The Gospel of Musical Theatre

4.5 Phantom of the Opera!

We descend into the depths of the Paris Opera for the 1986 musical phenomenon The Phantom of the Opera – one of the most successful & beloved musicals of all time, which centers around a troubling story about abuse, lust, and the power of music.
We talk about:
– Is the Phantom (or "Erik" as he’s known in the original novel) a serpent or a savior?
– What is the relationship between Christine and the Phantom? An abusive mentor relationship, a forbidden love, an artistic partnership or a classic Gothic obsession?
– How did power and patriarchy operate in the Victorian world of the Paris Opera – and in the 1980s world of rock musicals?
 
You’ll hear:
– Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and the cast of the 1988 Broadway Cast Recording.
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.

4.4 CATS!

Peterskins & Grumblethaniel (Peter & Nathan) ascend to the Heaviside Layer for a close theological reading of one of the strangest, silliest, and most sensational mega-musicals ever to tread the boards: the much-beloved and much-reviled 1981 spectacle that is CATS.
We talk about:
– The naming of cats and humans – the names that culture and society give us, and the ineffable name that is known only to God.
– Whether the feline characters are stand-ins for the seven deadly sins, and whether or not there is a morality tale at work (...or if maybe this is just a show about cats)
– The power of memory and finding meaning in moments of happiness (and the deeply theological question: “does the right cat die?”)
 
You’ll hear Betty Buckley, Ken Page, Terrance Mann, and the cast of the 1983 Broadway Cast Recording.
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.

4.3 Evita!

Continuing our tour through the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, today we're looking at Evita (1978)! The culmination of Lloyd Webber’s collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice, this show offers an epic look at politics, celebrity, and gender through the life of a contemporary saint, Argentina’s beloved First Lady Eva Peron (1919-1952).
 
We wonder:
– Whose politics are at work in Evita? What does the musical say about Argentinian politics, British politics, and maybe even North American politics?
– What does Evita have to say about sainthood? If Eva Peron is beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, what will that mean about how she is remembered?
 – Do acts of charity enable or indict the structural forces that keep some people in power and others in poverty? What kind of social justice is Evita illustrating?
 
You’ll hear:
– Mandy Patinkin, Patty LuPone and Bob Gunton on the 1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording
– Madonna singing “You Must Love Me” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina (Miami Mix)” from the 1996 Motion Picture Soundtrack
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!

4.2 Jesus Christ Superstar!

It's finally here... Today, we turn to the Gospel According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: the phenomenon that is Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)!
 
We talk about:
– The context of the late 60s/early 70s that gave rise to a rock opera treatment of the Jesus story
– The eroticism in Mary Magdalene’s (and maybe Judas’?) relationship with Jesus and the question of how sexuality & love intersect in the Christian tradition. What does it mean to fall in love with a God with a human body?
– Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute in the Bible!) and the way the musical treats her as a woman, a sex worker, and a romantic lead.
– Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar and in the New Testament and what responsibility Christians bear in challenging it.
– What kind of Christology (big fancy theological word for “understanding Jesus”) undergirds Jesus Christ Superstar, and whether there’s any good news in this musical.
 
You’ll hear:
– Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and the cast of the Original Studio Recording (a.k.a. “The Brown Album”) from 1970.
– "Could Ye Not Watch With Me One Hour?" from John Stainer’s Crucifixion sung by the St. Michael Singers (Fox Records, 2009).
– Joshua Mostel singing "Herod’s Song" from the 1973 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!

4.1 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

We're baaaackkkk! Today we kick off our fourth season, a deep dive into the musicals of the one & only Andrew Lloyd Weber, one of the most esteemed and prolific musical theatre composers of all time. In this episode, Nathan & Peter take a look at an early success he and lyricist Tim Rice had in 1968: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!
 
We talk about:
- The intersection of "liturgical" music (Lloyd Webber’s father was a church organist) with pop music
- Dreams, and how they function both in the religious tradition andcontemporary pop psychology and musicals. Is it really true that, as Joseph sings, "any dream will do?"
- What Bible stories we think are appropriate for children – and which parts of the Bible we sanitize or gloss overto preserve a romanticized ideal of childhood innocence
 
You’ll hear Donny Osmond, Janet Metz and the cast of the 1992 Canadian Cast Recording (Really Useful Group Ltd under exclusive license to Universal Music Operations Limited).
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.

PRIDE BONUS: The Music Man!

To celebrate Pride Month, Peter and Nathan are joined by the incredible Isaac Lamb and Stephanie Smith, director and musical director for a new and groundbreakingly queer production of Meredith Wilson’s 1957 classic musical The Music Man – which opens at Third Rail Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR, on June 17th.
We talk about:
– Theatre and church, chamber pieces versus extravagant spectacles, and what led Meredith Wilson to create The Music Man. We reference Meredith Wilson’s 1957 book But He Doesn’t Know the Territory which was reissued by University of Minnesota Press in 2020.
– The nature of “political” casting choices, what it means for six women and non-binary actors to take on these roles, and why casting choices matter. (You can learn more about Third Rail Rep’s production (and purchase tickets!) by visiting
– Learning how to sing and learning how to play an instrument – both in the story of The Music Man and in this production, where the actors accompany themselves.
-The purity (and politics!) of joy, and why a show like The Music Man can help us imagine new possibilities in a multi-racial, multiply-abled, diverse, and rapidly changing world.
 
You’ll hear:
Robert Preston, Barbara Cook and the company of the original New York production singing “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “My White Knight” “Sincere,” “Gary, Indiana,” “Rock Island,” “Pick-a-Little” and “Shipoopi”
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.
 

3.10 Into the Woods! (with Ed Bacon!)

Peter & Nathan welcome a very special guest: the Rev’d Ed Bacon: legendary leader of progressive Christian causes, retired rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, and inveterate Sondheim fan. With Ed’s help, we pull apart the spirituality, theology (and the trichology!) of what is probably Stephen Sondheim’s best-known (and arguably best-loved) musical, the 1987 masterpiece Into the Woods.
 
We talk about:
- The subversive nature of fairy tales, and what we think we’re doing when we tell these stories to children
- What it means to go “into the woods” – and how can we befriend it?
- Being nice, being good, losing our innocence – and what it means to be "white"
- The complicated nature of community, and the promise and threat of the idea that "no one is alone"
- The Gospel as Fairy Tale (with apologies and gratitude for Frederick Buechner’s Telling the Truth, the book that caused at least one of us to become a priest!)
 
You’ll hear:
- Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason and the cast of the Original Broadway Cast Recording (1987) singing “Prologue,” “Giants in the Sky,” “Hello, Little Girl,” “I Know Things Now,” “No One Is Alone”, “Last Midnight,” and “Children Will Listen”
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.

3.9 Sunday in the Park with George!

It's time for Peter’s favorite Sondheim musical: Sunday in the Park with George! Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 musical masterpiece is a beautiful meditation on art and art-making. We love this show, and we hope you will too.
 
We talk about:
- Making art, preaching sermons, and the art of living – and suffering & failure in art... and life
- Noticing & cultivating attention as a spiritual practice
- The relational power of art – and the challenge of living with artists!
- The multi-faceted nature of the word (and the hymn!) "Sunday:" a day of rest, a day of sabbath, the finding of shalom
 
You’ll hear:
-  Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin and the cast of the Original Broadway Cast Recording (1984) singing "Putting It Together," "Finishing the Hat," "We Do Not Belong Together," "Sunday Hymn," "The Day Off," "It’s Hot Up Here," and "Move On"
 
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt.