Catching up with Broadway...

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 7:16am

...LizzieCurry, I am, by no means, trying to divert from your post. I was going to post about JCS yesterday, had it all ready to post, and then I got interrupted and accidentally cliked out of it and erased it...so I decided to post when I had more time.

I recently got to see Jesus Christ Superstar, for the first time.
It was amazing to experience such a minimalistic set design being so effective. There was only a steel frame bridge, from one end of the stage to the other. The stage had a couple of two level raised boards downstage and center. As the show progressed, all the action was played accross that bridge, and in this center plateau. However, I was never distracted by this fact, and the scenes just developed very effectively with this simple stage setting. I guess it will never rival more elaborate sets, to win an award, but the fact that it worked so well with so little, deserves recognition.
I can see why Ted Neeley has been so acclaimed in this role. His dying scene on the cross was extremely realistic. He heaved while breathing, and his stomach kept going in and out, as in total agony. The ascension, at the end, was more than I would have done for a role, since it involved something very risky, and I have fear of heigths.
Overall, Ted and the actor Corey Glover, who played Judas, were eminently obvious in carrying the show. Glover is a fantastic singer, and he played his role with charisma and strength
I recomment this show to anyone who has not seen it yet,, before Ted Neely retires from it. Inspite of my initial lack of interest in him as Jesus, he turned me right around with his performance. The only part I was not too keen on, was when he pretended (it looked a bit overdone and fakish) to be talking to God.
But overall, this was a great experience for me.

I started making the effort to go to Broadway series shows in 2006, and Phantom was my first, followed by Cats...I still have not caught up with Bway, yet, but I feel I am finally getting there, after years of total isolation from it, by an extremely heavy on time schedule in my life, with 3 jobs at one time, school, life...

Updated On: 6/24/08 at 07:16 AM