Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC) - General Discussion

[Inquisitionist]

The Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL did an amazing production of JCS last year -- I saw it twice.  Here's a clip of Evan Tyrone Martin's rendition of Gethsemane.  Mykal Kilgore was a sensational Judas.  You can find other youtube clips from this production, which had an all-Black cast.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I'Ve owned a copy of “Rock Opera” by Nassour and Broderick for several decades now; guess i should actually read it. :)

Haha, I have one too!

[Tunia]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

That said, I loved it! LOVED IT! I do wish that Jesus had rocked out the "I DIE!" more during Gethsemane and that Alice had done a little more though. And that they'd shown the actors coming out at the end to bow and be admired and gesture to the band. I like that shit.

Ohhhhh...did you bow out too soon, TattleTeeny?  They DID come back after a commercial break to do just that!

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Notwisconsin said:

There's lots of people who hate-watch JCS 

Exactly.  And even if the uber-religious right wing zealots opted out of watching, believe me, it won't stop them from making a stink about it.  But so far the only bitching I've heard about was Bill O'Reilly tweeting about the cast having tattoos, only to be hilariously and epicly shut down by John Legend's wife.

[TattleTeeny]

35 minutes ago, Tunia said:

Ohhhhh...did you bow out too soon, TattleTeeny?  They DID come back after a commercial break to do just that!

Damn! My DVR bowed out, not me! Sacrilege!

[ctmd]

I  have loved JCS the movie since i was a kid (over 20years ago?!), and I was struck by how this staging seemed to really focus the story so much more on the relationship between Judas and Jesus for me, with Judas being the real lead character here, where the movie seemed to be more focused on Jesus to me. I'm sure a lot of it also had to do with just how amazing the actor playing Judas in this production was compared to everyone else. Jon Legend is an amazing song writer with an incredibly emotive voice, but his face has no emotion whatsoever. I really got very little from him until the very end when the emotion level was supposed to be at 110% (and his face reached about 60%?). I also was very disappointed by Alice Cooper's performance. He sounded great, but he barely moved. And Jon Legend barely moved. That song was a hoot in the movie version, and in this version, if it weren't for the dancing girls hamming it up, it could have just been a performance by two cardboard cutouts!

[backgroundnoise]

I love JCSS, and somewhat ironically, it was great history lesson for me.  Even after 8 years of Catholic school education, I had no idea why Jesus was crucified, how Romans, Pilate, and Herod all figured in the power hierarchy.  The "We are occupied" line actually made me do some questioning on what that meant.  

I grew up in a conservative small Wisconsin town and was rather surprised my parents let me get the album when it first came out (I was in 8th grade at the time).  Even the nuns at school played parts of it in class.  But they didn't explain much about what it actually meant.

Re the live performance:  I loved it, loved it, loved it, although I was disappointed in both Gethsemane and Alice Cooper.  He was hammy enough, but he talk-sang too much instead of just singing.   Loved him working the crowd, though--perfect for the character.

Edited April 2, 2018 by backgroundnoise

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Exactly.  And even if the uber-religious right wing zealots opted out of watching, believe me, it won't stop them from making a stink about it.  But so far the only bitching I've heard about was Bill O'Reilly

So in other words: the uber-religious right wing zealots weren't making a stink.

I know some perfectly lovely churchgoing people of a Certain Age, who might like it if they saw it, but haven't been moved to do so, and have yet to bring it up in conversation.  This does not make them zealots.  About Scrabble games, maybe. 

I'd get this line of debate if the production was being picketed.  But it wasn't, so far as I know.  So why even bring up who *might have been offended*?

18 minutes ago, backgroundnoise said:

 The "We are occupied" line actually made me do some questioning on what that meant.  

 

"We are occupied!!  Have you forgotten how put down we are??"  -- the biggest gutpunch from "Heaven on Their Minds".

