[Monsieur D'Arque]

Godspell's score has adapted and evolved over time from a very hippie, very sixties score that was, at times, intentionally corny (Turn Back, Light Of The World, and All For The Best are obviously played as "cheesy" and campy on the old records), into a very stylistically variable show. What versions of songs do you like best, and did your productions do anything really interesting or different with your scores?

Overture: I could take it or leave it.

Tower of Babble: I like the Blue Album's version with piano and guitars, but I do think the Yellow techno one is kind of cool. However, my all time favorite was an a cappella rendition of the Yellow Album version I saw at a Godspell at a college- mainly because the beatboxer was incredible.

Prepare Ye: They're all pretty much the same, but I like it best when John/Judas has a more rock or more musical theater voice, and isn't too operatic.

Save The People: I like the Blue Album's acoustic to electric version. I think the original arrangement is just a little too light and airy for such a high energy moment, but the amped-up Yellow is just a bit too punk for the moment.

Learn Your Lessons Well: I don't usually care much about this song, but I like the Yellow version the best. My last cast had an actor-pianist, and he, in a take-off of teh Yellow Album, impersonated Randy Newman for the first verse, and then Elton John for the second, with a change of glasses. It was very funny.

Day By Day: All the same.

O Bless The Lord: I'm going to have to say the Blue version takes the cake again. The originals were a little too lightweight both in high, airy vocals on the choruses and accompaniment, and the Yellow is too overproduced.

All For The Best: All basically the same, but I like the addition of banjos, a banjo solo and a ragtime piano section (the tap break in a production I did) to the song in the film version.

All Good Gifts: I love this song, or I hate it. It all hinges on the singer- if they're soulful, it's good. But if they're too operatic like the original few takes, it seems ridiculous with the musical style. It's gospel-folk-pop all the way, like Elton John, which I think should be an influence on the performance. It never is, though.

Light Of The World: Hate the original version, with its intentionally campy "parody funk" style, and the vocals being given to the non-singing cast members. I understand that the overdramatic speak-singing and "burrrrrr" sound effects were part of the playful original aesthetic, but they haven't aged well. I like the Yellow version's Chili Peppers funk metal take, actually, and love the new Aerosmith-style guitar riff intro. My production performed the song as a Prince-type song, guitars, synth, falsetto and all, with the intro riff and the "jam session" playout from the Yellow Album.

Beautiful City: I have a soft spot for all three versions. I love the original for being a totally sixties Beatles ripoff, and so cheerful. The Blue is sort of somber, but gorgeous. The Yellow can be a little awkward, but it's so intensely energetic and unique in its chord changes that it always wins me over. In my production, the song was heavily styled after "Solsbury Hill," even to the point of being in 7/8 time for a lot of it.

Turn Back O Man: Big black lady number. PLEASE don't be Mae West, just belt your ass off. I love the Blue album version, not only for its vocal take on the song, but because by adding heavy drums, guitars and bass to the piano, it turned it from a comedy-honkytonk number into something rather similar to a Queen song. All it needed was some backup vocals in a synthesizer and it would have been Killer Queen.

Alas For You: Whatever.

By My Side: All The Same

We Beseech Thee: Love the reggae breakdown in the ska version (ska always makes me cheerful), and really dig the gospel version on the Yellow album. I'm fairly neutral about the hoedown one, as unless it's done well, it seems so cheesey and dated compared to other parts of the score, especially as the "jug band section" relies on a genre of music and instruments that most people aren't even familiar with anymore.

On The Willows: All the same, but I like it when Judas sings it more than the pit band.

Step Brother to Jesus: There can only be one.

[Beagle On Stage]

I don't intensely despise any of them, but my favorite will always be the original cast recording. It's the one I would always prefer to hear, and the only one I would choose to use in mounting a production. I subscribe the the school of theatre in which complicating things points to a lower level of quality, and effective simplicity points to brilliance.

[Jman383]

Overture: Like it on the yellow It's a nice touch. I used it when I directed the show.

Tower of Babble: Without a doubt the Blue cast. It merges an updated sound, but with the original intention of the piece, and not going overboard like Yellow does. It's brilliant.

Prepare Ye: Like you said, all virtually the same, but for some reason I prefer the voice on the Blue album, and the dialogue is a nice touch on there too

Save the People: Like Babble, the Blue combines a new sound with the original intention of the song. So yes, Blue for this one as well.

Day by Day: Yellow here. I don't know why, but I LOVE the acapella intro they do on that recording, along with the riffs at the end.

Learn Your Lessons Well: This one's complicated because I love the way that the Yellow version is written, but I HATE HATE HATE the vocalist on it, and I LOVE Leslie Kritzer on the Blue recording. So it's kind of a draw.

Bless the Lord: Only one word here: Shoshana. Blue.

All for the Best: Indifferent, but the dialogue on the Blue version gets a plus.

All Good Gifts: Yellow. Best vocals ever on the song.

Light of the World: Once again, yellow. It's funny because it's in this song that it was yellow and NOT blue that took an updated instrumental of the song, but still kept it's original content without going overboard. I love this version.

Turn Back, O Man: Two words: Capathia Jenkins. 'Nuff said. Blue.

Alas for You: A little partial to Barret Foa on the Blue recording.

By My Side: This one is a bit of a draw too. I love both the yellow and blue recordings of this. The vocalist on the yellow one, however, has a little too much sheep vibratto, but she's more belty. I'm not sure which one I like best, though, on my Ipod (which has my dream cast of all of them), it's the blue recording.

We Beseech Thee: Yellow. Yellow. Yellow. 100%. Gimme a gospel belt number any day, with a kickass female solo and I'll be super

Beautiful City: The Jr. version. Without a doubt. I love the others, but the Jr. version is the only one that captures the right feel of the song, and how intense the atmosphere is at that moment in the show. I love it, and the female singer is kickass on it (it's not Jesus, Judas or the pit in that show)

On the Willows: Blue. I love that they had Judas sing it. It's a very nice touch.

Finale: Blue. The bit in the beginning is AMAZING, and the harmonies at the end are chilling. I get goosebumps everytime I listen to it. Also, it's kind of funny because if you listen to it, when God comes in with his "Ahh!" everyone who was holding a harmony resolves down EXCEPT Shoshana, who holds it for a few more seconds, then dramatically riffs down. It's kind of hilarious haha.

[ConverseSneaker]

^So, you're the "green" recording?