Godspell Character Breakdowns

Jesus- Must be the most charismatic individual in the cast. High enegy, charming, funny, gentle but with stregnth. He is the sort of person others instinctively follow.

John the Baptist/Judas- He has attributes of both Biblical figures: he is both Jesus' lieutenant and most ardent disciple and the doubter who begins to question and rebel. Like Jesus, he is also charismatic, but in more of an overt revolutionary way. Usually played by someone handsome and masculine, with an undertone of sexuality. He is the most "serious" and intellectual of the group, though as with all the actors, he must still possess a good sense of physical comedy.

Jeffrey- Very high energy. Impish and playful. In the original, he played several musical instruments, including concertina and recorder.

Lamar- Not the brightest in the bunch, he is a little slow on the uptake. But there is a great sweetness and innocence about him. Because he sings "All Good Gifts," he must be a very good singer.

Herb- The comedian, the class clown. The guy who can do a hundred voices and imitations. This is also the role that sings the least, so it is wise to cast it for a comedian rather than a vocalist.

Robin- A bit of a tomboy, but basically open and sweet. She is the first of the group to commit to following Jesus in the song "Day by Day."

Joanne- The confident one, the show-off. The first one to vounteer, sometimes jumps in before she really understands what's going on.

Peggy- The shy one. Sometimes a little slow to get things, but when she does, she commits all the way. Has an "earth mother" kind of warmth to her.

Sonia- Sassy and slightly cynical, the most urban of the group. Also the "sexy" one, but her sexiness contains a large element of put-on, in the manner of Mae West or Madonna(who in fact once played this role).

Gilmer- The female equivalent of the class clown. Goofy and a cut-up. this is the female role that sings least, and therefore should be cast with a strong comedienne.

In addition to each individual being able to stand out, it is important that all be able to function as an ensemble, without any feeling that any one(other than Jesus) stands out above the others. Other important traits to look for in casting are comic ability and skill at improvisation.

The notes are from Stephen Schwartz and were taken directly from the MTI Godspell Libretto/Vocal Book.