[Omeletsmom]

On 4/1/2018 at 7:42 PM, Snow Apple said:

I'm sure John is great in his concerts but he just doesn't have a "musical theater" voice so, to me, he's being out performed by everyone else so far.

 

I feel like he has the voice (I was pleasantly surprised), but not the presence. 

But I do not consider Jesus the main character of this show anyway; for me, it's all about Judas.

On 4/1/2018 at 8:09 PM, kirinan said:

I don't know about this one. John Legend is actually quite good, which I didn't expect; I thought his voice might not be strong enough. However, there's too much visual and aural noise for my tastes. The sets and costuming look like Mad Max meets Blade Runner, and the performers are getting lost in the waving scarves and wild dancing and all the background noise from the audience and even from the chorus when they're not singing. Maybe I'm too old or out of touch to appreciate innovative staging, but I'm not really impressed. 

I might have agreed with you 10 years ago; I saw David Tennant in Hamlet at Stratford-Upon-Avon and really did not like it;  I wanted my Shakespeare, you know,  Shakesepearean.   But I have seen  LOT of theater in the last 10 years (it helps that one of my kids is a costume tech at one of the US's most prominent Shakespeare companies) and I have come to appreciate the modern staging and costuming.  I feel like it brings a freshness and relevance to the shows that increases my enjoyment and  adds new dimensions to the works.

I'm not saying everyone should agree with me; just trying to express that I used to be unnerved and unsettled by this type of staging, but now I really like it.

(Watching this the day after)

Not terribly impressed with Legend kicking out the money lenders.  It's more like he was telling the kids to get off of his lawn.

[meep.meep]

15 hours ago, goodbunny said:

Like someone said upthread, it was the Marcy Avenue Armory in Brooklyn. The inside was a crazy maze of scaffolding and curtains all over (when they led us to our seats, I thought, "We will all die if there's an emergency in here.") The stars had trailers across the street in a vacant parking lot, next to the luxury portapotties everyone had to use since there were no facilities on the premises. (So I got to pass the paparazzi and autograph seekers and pretend I was fabulous during the pre-show bathroom run.) They had a giant A/C unit that they'd crank up during commerical breaks since it was too loud to run during the show. It was a weird setup! 

How lucky that you got to see this in person! 

To me, the real stars of this production were the director, the sets, the lighting, and the setting.  They transformed it from a filmed stage play into a real viewing experience.  There were shots I doubt that anyone in the audience saw, and they were compelling shots that advanced the emotion of what was going on.  There was one with Jesus and the followers ringed around him, and it switched to an overhead camera so you could see the ring, and then pulled up high so the ring looked really small and was surrounded by blackness.  A small band of believers surrounded by a vast emptiness of unbelief.

That was the big difference between this and the other live musicals that have been on television recently.  They had just fixed cameras filming stages, this pushed the envelope and did much more.

PBS has been running a lot of Broadway shows recently.  I tune in and tune back out because they seem so terribly artificial.  This didn't.

[Thumper]

First time seeing this show.  Can someone explain the purpose of the Judas song at the end, after his death, where he comes back all glitzy?  I enjoyed it, but don't understand the significance.  Is he an angel?

Thanks.

[Omeletsmom]

16 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I'm kinda wishing I had recorded it to watch later and skip the commercials.  But then I'd have missed all this lovely chat!

One of the reasons I am watching it today...

[backgroundnoise]

15 minutes ago, Thumper said:

First time seeing this show.  Can someone explain the purpose of the Judas song at the end, after his death, where he comes back all glitzy?  I enjoyed it, but don't understand the significance.  Is he an angel?

I've always just thought it as a way for Judas to comment on things happening after both his and Jesus' deaths. "Did you know your messy death would be a record-breaker?"  Although, "no mass communication" rather loses its bite with cell phones all over the place!  And I agree with others that Judas is the main character, so to me it's fitting he gets both the first and last word.

I don't remember how other productions had Judas dress during this scene, but the glitz worked perfectly for this one, IMHO. 

