As I watched this movie for the first time, I wondered where the writer came up with the

Transcription

1 As I watched this movie for the first time, I wondered where the writer came up with the depiction of Jesus as a happy clown wearing a Superman shirt and sporting a heart on his forehead surrounded by a colorful crew of flower power disciples in this raucous upbeat presentation of the Gospel? It made sense once I read that the writer John-Michael Tebelak, got the idea for the musical after attending a dour Easter service at the Episcopal cathedral in Pittsburgh, where he was both bored (by the liturgy) and accosted (for his long hair and ragged appearance). i This film, based on the original musical, is a product of both its time, the late 1960 s/early In his writing (and part of excited because I on stage ii and Joy! I found a great 1970 s and its creator Tebelak. Tebelak takes Matthew s Gospel Luke s) and became terribly found what I wanted to portray what he wanted to portray was joy, a simplicity some rather comforting words in the Gospel itself. iii I think that at times Tebelak s simplification, his removal of all things religious, such as any notion of Jesus divinity or miracles in the movie goes a step too far for me. But "The Godspell," as it was first called, was Tebelak s attempt to 'weave God's spell over the audience iv It ends up framing his joyful clown Jesus as merely a great moral teacher, his disciples as comedic nice people being taught by a really nice man how to be really nice to each other for the sake of being nice. On the other hand, the Jesus clown [does seek to] inspire the other clowns to listen and try to understand some very profound concepts about love, care, 10/22/2012 Page 1

2 integrity, humility, sacrifice v, all core teachings of the gospel. It reminds me a bit of Jefferson, taking out the miracles and the Son of God, leaving in the moral teachings. On the other hand, Tebelak s writing breathes into the movie the energy and excitement he feels the gospel story deserves. Or as the poster above declares Tebelak created a joy-filled Gospel according to Today. This movie was his attempt to free Jesus from the grave with his vision of the gospel story Tebelak refused to leave Jesus buried in the layers of liturgy, the prayer book and all the associated traditions of the church (especially the cathedral he attended) encountered one Easter morning. In that Episcopal Cathedral, Tebelak said Instead of "healing" the burden, or resurrecting the Christ, it seems those people had pushed Him back into the tomb. They had refused to let Him come out that day. vi That one morning of Jesus being kept from his sight sent Tebelak forward to create a new, more simple joyful Jesus free of all those things held him down that Easter morning. So just what kind of Jesus did Tebelak create? To be honest my first reaction was oh no - a skinny, white, wimpy looking clown, sporting an afro, wearing multicolored striped jeans held up with red suspenders and red tennis shoes with pompoms. Not quite my visual image of a savior not a Jesus that most folks in my parish would recognize. But this Jesus and his followers are creations of the late 1960 s - early 1970 s vision of John-Michael Tebelak. The flower child imagery is so spot on that the New York Times review in 1973 snidely comments that "Godspell" pretty much reduces the story of Jesus to conform to a kind of flower-child paranoia. vii The paranoia I think 10/22/2012 Page 2

3 the reviewer was getting at was the flower child ethos of peace, love, and universal brotherhood all themes carried forward by Tebelak in Godspell. One powerful image I recall of the flower power days is the gesture of a dandelion being held up opposite a row of bayonets, a far cry from the sex, drugs, rock & roll image of most hippies of the day that was the Haight-Ashbury/San Francisco beatnik hipster world. I think the use of flower children for Jesus followers in Godspell was and is a stroke of genius, for the peace, love and universal brotherhood of man idea fits nicely with Jesus own messages of peace Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children (sons) of God. (Matthew 5:9), love You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-38) and universality And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:32). While a little off putting at first there is an intended usefulness to Jesus and his flower children being so different. Richard Walsh in his book Reading the Gospels in the Dark quite correctly suggests that the flower child wardrobe, along with the song and dance medium and the eerily empty city, depicts Jesus clownishly as other. viii Tebelak s inspiration for Jesus as clown, according to Stephen Schwartz ix, comes from The Feast of Fools, a book by Harvard professor Harvey Cox that speaks of how a "comic victor/victim...is the image of dignity intermingled with frailty. x Creatively using this idea to for Godspell s Jesus of comic 10/22/2012 Page 3

