Via Zoom: Day by Day with Robin Lamont of 1973’s ‘Godspell’

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CHICAGO – Easter has just passed, and one of the film traditions during that holiday is the musical “Godspell.” This 1973 classic retells the story of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Matthew, through a group of hippie performers, including Victor Garber as Jesus. Robin Lamont sings the signature song in the show, “Day by Day.”

The one actor to go all the way through each iteration of the play – from its origins to Off-Off/Off Broadway to the the film version to Broadway – is Robin Lamont. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired composer Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) to create the now classic soundtrack.

Robin Lamont in ‘Godspell’ (1973)
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainmen

The musical opened Off-Broadway on May 17th, 1971, five months before the similarly themed “Jesus Christ Superstar” had their Broadway debut. The film version, directed by British filmmaker David Greene, used New York City as their setting in 1972. The Broadway version debuted in 1976.

Robin Lamont also was the “performer disciple” who would sing “Day by Day,” the most recognizable song from the show. Her version would go to number 13 on the charts in 1972, listed as performed by “Godspell.” She acted in films and stage shows – including the debut of singer James Taylor’s “Working” – until the end of the 1970s, when a interest in private investigation (her day job) led to a law degree. She has worked in that field, and is currently an author. Her last three books are “The Kinship Series” about an investigator who also is an animal-rights preservationist. She currently lives on the East Coast.

In PART ONE of an interview Via Zoom with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Robin Lamont of “Godspell” talks about her I-was-there origins for the show, all the way to filming the movie …

In PART TWO, Robin philosophizes on the Twin Towers and “All for the Best” and talks about her post-Godspell life …

The Kinship Series, written by Robin Lamont, is available through Amazon and her website, CLICK HERE.

MORE GODSPELL! Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on Ian Simmon’s KICKING THE SEAT YouTube series to discuss the iconic movie, which was the inspiration to contact Ms. Lamont. CLICK HERE!

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor, Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com