JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE Discussion Thread

[RaisedOnMusicals]

CallMeAl2 said: "RaisedOnMusicals said: "This brings back so many memories of buying the OCR in 1971 and rushing home to play the records on my stereo. (Yep, I’m old). I remember thinking that the score was a masterpiece. I still think so."

Yeah. I first heard the score in my Catholic high school religion class. As soon as the record was released the priest that taught the class brought it in and played itfor us. Back then it was a while before I could afford to buy the multi-LP set for myself."

Incredibly progressive priest, especially back then. 

[Play Esq.]

Gethsemane was fine. Alice Cooper was just BAD.

[CallMeAl2]

Babe_Williams said: "The actor playing Pilate was fantastic and that was a great scene."

That is Oliver Award winning Ben Daniels who looks damn fine for being 54 years old.

[jonah3500]

This show is incredible!!!

[willep]

I thought Gethsemane was fine until he got to the “Just watch me die” part. That was rough. Pilate is wonderful. Norm is terrific, but really struggled with some of the low stuff in the beginning. He was much better in Blood Money.

[darquegk]

Ben Daniels is a fantastic Pilate- if you’re not watching the Exorcist on Fox, you should be. He plays a defrocked gay alcoholic priest operating as a freelance exorcist, jealous that his successor appears to be the chosen one and not him.

[John Adams]

gypsy101 said: "i forgot how the commercials completely break all dramatic tension in these live shows, why have they get to get one sponsor so they can provide us limited commercial interruption??"

I wonder if the sponsors who bought commercial time during the two (so far) commercial breaks where they appear during the simultaneous "backstage" coverage had to pay more for those spots(?) Although I mute the sound, they're the only commercial breaks where I don't hit PAUSE and then scrub through later...

 

[chernjam]

MikeInTheDistrict said: "I didn’t think John’s “Gethsemane” was that bad either. It was just the “Just watch me die” he botched, but everything elss was good. I’d rather he just have not attempted the falsetto and just sung it down in his chest register, though."

Yeah honestly, for a majority of people watching this live, they wouldn't have noticed anything off on Gethsemane.  For those of us who probably have heard multiple versions of it live or on recording, it sounded off, but not a disaster.

[greenifyme2]

Mike Costa said: "There is nothing "IN CONCERT" about this staging, you guys should know that. This is a FULLY STAGED, expensive, first rate, choreographed, CLASS Aproduction with huge sets and extraordinary costumes. It is only billed as "IN CONCERT" to get people to watch it who would not watch a MUSICALon television. It was brilliant marketing."

They sure tricked me. I swore up and down to my husband yesterday that this was a concert, and he should have listened to the music going into it so he would be familiar. He insisted it wouldn’t be a concert setting. I don’t know how. He was right and I was very happy to be wrong! The second we walked into the studio I gasped.

[jakebloke]

Had to turn the channel. I’ll go back and catch some highlights.

[smidge]

Loves me some Jason Tam

[chernjam]

if you really want to gasp at a "Gethsemane" check out Lin-Manuel Miranda's video on this site

The real star for me in this is Sarah Bareilles.  That was the first version of "Could We Start Again" that I felt was effective.

Alice Cooper was awesome  

[Danielle49]

John Adams said: "Completely agree with those who disliked Gethsemane. When he went into falsetto, I felt bad for him. (Everybody's been there - when your voice won't do what you need it to do...)"

Ah, I know. I wanted to reach out and give him a hug after that note. I expect it was nerves too, what with the high pressure and craziness of it all.

Ben Daniels IS great. Wow. I love seeing the mix of the theatre performers and the singers, the different colors they bring to it.

Speaking of which, I wanted Alice Cooper to do so much more. One song, one shot to nail it.

[CallMeAl2]

smidge said: "Loves me some Jason Tam"

^^

[gypsy101]

was the ladder supposed to do that??

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Finally catching up (I was out with my friend): HOLY CRAP BRANDON VICTOR DIXEN AND SARA BAREILLAS! Norm Lewis was a terrific surprise! (Didn't know he was in it)

[greenifyme2]

gypsy101 said: "was the ladder supposed to do that??"

Yes. 

[smidge]

I hope so! It was kind of effective

[greenifyme2]

It’s a shame that either the glitter didn’t translate on tv and they decided to cut the shot short or they just messed up by cutting it short. After Judas hangs himself, there was the most beautiful stream of silver foil glitter that fell all the way down the scaffolding.

[John Adams]

I'm really liking Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

^I saw the glitter

[DigificWriter]

To quote The Miz, "THIS IS AWE-SOME!!!!!!!!!" .

[VotePeron]

That 100% looked like a technical mishap. Really dissapointing if that ladder thing was intended to look like that

[willep]

gypsy101 said: "was the ladder supposed to do that??"

 

Uhhh, yes. That was how they told the audience that he hanged himself. It was a bit disappointing of a death scene after him climbing all the way up there if you ask me.

[greenifyme2]

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "^I saw the glitter"

Yeah but it was like a stream. They cut it very short