4 victor/victim Tebelak then used humor, slapstick and vaudevillian actions as a vehicle to show that Jesus is not part of the institutional church; this persona was a way to make people take another look at who Jesus is in their lives. Tebelak s desire was to use the humor to serve the innocence and never to sacrifice the innocence xi, in doing so he enables the viewer to be open to have the experience he was denied inside a formal liturgical setting. But what kind of other are we supposed to see? The movie does an amazing job of highlighting the communal aspect of Jesus' ministry. First is in their transformation of the junkyard from thrown away items to a place of community they inhabit and spruce up that exudes the joy John-Michael Tebelak said he found in reading the gospels. This transformation of the junkyard takes places after the disciples own transformation by baptism at the fountain at the Bethesda Terrace (whose name is highly symbolic, being the name of the place where Jesus heals the man who had been lame (John 5:1-18). So this physical transformation of the junkyard can been seen as an outward manifestation of the joy they now experience having been inwardly transformed by their baptism. Second, while in the junkyard Jesus himself paints symbols upon their faces, making a visible connection on painted upon his face a and joy turned toward the disciples faces newly baptized are their faces with the heart heart reflecting his love the world. The painting of reminds me of how the sealed in baptism with a cross on the forehead, marked as Christ s own forever in the Episcopal Church. This sealing on the forehead is one of the outward and visible signs of the inward and spiritual grace of baptism, 10/22/2012 Page 4

5 being baptized with water is the second. This outward signing binds them together as a community and to Jesus. A third and very powerful sense of community in this film comes in the way both Jesus and the disciples sing and act out together 18 scenes containing scriptural sayings and parables. Beginning with helping Jesus act out the Pharisee and the Publican (called a tax collector in the movie) through the Sower & the Seed, Lilies of the Field, the Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son (the last two being from Luke s gospel) the disciples and Jesus work their way toward a sense of what it means to live joy-fully into the Kingdom Tebelak felt was denied him when he went to church seeking the Good News of the gospel. In these acted out parables and songs "they [the disciples] are pledging their loyalty, their belief, their faith to become a member of this community that's being formed," xii explained Steven Schwartz, lyricist for Godspell. This outward signing, community transformation of the space and enacting of the saying and parables are three wonderful entry points to discuss community formation. This film s overwhelming sense of creation of community has a proper feel for the gospel. There are a few items that caused some concern as I watched the film. The way the disciples start the Beatitudes and Jesus finishes (normally Jesus handles this as a solo); the fact John the Baptist somehow becomes Judas, and the lack of engagement with any persons other than the disciples all were distractions. Aside from those elements, Godspell s Jesus departed markedly from the Jesus of the gospel where it counted for me in a few places. I am not talking about his costuming or his 10/22/2012 Page 5

6 demeanor, I have discussed those choices elsewhere in this paper. I am talking about having Jesus undo the intent such as in Godspell and the goats Gospel of Matthew the goats as a parable and purpose of the scripture Jesus scene with the sheep (Matthew 25:31-46). In the Jesus teaches the sheep and of judgment about how the choices we make regarding our treatment of the least among us matters and will have consequences. Tebelak s Jesus teaches Matthew s gospel lesson properly and then with a smile on his face, Godspell Jesus leans back from the top of the steps and invites the goats to follow along with the sheep, thereby forgiving them, undoing the impact of the whole parable - as if the original lesson does not matter quite a rewrite of one of the few parables of judgment Jesus ever teaches. By portraying Jesus as a nice guy who cares more about our hurt feelings in the moment than how we treat the poor, the sick, those in prison, in others words the lost or the least is not a Jesus I recognize or would want in my preferred future. This one scene makes Jesus to be a preacher of one thing, but a Jesus who allows us to do what feels good, since the results will be the same no matter what (hedonism cheap grace?). Tebelak might have been going for a gentle kind Jesus, but ends up with a Jesus who turns his back on our behavior and our care for the lost and the least. A second choice Tebelak made that seems a departure from the gospels is the use of the empty NYC streets and location to give a sense of Jesus and his disciples as being apart from the world. The scene from the top of the 10/22/2012 Page 6

7 then World Trade Towers and all the other location scenes of an empty New York City just reinforced a separateness I do not find in the Jesus of the four gospels except in those moments he withdraws to pray. Otherwise the Jesus of the gospels is all about relationship and engagement with the world. Finally, the choice to have no resurrection and have the disciples (including John the Baptist now Judas) back to the city and own ways is a Rudoplh Bultmann, criticism can carry Jesus still dead body then have them go their complete let down. Very All that historical establish is the fact that the first disciples came to believe in the resurrection... But the historical problem is not of interest to Christian belief in the resurrection. For the historical event of the rise of the Easter faith mean[s] for us what it meant for the first disciples namely, the self-attestation of the risen Lord, the act of God in which the redemptive event of the cross is completed... Through the word of preaching the cross and the resurrection are made present: the eschatological now is here, and the promise of Isa is fulfilled... xiii In the end I came away with the feeling the Godspell Jesus offers an example of some broader, saving truth about the power of human niceness. This is over against the gospel Jesus, whose example is of nothing of the sort. Across the four gospels Jesus is presented as the incarnation of the unique, saving mystery of death and resurrection. We are not called by the gospel to move from Jesus to some deeper reality called love or goodness that will finally do the trick and make the world go round, no matter how well produced the movie or stage production. 10/22/2012 Page 7

