VIDEO: On This Day, November 7- Prepare Ye for the First Broadway Revival of GODSPELL

Today we celebrate the first Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell, which opened on this day in 2011.

Directed by Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific), GODSPELL starred Corbin Blue as Jesus (formerly played by Hunter Parrish) and Wallace Smith as Judas, and co-starring Uzo Aduba, Nick Blaemire, Celisse Henderson, Morgan James, Telly Leung, Hannah Elless(previously played by Lindsay Mendez), George Salazar and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.

Godspell has entertained audiences the world over for decades. Major sit-down productions of the smash hit musical were produced in most all major cities including Boston, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago and Toronto. During much of 1972, these seven companies performed simultaneously. Productions also opened abroad in Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Melbourne. A London production, which opened in 1971, ran for nearly three years. In the last four years of its New York run, there were 25 companies performing Godspellaround the world with eight resident companies and three touring companies.

Godspell has been credited for establishing Toronto as a major theatre center that could support its own productions with its own actors. The legendary 1972-73 Toronto production cast local actors for the record-breaking production providing the first paying jobs for actors Victor Garber, Eugene Levy, AndRea Martin, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas and Martin Short. Paul Schaffer served as musical director.

A film version of Godspell was released in 1973 set in modern New York City. The cast featured Toronto alum Victor Garber as Jesus, David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas and Lynne Thigpenin her first film role. John-Michael Tebelak co-wrote the screenplay and served as the creative consultant. The song "Beautiful City" was written for the film and has subsequently been performed in major stage revivals of the show. Godspell permeated pop culture when its song "Day By Day" reached #13 on the Billboard Top 100 list.