[Browncoat]

23 minutes ago, Omeletsmom said:

One of the reasons I am watching it today...

To skip the commercials, or to miss the lovely chat?

[Omeletsmom]

I think the problem I am having with Legend is that, even when he is not smiling, he looks faintly amused.  It's just his face.  He just has that cute mischievous baby face.

Now that someone mentioned that he may have a cold/flu, I think I can really hear it in Gethsemane.  He really has done better than I expected vocally.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Omeletsmom
. =/= ,

[ancslove]

I liked the silver glitz for the Superstar number.  The Carl Anderson movie had him in Angel White, and I’ve also seen Satanic Red and Black, in either the 2000 movie or 2012 arena show, I forget which.  

[Omeletsmom]

The DELIGHT on that one guy's face in the audience shot during Herod's number!

[Sile]

16 minutes ago, ancslove said:

I liked the silver glitz for the Superstar number.  The Carl Anderson movie had him in Angel White, and I’ve also seen Satanic Red and Black, in either the 2000 movie or 2012 arena show, I forget which.  

It reminded me a lot of the Bye Bye Life number in All That Jazz.  I loved it.

FOSSE!!

Edited April 2, 2018 by Sile

[Silver Raven]

17 minutes ago, Omeletsmom said:

The DELIGHT on that one guy's face in the audience shot during Herod's number!

Was he in the audience?  I thought he was one of the ensemble.

[janeta]

44 minutes ago, backgroundnoise said:

I've always just thought it as a way for Judas to comment on things happening after both his and Jesus' deaths. "Did you know your messy death would be a record-breaker?"  Although, "no mass communication" rather loses its bite with cell phones all over the place!  And I agree with others that Judas is the main character, so to me it's fitting he gets both the first and last word.

I don't remember how other productions had Judas dress during this scene, but the glitz worked perfectly for this one, IMHO. 

The original lyric was "Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication"  which is also a little off, all of this having taken place in ~30 A.D. 

[satrunrose]

37 minutes ago, Thumper said:

First time seeing this show.  Can someone explain the purpose of the Judas song at the end, after his death, where he comes back all glitzy?  I enjoyed it, but don't understand the significance.  Is he an angel?

Thanks.

I think it's open to a lot of interpretation (I lean in the angel direction myself). Mostly, I think in Superstar, Judas is speaking for the audience and some of the questions we (as a more secular group) have about the Passion and the Crucifixion. Keep in mind, a lot of that comes from looking at the way Webber and Rice did more or less the same thing with Che in Evita, so grain of salt and all that.

[Silver Raven]

18 minutes ago, janeta said:

The original lyric was "Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication"  which is also a little off, all of this having taken place in ~30 A.D. 

He's talking about when Jesus arrived.  When he was born.

[janeta]

Just now, Silver Raven said:

He's talking about when Jesus arrived.  When he was born.

Ahh OK

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

To me, the real stars of this production were the director, the sets, the lighting, and the setting.  They transformed it from a filmed stage play into a real viewing experience.  There were shots I doubt that anyone in the audience saw, and they were compelling shots that advanced the emotion of what was going on.  There was one with Jesus and the followers ringed around him, and it switched to an overhead camera so you could see the ring, and then pulled up high so the ring looked really small and was surrounded by blackness.  A small band of believers surrounded by a vast emptiness of unbelief.

Yeah, this production was simply amazing.  I also loved the sequence after the arrest, with the scrum of journalists, including one of the actual cameramen for the production--the director switched to his feed several times, giving us at home a look from inside the mob, which was a perspective those in the theatre didn't get.  I was also amused by the guy recording the whole arrest on the cell phone...which Peter chucked away a few minutes later during his denial.

I also have to give mad props to that ensemble.  They danced their ASSES off.

1 hour ago, backgroundnoise said:

I don't remember how other productions had Judas dress during this scene, but the glitz worked perfectly for this one, IMHO. 

