Emotions In Godspell

In the musical Godspell, emotions were a significant influence on the cast and the way the characters were portrayed. Their emotions were most often visually displayed using bodily movements, such as in the way they move, speak, or act. However, emotions were also displayed architecturally through use of lighting, sound, color, and use of the solid masses. Additionally, all universal principles could be found throughout Godspell, the combined uses of time, space, and composition worked together to build an expressive and moving atmosphere that affected the audience in multiple ways. In other words, the way the characters moved and expressed themselves caused the hearts of many audience members to be changed, the audience was receptive and

For instance, every character had a purpose whether it was Jesus, Judas, John the Baptist, or the community each part was necessary in their own way. Specifically, John the Baptist and Jesus appeared to be both heart lead characters, they cared about the people of the community and this was visually displayed through their body. John the Baptist, who was a “happy” character wore bright, tie-dyed colors that stood out among the cast. She also was light and bouncy, especially when baptizing people with her bubbles. Jesus also showed his happiness and love through the way he interacted with the community. He was a “hugger” often pulling people in during their struggles, but he also was light on his feet. Jesus often appeared to be gliding or floating across the stage, he was rarely extremely strong and was more likely to be calm and direct. However, Jesus would punch with his voice placing emphasis on his words from his sermons, they usually were not harsh or mean, but strong and powerful. Jesus was also displayed as higher or powerful through the use of levels, when he would speak the community would usually sit and fall around him “hanging” on to every word. On the other hand, Judas was heavy, strong, powerful, dark, and direct. Compared to Jesus’s white clothing representing goodness and light, Judas was dark. Finally, the each member of the community had a different purpose, some were head-strong, some were heart-led, and some were groin-led. The community worked together to change the atmosphere from song to song because each had their own story to tell, which could be displayed through their stance and the way they held themselves. For instance, the character Anna Maria was often a soft and emotional character who displayed sadness the most especially in the beginning of the song Day by Day. Whereas, the character Morgan was a groin-led character,