Biblical Musicals: Learning Lessons from Musicals that Tell Stories From the Bible
by Antonia Spano
The Bible has always inspired artists, both secular and sacred. From Michelangelo to Handel, many have created their own interpretations of God’s message. In the mid-seventeenth century, New York City’s theaters became more popular and the modern musical started to develop with the first one often considered to be The Black Crook in 1866.1 Eventually, these two ideas came together and composers started to write songs that went along with important stories in the Bible that were well known to Christian audiences in the 1970s.
Well known composers and lyricists such as Stephen Schwartz, Richard Rodgers, Tim Rice, Alan Menken and Andrew Lloyd Webber have created masterpieces based on the classic stories that are the foundation of this religion. Knowing which are the most accurate reflections of God and His followers’ teachings is important to Christians as they monitor their media intake in the world.
Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz and John Caird
Schwartz starts off with a musical that tells two stories from Genesis: the story of Adam and Eve’s family, and the story of Noah’s family with the intermission separating them. Originally written in 1986 as a play called Family Tree, John Caird wrote the lyrics to the full musical afterwards, leading to the premiere in 1998. The musical focuses on the relationships between parents and their children: Adam, Eve, and their children; Noah and his wife with their children; Father (God) and His children. In “The Spark of Creation Reprise”, Eve sings that she is scared that Cain is too much like her, showing her love and protectiveness of her children. In “The Hardest Part of Love”, Noah sings how he has to let his son make his own choices, much like how God lets His children make their own decisions.2
Pros: The emphasis on family relationships and unconditional, but righteous, love for each other. Major plot points are followed, so the stories are still recognizable.
Cons: Changing certain plot points, such as Eve turning the fruit to juice so Adam consumes it and Cain killing Abel as a result of fighting with Adam instead of jealousy. The character Yonah is added to Noah’s story in order to cause tension on the ark.
Two by Two by Richard Rodgers and Peter Stone
Written by Richard Rodgers of the group Rogers and Hammerstein, who wrote The Sound of Music and Oklahoma together, this musical focuses solely on Noah and his family. Fans of Rodgers’ other shows can appreciate the style in which the songs were written. The musical premiered on Broadway in November of 1970. Showing the family struggle to build the ark in the first act, Noah starts off asking God “Why Me?” because he feels that he is not qualified, and suggests other people that might be better suited. He also tells Him that “there has to be something that You like” in the “Finale I”, in an effort to save the world. Throughout the show God talks to Noah as the sound of thunder with the help of the orchestra. The second act gives a glimpse of what happened inside the ark and the family dynamics of being quarantined together, something the modern audience can empathize with. Noah again pleads with God when they come out of the Ark at the end in “The Covenant”, proposing that “You don’t destroy the world again, we don’t forget Your name”. In the end, God answers Noah’s final question with the sound of thunder and the renowned rainbow.3
Pros: Modern audiences can relate to the stress of quarantining with family, and it follows the original plot without changing key details; has the classical music of the time period, and Rogers’ other work, that people will like.
Cons: Like Children of Eden, a woman outside of God’s religion boards the ark and marries one of Noah’s sons; adds the fictional animal ‘gitka’ that sings when it's near God.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
In the first of Lloyd Webber’s biblical musicals, the story of Joseph and his brothers comes to life in this sung-through pop musical. It follows the main plot of Joseph’s story and vividly tells the story through snappy songs that leave the audience singing as they walk out, including the emblematic “Joseph’s Coat”. The variety of music genres, from the country-styled “One more Angel in Heaven” to the Elvis-inspired “Song of the King” and “Benjamin Calypso”, promises a favorite song of every audience member, no matter personal taste in music.4 Ending with the family reuniting, the show ends on a high note.
Pros: The audience recognizes all of the brothers and other main characters, memorable songs.
Cons: Doesn’t mention Jacob’s wives’ names or his daughters, Benjamin is born earlier in the story.
Prince of Egypt by Stephen Schwartz and Philip LaZebnik5
In the Bible, Moses is found in the river by the pharaoh's daughter and is raised as her adoptive son. He then has to go up against the pharaoh years later, who is presumably his adoptive relative in some way. Originally a movie by DreamWorks, the 1998 film was adapted into a stage production in 2017 by the same script writer and composer and looks at the relationship between Moses and the pharaoh he defied. Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics to both adaptations of Moses’s story and Philip LaZebnik wrote the script to each as well. The original movie featured six songs sung by cast members, written by Schwartz and produced by Hans Zimmer. The stage musical lists 23 songs, including the six from the original.
Pros: The relationship between Ramses, the pharaoh, and Moses adds another layer of struggle to Moses’ journey to the Promised Land, and allows the audience to mourn for Moses’ relationship with his brother Ramses.
