The Gospel of Musical Theatre

BONUS: Schmigadoon – Season 2!

Schmigadoon is back on Apple TV! The second season takes us in a slightly different direction, and today we explore the theology of the musicals being lovingly spoofed by "Schmicago" and wonder what it means that "every day can be a happy beginning."
(By the way... if you missed our episode on Schmigadoon Season 1, you can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts!)
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We talk about:
– The power of parables, and how stories can (and can’t) transform us.
– The theology of the Broadway musicals of the 60s & 70s, steeped in sex & nihilism, and how Schmicago navigates – and ultimately rejects – that theology.
– The show’s ending, and what kind of theology is implicit in the final number.
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You’ll hear:  Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Tituss Burgess, Dove Cameron, Aaron Tveit and the cast of Schmigadoon Season 2.
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Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

Introducing... The Gospel of Musical Theatre!

If you're just joining us... It's priestly, it's profane, it's the queerest thing we've ever done – it's the Gospel of Musical Theatre, the podcast that dives deep into the spirituality of musical theatre!
When we can't find any spiritual themes to talk about, we talk about the clothes and the chorus boys.
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Previous seasons:
Season 1:  Rodgers & Hammerstein
Season 2:  Lerner & Loewe
Season 3:  Stephen Sondheim
Season 4:  Andrew Lloyd Weber
Season 5:  Barbra Streisand
Season 6:  Movie Musical Madness!
Season 7:  Political Rundown (Cabaret, Ragtime & more)
Bonus episodes:
Schmigadoon, Season 1
Schmigadoon, Season 2
Steven Spielberg's West Side Story
The Music Man (Pride Edition!)
Sondheim & Judaism
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Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
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Meet the Hosts:
Nathan LeRud is a native Oregonian, a pastor’s kid, and a musical theatre geek. With degrees in theology (General Theological Seminary) and English (Whitman College), his great loves are teaching the Bible, exploring Oregon history, attending vintage matinees at the Hollywood Theatre and finding the intersection of popular culture and religion. Nathan is currently Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He also knows how to clog.
Peter Elliott has loved musical theatre his whole life. At age 12, he appeared as Oliver Twist in a semi-professional production of Oliver! During his time as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was the location of many musical theatre productions, including a memorable three night revue of the work of Stephen Sondheim September in the Cathedral with Sondheim, and Jubilation: 125 Years of Musical Theatre.
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Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

4.6 Starlight Express & Sunset Boulevard!

Nathan and Peter welcome Ian Farthing, Vancouver-based actor & director and one of the original London ushers for the West End Production of Starlight Express (1984). We explore the theology & themes of Starlight Express – as well as Lloyd Webber’s more recent musical Sunset Boulevard (1993).
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We talk about:
– Theatre as a vocation, and how vocations – religious or artistic – change over the course of a life.
– Where does “the power to move” come from – and how do we learn to run the race with integrity?
– Donald Trump? – Who knew (other than Peter!) that Trump’s favorite film is Sunset Boulevard?
– Nothing: We gossip about our favorite Norma Desmonds, and come to no real theological conclusions (but we do know we love flannel on a man!)
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You’ll hear:
– Excerpts from the original cast recording of Starlight Express (1984)
– Betty Buckley performing “With One Look” live at Carnegie Hall (2006)
– Patti LuPone singing “As If We Never Said Goodbye” and “The Lady’s Paying” from the Original London Cast Recording of Sunset Boulevard (1993)
– Rex Smith & Anita Louise Combe singing “Sunset Boulevard” & “Too Much In Love To Care” from the Canadian Cast Recording of Sunset Boulevard (1996)
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).
 

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 – a troubling story about abuse, lust, and the power of music.. and one of the most successful & beloved musicals of all time.
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We talk about:
– The Phantom:  Is the Phantom (or "Erik" as he’s known in the original novel) a serpent or a savior?
– The Ick Factor:  What is this relationship between Christine and the Phantom? An abusive mentor relationship? Forbidden love? Artistic partnership? Or is it just a classic Gothic obsession?
– Power & Patriarchy:  How did power and patriarchy operate in the Victorian world of the Paris Opera – and in the 1980s world of rock musicals?
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You’ll hear:
– Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and the cast of the 1988 Broadway Cast Recording.
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@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.
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We talk about:
– Names (cats & humans!) – the names that culture and society give us, and the ineffable name that is known only to God.
– Are the cats the Seven Deadly Sins? – and whether or not this is a morality play (...it might just be 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?”)
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You’ll hear Betty Buckley, Ken Page, Terrance Mann, and the cast of the 1983 Broadway Cast Recording.
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).
 

4.3 Evita!

It's 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).
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We wonder:
– Whose Politics are These? What does the musical say about Argentinian politics, British politics, and maybe even North American politics?
– Is Evita a Saint? If Eva Peron is beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, what will that mean about how she is remembered?
– Power & Poverty: 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?
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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
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).
 

4.2 Jesus Christ Superstar!

It's finally here... Today, we turn to the Gospel According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: the Biblical rock-opera phenomenon that is Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)!
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We talk about:
– Groovy Gospel: The context of the late 60s/early 70s that gave rise to a rock opera treatment of the Jesus story
– Eroticism: 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 & Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar and in the New Testament and what responsibility Christians bear in challenging it.
– Christology: 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.
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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.
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).
 

4.1 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

We're baaaackkkk! We're kicking 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!
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We talk about:
- Church Music vs Pop: 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 and contemporary pop psychology and musicals. Is it really true that, as Joseph sings, "any dream will do?"
- The Problems of the Bible: 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
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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).
________________________________
Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.
________________________________
Check out some of our all-time favorites!
Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!
________________________________
Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).