Our high school production, which had Biblically-inspired costuming overall (robes, head coverings, bare feet) had Judas in a striped garment with a houndstooth robe over it for most of the show--he stood out visually from the rest of the cast, who were in creams, taupes, and muted colors--until Superstar, where he wore a pearlescent white body stocking with a flowy, capelike thing over it.  It was a look...one the poor guy hasn't lived down 30 years later, as one of our classmates posted a picture on Facebook last night :)

50 minutes ago, Omeletsmom said:

The DELIGHT on that one guy's face in the audience shot during Herod's number!

The guy who was clasping his hands together in front of his chest and BEAMING like he truly was seeing the face of god?  He was adorable!

[Omeletsmom]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

To skip the commercials, or to miss the lovely chat?

To skip the commercials, but mainly because I have very, very high standards for this show.  I was one of those that wore out the original concept album; it paid a large part in my personal faith journey and I was concerned they would not do it justice.  Over all, I am satisfied, despite John Legend's weaknesses and the minor lyrical changes.

53 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Was he in the audience?  I thought he was one of the ensemble.

He looked like an audience member to me, but I could be wrong.  He was enraptured.

13 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

 

The guy who was clasping his hands together in front of his chest and BEAMING like he truly was seeing the face of god?  He was adorable!

Yes!  Him!

[Lovecat]

8 minutes ago, Omeletsmom said:

He looked like an audience member to me, but I could be wrong.  He was enraptured.

I'm pretty sure he was an audience member.  He was standing, and all of the ensemble members were sitting at the edge of the stage.  I kind of loved when they did the "NOT WORTHY" bow and scrape when Alice Cooper came out.  That's where the show is starting to get really dark, and any sort of levity that can be injected into Herod's number, even of the meta nature, is great.  See also: Alice Cooper waving off applause with one hand while encouraging it with the other--totally in character for Herod, but a little wink-wink, nudge-nudge to the fact that this was Alice Freaking Cooper we were seeing.

I know some people complained about the audience being too loud, or too intrusive, and while I agree that the sound engineer needed to make some tweaks after the first set so the singers weren't overpowered by the crowd, I actually really liked that the audience was PART of the production.  When John Legend walked the front of the stage, slapping hands with audience members, it wasn't John Legend, and those weren't audience members--he was Jesus, greeting His followers.  I saw someone say (maybe not on this board) that the audience needed to be reminded how to behave at the theatre--well shit, man, I disagree!  This wasn't Oklahoma!, for Pete's sake, it was a rock opera EVENT.  The music is powerful, the story intense; if you're not physically and emotionally spent at the end, then you haven't done it right.  I'm an agnostic on most days, an atheist on some, and even *I* feel the spirit when I'm moshing out to "Simon Zealotes" and "Superstar"!

And I simply cannot say enough about that final scene.  The crucifixion and ascension were just breathtaking.  Really powerful.  

[HoneyBadgerJr]

Sorry - didn't realize what I said had already been said...

Edited April 2, 2018 by HoneyBadgerJr
Didn't see post pointing out information

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, voiceover said:

So in other words: the uber-religious right wing zealots weren't making a stink.

I know some perfectly lovely churchgoing people of a Certain Age, who might like it if they saw it, but haven't been moved to do so, and have yet to bring it up in conversation.  This does not make them zealots.  About Scrabble games, maybe. 

I'd get this line of debate if the production was being picketed.  But it wasn't, so far as I know.  So why even bring up who *might have been offended*?

Spoke too soon

Okay maybe they weren't "making a stink" or picketing it but they were still dissing it for the same dumb reasons: the open-minded portrayal of Judas, the romance with Mary Magdalene, Jesus having doubts, etc...

Everyone is welcome to their own opinions, of course, and not everyone can be classified as a zealot. But calling it sacrilegious is a little much, don't you think.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

3 hours ago, Thumper said:

First time seeing this show.  Can someone explain the purpose of the Judas song at the end, after his death, where he comes back all glitzy?  I enjoyed it, but don't understand the significance.  Is he an angel?