8 We are called to take up our crosses and bear them daily, finding salvation only in Jesus. Except in Godspell while there is a cross, there is no salvation through Jesus resurrection, only a great chorus. Prepare Ye the sung by the disciples, the they responded to their call in film. They sing this as they into a once again populated way of the Lord is same song sung as the beginning of the carry Jesus body back New York City; where they fade back to places from whence they came. Was anyone saved? Was anyone changed? We are left wondering, with a tune in our hearts, but without a risen Lord, the very person John- Michael Tebelak said he was seeking to roll the stone away from lo those many years ago. Writing years before the creation of this movie (or the stage production) H. Richard Niebuhr wrote words that work as a final review of the visual impact of this movie for me "A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross. xiv I would be remiss in writing about this movie to end without saying how powerful and transformative the music of in Godspell. What is amazing is to realize that this music was written in 5 weeks by a 23 year Jewish man. As Steven Schwartz would later put it, it might have helped he came to the stories and the music with a clean slate. He was handed New Testament scripture and a group of Episcopal hymns and turned loose. For his work on work on Godspell Stephen Schwartz s credit reads "Music and New Lyrics," for he only slightly amended hymn or psalm lyrics, but wrote all new music. xv The resulting music is joyful and upbeat and written in a way that supports the scripture in each scene of the movie and helps move the story forward in a joyful and meaningful way. Although written in the late 1960 s the music succeeds in a powerful 10/22/2012 Page 8

9 and evocative way of portraying the joy of the Gospel today. See two examples of 1971 cast recording on youtube: Day by Day Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord TEACHING USES OF GODSPELL Would I use this movie in my ministry setting despite the shortcomings? Of course it would be a great discussion starter after showing the film at an adult forum for the following reasons: 1. It would challenge parishioners to come to grips with an unusual portrayal of Jesus, as a clown 2. Discuss what is the purpose of humor in this movie, what does it add to or take away from the gospel message 3. Discuss why are there no miracles, no resurrection what takeaways does this lead us toward? 4. Once past the visual of Jesus as a clown, then they would have to come to grips that in the end this new Jesus never becomes a triumphal Jesus, never in charge, a more serious Jesus, not a real American Jesus. For this point of discussion alone this movie would be worth seeing and discussing. 5. The movie presents a great starting place to compare contrast joy versus seriousness in worship work out of the story of why Godspell was created in the first place 6. In addition to the story of creation story for Godspell discuss how Godspell uses choices of humor, slapstick and vaudevillian actions to show that Jesus is not part of the institutional church 7. One could track the Gospel passages used and show them as acted out parables and scenes by turning the glass taking another view this can open us to new entry points into the gospel 8. It would challenge parishioners to deal with the setting, the historic artifact the movie itself presents- the still standing World Trade Center, the Flower Children costuming and all the other 1973 artifacts present do these help or hurt the message of the movie i Prothero, Stephen ( ). American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon (Kindle Locations ). Macmillan. Kindle Edition. ii iii Ibid iv de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition. v de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition. 10/22/2012 Page 9

10 vi vii Canby, Vincent The Gospel According to 'Godspell' Comes to Screen:The Cast. New York Times viii Walsh, Richard.2003.Reading the Gospels in the Dark: Portrayals of Jesus in Film. Harrisburg :Trinity Press, Intl. p. 77 ix x Cox, Harvey 1969.The Feast of Fools. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. P. 150 xi de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition xii de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition. xiii Bultmann, Rudolf, The New Testament and Mythology, Hans-Werner Bartsch, [ed.], Reginald H. Fuller, [trans.], Kerygma and Myth. A Theological Debate, Vol. 1 [London: SPCK, 1972]), xiv Niebuhr, H. R. (1937). The Kingdom of God in America. New York: Harper and Row. P. 193 xv de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition. Bibliography Bultmann, Rudolf, The New Testament and Mythology, Hans-Werner Bartsch, [ed.], Reginald H. Fuller, [trans.], Kerygma and Myth. A Theological Debate, Vol. 1 [London: SPCK, 1972]) Canby, Vincent The Gospel According to 'Godspell' Comes to Screen: The Cast. New York Times Cox, Harvey The Feast of Fools. Cambridge. Harvard University Press de Giere, Carol ( ). DEFYING GRAVITY: THE CREATIVE CAREER OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Kindle Locations ). Hal Leonard. Kindle Edition. Godspell was conceived and directed by John Michael Tebelak: John-Michael Tebelak bio - Niebuhr, H. R. The Kingdom of God in America. New York: Harper and Row. (1937) Prothero, Stephen ( ). American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon (Kindle Locations ). Macmillan. Kindle Edition. Walsh, Richard, Reading the Gospels in the Dark: Portrayals of Jesus in Film. Harrisburg :Trinity Press, Intl /22/2012 Page 10