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Cotton Patch Gospel | |
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The Greatest Story Ever Retold! | |
Music | Harry Chapin |
Lyrics | Harry Chapin |
Book | Tom Key Russell Treyz |
Basis | Clarence Jordan's translation of the gospels of Matthew and John,The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John |
Premiere | October 21, 1981 |
Cotton Patch Gospel is a musical by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics written by Harry Chapin and produced by Philip M. Getter just after Chapin's death in 1981. It ran off-Broadway at the Lamb's Theatre for 193 performances beginning in October 21, 1981. [1] Based on the book The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John by Clarence Jordan, the story retells the life of Jesus as if in modern day, rural Georgia. Though the setting and the styling of the language greatly differs from the original telling of the Gospels the plot structure and the message of the story stays true to the historical recording in The Gospel of Matthew.[2]
Using a southern reinterpretation of the gospel story, the musical is often performed in a one-man show format with an accompanying quartet of bluegrass musicians, although a larger cast can also be used. A video recording of the play was released in 1988 with Tom Key as the leading actor.
Plot[edit]
The story begins with the story of a young couple. Mary is engaged to Joe Davidson ('David's Son' referring to the lineage of Christ coming through the line of David). Even though she is a virgin, she is found to be with child before they are married. This child is conceived of the Holy Spirit. Joe considers not going through with the marriage, but is visited by an angel who tells him that it is the will of God that is occurring and not foul play, so he marries his girl. Due to an income tax audit, they must then travel to Gainesville; on the way, Mary suddenly goes into labor. There's no room for them at the Dixie Delight Motor Lodge, but the manager helps Joe break into an abandoned trailer out back, where the baby, Jesus, is born: 'They wrapped him in a comforter and laid him in an apple crate'. Jesus grows up like no other child in Georgia with his neighbors befuddled and his parents often at a loss as to what to do. Jesus then is baptized by a wild preacher named John the Baptizer, and begins to teach the people and convince the disciples. He shares with them the love and peace he offers, and miraculously heals and feeds many. During this time Jesus gathers a band of constant followers (known as the Apostles in the Bible.) This group eventually heads off to Atlanta with a mixed air of excitement and foreboding.
Characters[edit]
The main characters are Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Pontius Pilate, John the Baptist, Caiaphas, Herod, Apostle Peter, Apostle Matthew
Musical score[edit]
- 'Something's Brewing in Gainesville'
- 'I Did It/Mama Is Here'
- 'It Isn't Easy'
- 'Sho Nuff'
- 'Turn It Around'
- 'When I Look Up'
- 'Busy Signals'
- 'Spitball'
- 'Going to Atlanta'
- 'Are We Ready?'
- 'You are Still My Boy'
- 'We Gotta Get Organized'
- 'We're Gonna Love It While It Lasts'
- 'Jubilation'
- 'The Last Supper'
- 'Jud'
- 'Thank God for Governor Pilate'
- 'One More Tomorrow'
- 'Well I Wonder'
Production[edit]
The musicians appear on stage and incorporated into the acting.
The rephrasing of well known scripture into the context and colloquial language of the south eastern region of the United States provides humor in the production lines delivered out of their familiar scriptural language.
- Jesus: [after being tested by the devil] 'I passed.'; and Matthew: 'And then angels appeared with a sack of chili cheese dogs for him.'
- Instead of: Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
- Jesus: 'Men don't live by grits alone.'
- Instead of: Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’'[3]
References[edit]
- ^'Cotton Patch Gospel - The Guide to Musical Theatre'. www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
- ^'Cotton Patch Gospel'. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
- ^'Matthew 4:1-11 NIV - - Bible Gateway'. www.biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cotton_Patch_Gospel&oldid=930722120'
About the PlayCotton Patch Gospel premiered at the Lamb's Theater in New York City on October 21, 1981. Written by Tom Keyand Russell Treyz, and with music and lyrics by Harry Chapin, Cotton Patch Gospel adapted Clarence Jordan's 'Cotton Patch' versions of the gospels of Matthew and John for the stage. Though less widely known than the other gospel musicals of its era (Godspell andJesus Christ, Superstar), Cotton Patch Gospel is an underappreciated gem of musical theater.
Between 1968 and 1973, Dr. Clarence Jordan, a Southern Baptist minister, published four books where he translated the NewTestament into colloquial Southern language. These 'Cotton Patch' versions were brought to the attention of Tom Key, an Atlanta actorand playwright, when he was contemplating a play that would transplant the story of Jesus into the mid-20th century American South. Jordan's versions already featured the Southern-ized Christ that Key was thinking of. Jesus Davidson was born in the town of Gainesville, Georgia, and was laid in an apple crate. He was baptized in the Chattahoochee River, he preached to a crowd of thousands on Stone Mountain, and he met his end in Atlanta. Key built upon Jordan's work,making additions and changes such as the decision to have Jesus lynched rather than crucified.
![Gospel Gospel](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Rt2WhktEtJA/RsJkmLXbujI/AAAAAAAAAiE/u4Z70xrt2Kk/s320/CPG+GOOD.jpg)
With Jordan's versions as his source material, Key, together with Russell Treyz, wrote the book for the stage play. The music for the production was written and composed by the legendary Harry Chapin, in what would eventually prove to be his finalmusical work. In all, Chapin produced 26 songs for the show, many of them in a bluegrass style befitting the play's setting.Chapin finished his contribution in June 1981, and was unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident on July 16, 1981.
Although originally written as a one-man show with musical accompaniment, Cotton Patch Gospel can be made to accomodate any number of actors. Licensing for productions is available exclusively through the Dramatic Publishing Company. Tom Key continues to perform the showevery few years, most recently with his own theater company, the Theatrical Outfit in downtown Atlanta. A filmed 1988 production, starring Key, is out-of-print but is available for streaming, and the original cast soundtrack is available on digital and CD.
Given the amount of public familiarity with Cotton Patch Gospel, and in particular its limited recognition online, it is the goal and hope of this website to spread and encourage awareness and appreciation of the show.