Thanks.

The greatest heresy of the theology of this show is that Judas had his free will taken away because someone HAD to betray Jesus that the prophesy be validated.  Judas is essentially a victim, per the outlook of the show.  As such, it would be natural for God to welcome him into His kingdom for having done His bidding.  That is what we saw.  There are very, very, many, many who see Judas as almost irredeemable due to his choice of suicide, on top of the ultimate betrayal.  They object to the "successful" or "triumphant" Judas portrayed at the end.

There is far more to everything, but this is, again, the basic issue.  I have my personal opinions as to what is the correct theology, but this is not the place for such.  I do love this show.  Very much.  It is also true that it gets one heckuva lot very right, from a Roman Catholic POV.

YMMV!!!!!!!!

[goodbunny]

3 hours ago, meep.meep said:

There was one with Jesus and the followers ringed around him, and it switched to an overhead camera so you could see the ring, and then pulled up high so the ring looked really small and was surrounded by blackness.  A small band of believers surrounded by a vast emptiness of unbelief.

There were some moments that I was eager to see how they played out on TV, and this was definitely one of them. When I saw the overhead remote camera go in for that shot, I thought, "This is going to look amazing on the broadcast."

Re: John Legend's vocals being affected by illness...His performance of "Gethsemane" was stronger during the rehearsal, and he totally nailed the challenging notes that seemed a stretch last night. I got the sense that some of the performers were vocally exhausted by the time the end of the live broadcast rolled around (Ben Daniels is another one that comes to mind).

In defense of the audience being annoying, we were explicitly told to be high energy and treat it like a rock concert. (Although I was exchanging side-eye with the people around me when both Judas and Jesus died, because it was like, "WOOOO JOHN LEGEND YOU GO...wait. Should we be clapping here?") The sound level issues were worse at the rehearsal, with the chorus being almost inaudible at times, so I was bummed it was still an issue during the broadcast.

[Notwisconsin]

4 hours ago, backgroundnoise said:

I love JCSS, and somewhat ironically, it was great history lesson for me.  Even after 8 years of Catholic school education, I had no idea why Jesus was crucified, how Romans, Pilate, and Herod all figured in the power hierarchy.  The "We are occupied" line actually made me do some questioning on what that meant. 

The answer is simple: "Driving the moneychangers out of the Temple courtyard" was basically starting a riot and under the Roman laws at the time, it was treason and  literally punishable by death. But the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John had to make it more complicated than that in order to make the Romans innocent while demonizing the Jews. But as I said in an earlier post, the thing isn't about the accurate history of the times There's a really good PBS history special on the subject, and it doesn't have any singing and dancing. After that you should check out I Claudius.

[Mockingbird]

While everyone’s sharing stellar Gethsemane performances, I’ll humbly submit Drew Sarich, whose Judas was also phenomenal: 

 

As for the glitz of Superstar, that’s where last night’s performance most felt like a “live in concert event.” In my favorite productions, rather than just a glitzy number, it’s Judas pissed off at how this has all gone down but really wanting to know why it’s happening and why it had to happen to them. Since all of the Jerome Pradon fans are coming out of the woodwork (hi, fellow fans!), I would point to his Superstar making a lot more sense, even if BVD’s rendition was vocally superior. The 73 movie had Judas looking down and singing to Jesus, too. It makes less sense if Jesus can’t be onstage because he’s being all harnessed up to safely fly offstage (which was an amazing visual.) 

And here is the super delighted audience member during Herod’s song! It’s just the cutest.

 

 

[unicorn23]

21 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Yes, currently obsessed w/ Waitress cast recording (and have previously been obsessed with JCS, Evita, and Phantom cast recordings) so can confirm :)

 

18 hours ago, dbell1 said:

Sorry that Sara leaves Waitress before I can get to the show later this month. She gave me chills during I Don't...