Cons: The Bible is unclear about the name of the Pharaoh and Moses’ adoptive connection to him, making the brotherly relationship between Moses and Ramses to be fictional.
King David by Alan Menken and Tim Rice
King David is technically not a musical but an oratorio, “a large-scale musical composition on a sacred or semisacred subject, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra.”6 It contains 19 songs that are made into two acts. Menken was asked to write it to celebrate the 3000 year anniversary of Jerusalem’s founding, in 1996 at Sultan’s Pool7, however it wasn’t actually performed until May of 1997 on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre.8 The oratorio explains David’s relationship with Saul and how King David founded Jerusalem.
Pros: During “Goliath of Gath”, Goliath claims that he will win and leave David’s body “to the fowls of the air/[...]to the beasts of the field” but after the battle David repeats these lines directing them toward Goliath’s body; The relationship between David and his wife, Michal, is developed through the songs.
Cons: The words of “Psalm 8” are changed and have different implications, takes a psychological perspective on David and shows his darker side that the Bible doesn’t show.
Godspell by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak
A popular musical, Godspell is done with both smaller and larger casts. It depicts Christ teaching His apostles through parables, many of which are acted out by the cast. The only characters with names are Christ, John the Baptist, and Judas, with the rest of the cast going by the actors’ names. John-Michael Tebelak wrote Godspell as his Master’s thesis at Carnegie Mellon in 1970. Stephen Schwartz, another Carnegie Mellon alumnus, signed on to complete the score a year later.9
Pros: Makes Christ’s teachings approachable by focusing on the parables and the apostles’ community with Christ; emphasizes how Christ brought the apostles together, and how they stayed together after His death.
Cons: Only shows Christ’s ministry and does not depict Christ’s resurrection, nor His appearances or Pentecost, which has caused controversy amongst Christian audiences; not all audiences appreciate the aesthetic of the ‘hippie’ movement throughout the show; Jesus kisses Judas instead of the reverse.
Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
The infamous rock musical is arguably the most well-known of those inspired by the Bible. A dean at St. Paul’s school in England suggested that the musical duo team up again after Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat became popular amongst schools. Not finding a producer for the entire show, they wrote one single, "Superstar from the musical Jesus Christ", which led to the concept album. It did well in England but gained the most attention in the United States. 10
Pros: Shows Judas’ internal struggle after he realizes Christ will die, reminds audience that Christ was God and Man ("Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)"), modern style of music is a good way to introduce Christ’s story.
Cons: Only shows Holy Week and does not depict Christ’s resurrection, nor His appearances or Pentecost, which has caused controversy amongst Christian audiences; set in a modern time period.
As Christians monitor their media intake in the world, they should be aware of the liberties these musicals take, as well as the lessons they give. These composers have presented many important biblical figures, including God and Christ, to contemporary audiences in a way that helps us to understand the struggles they have gone through and how their faith guided them. While their interpretations are not always the most accurate depictions, historically or theologically, each teaches the audience something about God and His followers and how modern Christians should follow His teachings.
Tucker, Bruce. “The History of Broadway Theater.” TheaterSeatStore Blog, August 9, 2024. https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/history-of-broadway#:~:text=The%20Black%20Crook,show%20run%20across%201866%20%E2%80%93%2067.
Music Theatre International. “Children of Eden.” Music Theatre International. n.d. Accessed July, 2024. https://www.mtishows.com/children-of-eden.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. “Two by Two - 1970 Broadway.” Rodgers & Hammerstein, July 26, 2022. https://rodgersandhammerstein.com/production/two-by-two/1970-broadway/.
Concord Theatricals. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Concord Theatricals.” Concord Theatricals, n.d. Accessed October, 2024. https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/44899/joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat.
Music Theatre International. “The Prince of Egypt.” Music Theatre International, n.d. Accessed October, 2024. https://www.mtishows.com/the-prince-of-egypt.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Oratorio." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 7, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/art/oratorio.
Berman, Art. “STAGEReady for King David, the Musical?: Producer...” Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1994. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-08-ca-60002-story.html.
Viagas, Robert. “Disney to Reopen New Amsterdam With Menken’s David.” Playbill, August 19, 1996. https://playbill.com/article/disney-to-reopen-new-amsterdam-with-menkens-david-com-329012.
Leach, Ashley. “An Interview With Schwartz.” Wayback Machine, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/20020221204240/http://www.geocities.com/ cugodspell/interview.html.
Crompton, Sarah. “Andrew Lloyd Webber Interview: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ Superstar,” The Telegraph, September 12, 2012, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/9556486/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-interview-the-second-coming-of-Jesus-Christ-Superstar.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first.