Godspell

One filming location was the roof of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. A film version of the musical was released in 1973, set in modern New York, and featuring Victor Garber as Jesus, and Lynne Thigpen in her first film role. The presentation of the story is typically not entirely realistic, and productions of the musical often set it in places and times other than the obvious (one notable production was set in a circus). The form of Godspell closely follows the Episcopal communion service, and in the university premiere, all its songs except "By My Side" were from the Episcopal Hymnal.

The show was originally produced as a masters thesis project at Carnegie-Mellon University, but Stephen Schwartz added songs for the commercial opening. Several cast albums have been released over the years; the most well-known song from the musical is "Day By Day" which was a top 10 hit in the summer of 1971. Following closely on the heels of the similarly-themed Jesus Christ Superstar, it opened off-Broadway on May 15, 1971 and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since. Godspell is a musical based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by John Michael Tebelak.