 

I only watched this because Sara was involved and despite me not usually being a musical fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Kudos to everyone involved because it was definitely a spectacular event and I'm sure everyone is thrilled that it all went smoothly. Practice pays off! Sara sounded beautiful on all of her songs and even though I've been a fan for years, every time she opens her mouth to sing, I am always in awe of her talent. It never fails to give me goosebumps.

I have seen Sara on Waitress three times and she was phenomenal for all three performances. I wouldn't be surprised if she abandons her career as a pop singer (which I hope she doesn't) because she is absolutely thriving on Broadway and how that community has embraced her. She already has another musical in the works (an adaptation of Alice In Wonderland with Duncan Sheik) and it's still in the early stages, but I wouldn't hold my breath for her to release a new album this year even though she said she's working on it (as if she has the time).

[janeta]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Spoke too soon

Okay maybe they weren't "making a stink" or picketing it but they were still dissing it for the same dumb reasons: the open-minded portrayal of Judas, the romance with Mary Magdalene, Jesus having doubts, etc...

Everyone is welcome to their own opinions, of course, and not everyone can be classified as a zealot. But calling it sacrilegious is a little much, don't you think.

Good article; thx for the link.

[TattleTeeny]

4 hours ago, ancslove said:

I liked the silver glitz for the Superstar number.  The Carl Anderson movie had him in Angel White, and I’ve also seen Satanic Red and Black, in either the 2000 movie or 2012 arena show, I forget which.  

I saw a metallic cobalt blue suit in the production I went to a few years ago--I loved it!

[ClareWalks]

For some reason I find it really reassuring when Judas is an angel (either 1970s-version literally, or BVD's spangled tank top ensemble) at the end. I'm like "yay! He wasn't damned for all time!"

[JasminePhyllisia]

22 hours ago, Browncoat said:

OMG -- Brandon Victor Dixon!!!!!!!!!!!  I must see him live in something.  Anything will do.

I'm with you on that--amazing performance!

As far as the question about "We are occupied," Jerusalem was occupied by Rome, which is why Caesar was consulted about crucifying Jesus.  (Hope I'm right.)

[NoWhammies]

I saw Tim Neeley and Carl Anderson in a traveling production of JCSS in Seattle in either the 80s or 90s, and it was fantastic. I have to say, with those powerhouse performances in my mind, I was slightly concerned about how I'd feel about this production - but I loved it. I thought it was incredibly well done. I thought Legend was the weak link acting-wise, but I didn't have any complaints about his singing, and I sort of liked his more resigned version of Gethsemane as opposed to Tim Neeley's passionate version. I loved the staging and costumes, as well. And damn did I love all of the performers. I didn't really feel like there was anyone in the cast worthy of complaining about. 

I watched it on Hulu so missed all the commercials. Even the breaks where it was clear they went to commercial and came back were distracting to me though. I understand it was for the staging, but to me it's like listening to something like Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall on digital media - where it puts breaks between songs digitally where there should be no break because the songs flowed into one another back on the vinyl album (yep, I'm that old). It takes away from the flow. 

With that small nitpick aside, I thought this was stellar, and probably the best of the "musical on TV" genre that have come along in the past few years.

[Hanahope]

I thought Judas in the glittery silver was another ode to the 30 pieces of silver.

i liked the production , everyone did very well. 

The ending was fantastic with the light in the cross. 

I just hated all the commercial breaks.  That is the one part of seeing musicals on tv that’s bad.

[RedheadZombie]

6 hours ago, Thumper said:

First time seeing this show.  Can someone explain the purpose of the Judas song at the end, after his death, where he comes back all glitzy?  I enjoyed it, but don't understand the significance.  Is he an angel?

Thanks.

