This blog details the day-by-day insider’s account of producing my Broadway revival of Godspell, starting exactly 100 days before the very first performance. (You can read all about the inspiration for the blog by clicking here.)
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Ken Davenport, Producer
Wahoo!
I’m thrilled to announce that last night, Godspell took home the 2012 Audience Favorite Award for Best Revival of a Musical!
Thanks to all of you who voted. Once again, you’ve proven that Godspell is the people’s musical.
And guess what? There’s another chance for you to show some Godspell love. Because we’ve also been nominated for the BroadwayWorld Award as well.
Come on, I think we can go 2 for 2. Don’t you think?
Vote for Godspell today! Click here!
Hey Godspell Blog Readers! Guess what?
Godspell was nominated for FOUR Audience Choice Awards including Favorite Musical Revival, Favorite Actor in a Musical (Hunter Parrish and Telly Leung), and Favorite Replacement (Corbin Bleu).
Imagine how cool it would be if we won? So let’s show those Tony Nominators a little something . . . Vote for Godspell here!
And while I’ve got you, just a quick reminder that there are only 18 more performances of our Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer! Get your tickets today.
Greetings from the Godspell blog . . . which is almost one year old! Boy, time flies when you’re putting smiles on faces eight times a week. :-)
If you follow the “biz,” then you know that somehow Godspell was not nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival yesterday. Yeah, I know. Color me (and much of the Twitterverse) shocked as well.
It really was a disappointment for me and the cast and crew that a beautiful, intimate experience like Godspell, with its amazingly talented cast, failed to get recognized. If you’ve seen the show, I’m sure you agree.
If you haven’t seen the show, now is a great time to do so. We’ve got Corbin Bleu from “High School Musical,” and it just so happens that I’ve got an incredible deal just for you.
See Godspell in May and for every ticket you buy, I’ll give you one free. Yep, a 50% off savings and no waiting in line at the TKTS booth.
Click here to get your tickets. And if you’ve seen it already, come back and bring a friend so they can find out what the joy is all about.
And I’ll see you at the theater!
And thanks again for your incredible support. Frankly, I’ll take all of you over 100 Tony Nominators. :-)
Prepare ye for cuteness.
Godspell has always had a tradition of launching the next generation of stars. People like Victor Garber, Jeremy Irons, Martin Short, Jennifer Lopez, and so on all got their start in Godspell.
And God(spell) knows that if you’ve seen our revival, then you know each one of our ten stars has a super bright future ahead of them.
So I thought, what if we could get a glimpse of the next generation of stars?
And that’s why we’re holding auditions for kids ages 6 – 16 for . . . the Godspell Cast of 2032!
On April 24th, we’ll pick 10 kids to portray all the characters in Godspell, and then, over the next week, we’ll rehearse them . . . in preparation for a one night only performance on our Broadway stage right after the curtain call on Tuesday, May 22nd.
It’s going to be awesome.
Click here for more information and spread the word! Hope to see you or your kids at the audition!
And then, wouldn’t it be just awesome if we ran long enough so that one of them could actually be in the show??? :-)
Two Godspell blogs in a week! It’s like the old days! (Can you believe it has almost been one year since the Day By Day blog began?)
More big news from the Godspell camp this week . . . the renowned Commercial Theater Institute selected Godspell as a case study for their intensive 3-Day weekend on producing! It’ll feature panel discussions with me, the marketing teams, the lawyers, and even Stephen Schwartz himself (!).
You can read all about it and get information on how to sign up here.
See you there!
Just quick reminder that this your last week to catch Hunter Parrish in Godspell! Hunter’s last performance will be this Sunday, April 15th at 7:30 PM.
And let me just say, if you’re a Godspell fan, and you haven’t seen Hunter sing “Beautiful City” live? Well, watch this video and then multiply that experience times like 100.
As previously announced, Corbin Bleu will take over on Tuesday, April 17th. And reports from inside the rehearsal studio are awesome. You’re in for a treat.
Click here to get tickets and maybe I’ll see you on the 15th AND the 17th. I’ll be there for both, red hat and all, in . . . 5 and 7 days, respectively. 
Big news, GodspellBlog readers!
When we cast Hunter Parrish in Godspell last summer, we all knew there was a chance he’d have to leave us a little early to rejoin his “Weeds” family.
And, well, that day is almost here. Hunter Parrish’s last performance will be on Sunday, April 15th at 7:30 PM. Or, to put it in GodspellBlog-ese . . . in 23 days.
We’ll miss Hunter like crazy . . . but we also couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome . . . drumroll please . . .
Corbin Bleu!
Corbin was one of the stars of “High School Musical,” and he also had an incredible run as the lead in In The Heights on Broadway. He’s a magnificent talent, and we’re thrilled that he’ll be joining us. He came to see the show a few months ago, and, well, we’re happy it affected him the same way it has affected all of us and everyone that has come to see it.
