orleans-style funeral either? :-) |