The imagery is even more confusing in the movie - check out the clips on youtube if you can.  Judas actually comes down hanging from a star.  He's bedecked in a blazing white jumpsuit with foot-long fringe hanging from his arms.  His back up "soul sisters" are wearing white afro-wigs, bare midrifs, and go go boots.   As a kid I definitely thought he was in heaven with his angel backup dancers.  I guess having him dance amidst the burning fires of hell would destroy the effect.

[RedheadZombie]

56 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

For some reason I find it really reassuring when Judas is an angel (either 1970s-version literally, or BVD's spangled tank top ensemble) at the end. I'm like "yay! He wasn't damned for all time!"

I thought the same when I was a kid, only to learn that Jesus calls Judas damned even before the betrayal (in the bible).

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, JasminePhyllisia said:

I'm with you on that--amazing performance!

As far as the question about "We are occupied," Jerusalem was occupied by Rome, which is why Caesar was consulted about crucifying Jesus.  (Hope I'm right.)

The Judeans didn't have the death penalty, so if they wanted Jesus dead, they had to get the Romans to do it.

[DidISayThat]

On 4/1/2018 at 9:46 PM, ChromaKelly said:

The Edge, Jr.
...at least that's what I'm calling him in my head. Or the other one, up on the scaffolding? 

Brandon Niederauer !!!  - I recognized him from School Of Rock Musical from last year yanked out the old Playbill  - he played Zack and melted our faces!!!  A true musical prodigy http://www.brandonniederauer.com/about/  makes sense and fantastic to see him in another Andrew Lloyd Webber production.

[SHD]

I'm very late to the party, but wanted to say I thought this was a gorgeous production, especially the crucifixtion staging.

I have to admit I spent half of the show yelling "Judas, don't slip on the floor scarves!" and "Dancers, stop flailing your scarves so close to the flaming cauldron!"

Edited April 3, 2018 by SHD

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, meep.meep said:

To me, the real stars of this production were the director, the sets, the lighting, and the setting.  They transformed it from a filmed stage play into a real viewing experience.  There were shots I doubt that anyone in the audience saw, and they were compelling shots that advanced the emotion of what was going on.  There was one with Jesus and the followers ringed around him, and it switched to an overhead camera so you could see the ring, and then pulled up high so the ring looked really small and was surrounded by blackness.  A small band of believers surrounded by a vast emptiness of unbelief.

That was the big difference between this and the other live musicals that have been on television recently.  They had just fixed cameras filming stages, this pushed the envelope and did much more.

A review of the show I read, I think Vulture's, pointed out that this was the show's big success; it seemed as if the show had been created with both mediums in mind.  It was theater with some shots created with the idea that it'd be seen, for most, via a square box.  Like that last shot, for instance. I'm sure it was amazing in person but for those of us watching on TV, it was presented in a perfect frame.

8 hours ago, Omeletsmom said:

I think the problem I am having with Legend is that, even when he is not smiling, he looks faintly amused.  It's just his face.  He just has that cute mischievous baby face.

 

And I think this is why I eventually came around to it on one level. I'm not saying I wouldn't have preferred a more emotional performance but something about John Legend has always struck me as gentle and nice. I don't know him. I have no clue if he is.  He might be a royal bastard. But from what I've seen of him on TV, it's the vibe I think he emanates.  (Maybe it's the baby face).  And if the actor couldn't portray tortured, gentle wasn't a bad second choice for Jesus.

Edited April 3, 2018 by Irlandesa

[Lsk02]

7 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Yeah, this production was simply amazing.  I also loved the sequence after the arrest, with the scrum of journalists, including one of the actual cameramen for the production--the director switched to his feed several times, giving us at home a look from inside the mob, which was a perspective those in the theatre didn't get

I saw JCS at The Muny in St Louis last summer (with Constantine Maroulis as Judas) and they did this scene the same way, showing the cameraman’s perspective on a large screen on stage. It was a great way to see the actors’ faces up close, which is very difficult in that enormous amphitheater. I was surprised and happy to see it used for this production, as well. 

