Jesus Christ Superstar: Classic or Sacrilege?

classic, though it's real difficult to put on a good production of it. I loved Carl Anderson's movie rendition of Judas - went to see him on his last U.S. tour of JCS with *shudder* Sebastian Bach. He was amazing...met him, talked to him, got his autograph, and he died a year later :(.

Fuck. I didn't know Carl Anderson died. R.I.P. Most important part of JCSS, imo.

yea, I think it was 2004. he was only like 58. and yea, there's never been another Judas close to his intensity and complexity...Murray Head's was good but of course we never got a visual with him.

Somewhere, I have the 30 year anniversary remastered original recording, and I've lost it twice :(

The Norman Jewison film is on ITV3 this very second. How dare they hide it away at 1:15am! First time I've seen it in ages and I'm loving it.

other than the occasionally mentally retarded disciples and the tuneless and redundant "Now We Are Decided", I really like the movie version as well.

So did anyone watch Superstar on ITV?

"i dont know how to love him" on the stage soundtrack album is the shit

i mean the original album

GUYS: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/04/16/muppet_christ_superstar_why_songwriter_christo_graham_created_the_hilarious.html

What's the buzz?

bump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTofJSEdKCs

NO, WAIT!—

we need a permanent solution to our

prooooblemmmmm

I played Pilate in this

One of my favorite musicals yet i have never seen a staged version that gets an A from me

Me as Pilate in 2013

https://youtu.be/84ewZfdKrjk

:D awesome

Yeah, that's excellent.

Haaa fantastic!

Excellent. Great song that one.

!! awesome

HEAL YOURSELVES

then i was inspired
now i'm sad and tired

btw neanderthal that is awesome

Ty

This is my fav musical not called Sweeney Todd

I have King Herod's Song in my head something fierce now

Surprising not to see any mention of the 2018 John Legend version. I still haven't seen it. Any good?

Yeah except for Legend

It's okay, but most of the vocals aren't rock-the-fuck-out type of vocals like the seventies versions. Ben Daniels was a good actor as Pilate, but he's no Barry Dennen. I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

True but in all fairness, I haven't heard a production that was in many years. I blame the poppification of modern musical theatre. Even in the UK! The 1996 London revival had all rough edges sanded off, Jesus singing like a pop star, orchestrations much more over the top. Don't get me started on the 2000 Broadway one.

What I did like is that they staged it well and the cast was very excited and into it. Really liked the Judas, Caiphas, thought Bareilles did a serviceable job as Magdalene.

Problem is that you really can't stunt cast Jesus as his vocal parts are some of the most challenging that exist for males in musical theatre. Maybe Adam Lambert could have pulled it off.

Legend does ok on the lower stuff but casting a baritone with sketchy technique whose falsetto is a quiet, wispy tone was never going to work.

He can barely hit the higher chest voice notes so he changes a lot of them, and he uses almost all head voice on the highest parts, paper thin to where it's comical.

He doesn't act much either but that was to be expected.he also struggles with recitative parts.

But most everybody else, it's as cool a modern version as I have heard in a minute.

Also nobody is Barry Dennen. Dude ruled. :)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESXhqTuWAAAlXQ9?format=jpg&name=small

haaaa

I always think of the Tall Guy when someone mentions Jesus Christ Superstar:

Mary : Well, the only other thing at the moment is a new musical that the RSC are doing.

Dexter : What's it about?

Mary : The Elephant Man.

Dexter : A musical of the Elephant Man? What's it called?

Mary : "Elephant", I think - with an exclamation mark presumably.

Dexter : Pity the poor bastard who has to play the elephant.

Mary : Remember dearest, everyone thought Jesus Christ Superstar was a stupid idea.

Dexter : Jesus Christ Superstar WAS a stupid idea.

Mary : True.

Ted Neely walking bowlegged through every scene begs the question, did Jesus have hemorrhoids, and could he heal them himself?

my mind is clearer now
at last, all too well, i can see
where we all soon will be

Baffling that after this, Evita was pretty meh. They never wrote together again, and as far as i know there was no bad feeling as such.

Omg I love Evita.

JCS is great but I feel like it's a white whale, almost every local or professional production I've seen of it has been bad.

Splurged to see the tour a few years ago, my brother raved about it, and I didn't like it at all.

Still happy I got to see Carl Anderson in the touring version in 2003. Sebastian Bach as Jesus was pretty hilarious though. He did his Slave to the Grind-era Skid Row shriek at one point and I about doubled over laughing.

I still feel like the Jewison movie is the perfect JCS, along with the concept album. Some people hate the movie and it does have some corny bits but I think it's amazing. Particularly the scenery and Neely's "another bad Monday at the office" mannerisms.

I saw it on the 1992 tour with Neely and Anderson and, I am just now learning, IRENE CARA as Mary Magdalene. Apparently, Dennis DeYoung played Pontius Pilate on this tour, but was sidelined by an injury for the Baltimore dates.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/12/17/superstar-builds-its-house-upon-a-rock-concert/

Irene Cara, omg. woulda killed to see that.

lmao at Dennis DeYoung

Jeeeeeeeeeesus, from the moment I sawwwwwwwwwwwwww youuuuuuuuuuu

Have we discussed this yet? Starring David Hemmings as Bertie Wooster!

I saw this last night for the first time. I grew up with the album, but avoided ever watching the movie because I'd always heard it was terrible. It's ropey for sure, but it has some exceptional scenes and they did a lot with a non-existent set, the dancing is great, the framing device with the bus works very well. I felt terrible for Judas running all over the damn desert. I'm still not sold on Neely's Jesus vocals and his face never expresses the amount of emotion his singing evinces. Given that this was written as a concept album and not a play, I'm not surprised there have been lots of unsatisyfing stagings.

as per the revive of the other thread,

Jesus Christ Superstar - classic or dud?

i have recently fallen hard for this.
mainly the film soundtrack to be honest.
i have a very lo-fi version of the orig concept album,
but i think i still prefer the film soundtrack.

ok,
i succumbed and got the 2012 remastered edition of the original album.
it is rather bloody wonderful.
as i said, i have fallen hard for this ..

It's a wonderful thing to fall for

matt berry (yes that one) and brian kehew did the remaster btw... they are working on the film soundtrack now.