Listen to what Stephen Schwartz had to say . . . “I know Corbin has a special affinity for Godspell, and with his great talent, charisma and radiant energy, I know he will be terrific in the show. I am very much looking forward to working with him and seeing him as our new Jesus.”
As you can see, it’s going to be an exciting April.
Come see Hunter Parrish now through April 15th.
And get tickets for Corbin starting April 17th.
See you at the theater (and still wearing my red hat . . . although I had to get a new one because I wore the other one so much it would be kinda gross if I didn’t).
Ok, Godspell fans, if you enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at the making of Godspell on this blog, then you are going to love this . . .
Ever watch DVD commentaries? You know, when you hear the director or writer talk about your favorite movie or TV show as you watch, so you can hear the inside scoop on how it came together?
Well, guess what . . . we did that for Godspell!
A few weeks ago, Stephen Schwartz and Danny Goldstein watched a performance of Godspell and we recorded their thoughts as they watched. And now it’s available online!
You can hear all sorts of secrets about Godspell, including how Stephen wrote the music, where Danny got ideas for parables, and how the show influenced Pippin.
I already knew a lot of these stories, and I found the commentary fascinating! And this is the first time this has ever been done for a Broadway show . . . and we did it on Godspell!
Check out Episode 1 of the commentary here. And make sure you sign up so you can be the first to know when the next episode goes live.
Enjoy!
I’ll give you one hint:
One word. Two syllables. Rhymes with Modsbell!
No, it’s not BobSmell.
It’s Godspell!
Next Thursday, February 16th is going to be one special day for Godspell on Broadway!
First up, we’re going to be featured on “Project Runway All Stars!” Cool, right?
I actually hinted at this appearance this past summer in the blog on Day #85. Of course, I had to sign about 142 confidentiality agreements, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what was up . . . but now I can!
It’s going to be such a great episode, as the contestants compete for a chance to have one of their outfits featured in our production! And Broadway’s own Sutton Foster is the guest judge!
So set your DVRs to see Godspell on “Project Runway All Stars” on Thursday, February 16th at 9 PM EST on Lifetime.
I say set your DVR, because you’re going to want to be at our show on the 16th.
That night, original Toronto Godspell Music Director and current MD of “The Late Show with David Letterman,” Paul Shaffer, will be making a cameo appearance in Godspell AND giving a talkback about his history with the show! How fun is that!
I’m not going to tell you exactly what Paul will be doing in the show, but it’s going to be a blast.
And after, expect stories about how he got the Godspell gig, the day he met Stephen Schwartz, and anecdotes about working with the likes of Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and the rest of that insanely talented Toronto Godspell crew.
And the talkback will be hosted by your favorite satellite radio star, Julie James from Sirius/XM.
Get your tickets for the Paul Shaffer appearance and talkback on February 16th here.
And remember, “Project Runway All Stars” on the same night at 9 PM.
(Oh, and keep your eyes peeled to this blog. . . . if you want read insider Godspell info, I’ve got something in store for you in the next week that you’re going to love.)
Hey Godspellians!
Happy 1st Godspell blog of 2012! Is everyone having a great new year? Did you get “All Good Gifts” this holiday? (Sorry, couldn’t resist. And I’m writing this very late at night, so prepare ye for some more puns soon.)
Listen, I’ve been working on/off Broadway for twenty years now, and I can objectively say, I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a cast as talented as my 14 Godspell cast members. Seriously. These 10 stars, plus their 4 “wunderstudies,” are just awesome. I knew it when I first saw them in the audition room, and they certainly wowed us all on opening night, but to watch how they have grown and changed and made these characters and roles even more unique and interesting over the past 3 months has been like a lesson in how to be a Broadway star.
I promise you, one day you will all be saying, “And remember when we saw INSERT ANY ONE’S NAME HERE in Godspell? And look where they are now!”
Because they are all such phenomenal talents, I wanted to give audiences a chance to get up close and personal with each one individually . . . which is why, over the next 11 weeks, we’re hosting TUESDAY NIGHT TALKBACKS with a different cast member each night.
The talkback series starts tonight, with Lindsay “Bless The Lord That Girl Can Sing” Mendez. Lindsay will tell all about her Godspell audition experience, how the heck she learned to sing like that, and also why she never learned Spanish (uh-oh, I’m in trouble for that one).
I’m also thrilled to say that our talkbacks will be hosted by the incomparable Julie James from SiriusXM Radio.
To see a complete list of when each actor will be “talking back” after the show, click here. Oh, and, for those superfans out there that want to go to every single talkback, email me. I’ll give you an unadvertised special deal to make sure you get in. Otherwise, get tickets here.
And if that wasn’t enough, on Tuesday, January 31st (yep, another Tuesday), we’re having a CD signing to announce the release of the recording at Barnes and Noble at 150 East 86th St., here in the city. Stephen Schwartz will be there, and you’ll hear some live performances, including Hunter doing his beautiful “Beautiful City” (Have you seen this video?)
Hope to see you there!
Oh, and stay tuned, we’ve got a few cool things coming up that I know you’ll love.
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