[rmontro]

From the billing, I had expected it to be more of a concert, but instead it was more of a fully staged version of the musical.  And an impressive one at that, IMO.

I hadn't realized when watching that Dixon was the guy who played Aaron Burr from Hamilton, no wonder he was so good.

When I was growing up, we used to listen to the soundtrack over and over, I don't know how many times I heard it.  Add to that the fact that I am a Christian, and add to that the fact that music from that era holds great meaning to me, and I have to say this show had a big emotional impact on me.

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Everyone is welcome to their own opinions, of course, and not everyone can be classified as a zealot. But calling it sacrilegious is a little much, don't you think.

Jesus Christ Superstar has always been controversial.  I have a friend who thinks it is blasphemous, although I do not.  I think some religious people have a problem with it for the same reason that they had a problem with The Last Temptation of Christ.  Portraying Jesus with human temptations and doubts apparently makes them uncomfortable.  Any time you have an artistic interpretation of the Bible, there are people who are going to take offense.  With this rock opera, it had the added hurdles of trying to be "hip" and modern, as well as the limitations of putting dialogue into lyrics and rhyme. 

I really liked the way the ending was staged here, it seemed very respectful with the actors all looking toward the cross, seemingly pondering its significance.  Some have said this whole sequence with the light (which was beautiful, I thought) was supposed to have represented the resurrection, and maybe it was.  In the movie (and in the original play, I think) they left the resurrection out, and that added to some of the controversy.  If it was here, it was a nice addition.  My impression of the light at the end was the growth of Christianity through time as the events depicted took on meaning for more people.  Fantastic ending though, whatever it was meant to represent.

[voiceover]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Spoke too soon

Okay maybe they weren't "making a stink" or picketing it but they were still dissing it for the same dumb reasons: the open-minded portrayal of Judas, the romance with Mary Magdalene, Jesus having doubts, etc...

Everyone is welcome to their own opinions, of course, and not everyone can be classified as a zealot. But calling it sacrilegious is a little much, don't you think.

And I think someone taking a dump on the logo at Breslin Center is no big deal, but to each his own version of sacrilege.

You're allowed to call their objections "dumb reasons".  But conversely, they're allowed to defend the stance.

I find the opera a deeply religious and profound expression of faith, but I respect the peaceably expressed opinions of those, what don't.  This might be because I am the daughter of a man who was raised in a faith where "zealots" actually murder people who mock their religion.

 

As far as crucifixion v. Resurrection ending: reminds me of the difference between the Catholic and Protestant crosses.  One focuses on the Death; the other, the Life Everlasting*.  So one could suggest JCS has a "Catholic" ending.  Though I've always thought, since seeing the film, that Judas's title number, and his sparkling garb, was a reference to the Resurrection.

 

* I take no credit, or blame, for that comparison.  Got it from a minister and from my Philosophy of Religion professor.  But it's always intrigued me. 

[Spartan Girl]

15 hours ago, Omeletsmom said:

I think the problem I am having with Legend is that, even when he is not smiling, he looks faintly amused.  It's just his face.  He just has that cute mischievous baby face.

Now that someone mentioned that he may have a cold/flu, I think I can really hear it in Gethsemane.  He really has done better than I expected vocally.

Yeah, I was rewatching the "Hosanna" number and I noticed how he was kind of smiling and subtly egging on their cheering even after the priest was telling him to stop them. I actually kind of letting Jesus have a cheeky moment ;)

[Hanahope]

7 hours ago, rmontro said:

In the movie (and in the original play, I think) they left the resurrection out, and that added to some of the controversy.  If it was here, it was a nice addition.

Its my understanding that the original play/musical did not include a "resurrection."  To the extent its subtley or more overtly included in performances, its mostly left up to the director/producer's decision.  That's what made it controversial in the first place.  I also thought the idea behind the musical, besides the story of Jesus, was also about creating heroes, putting them up on a pedestal, elevating them to a position they can't possibly fullfill, and then tearing them down.