As Easter is nigh, my mum has moaned again that ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ has got a depressing ending, should end with the Resurrection etc.
Never minding what you might think of Mr Andrew Lloyd-Webber and co (my favourite story is still how Mr Ray Davies, on hearing an ALW song on the radio, had to pull off the road at once to vomit out his car window), but I wonder, who would make a nice new cast…
Never mind singing abilities – for you see, whilst listening to mum’s records, it suddenly struck me that Mr Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks would make a splendid Caiaphas…so what if he can’t sing – in my version, he wouldn’t even have to open his mouth, just glare…and Mr Laurence Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen as Herod…
Any other suggestions would be lovely…on a side note, any suggestions to help shift any of these songs out of my head would also be appreciated…
There was a remake on PBS 2 or 3 years back, with lots of cool updates(visual references to The Matrix and Star Wars as well as the Intifada). Rik Mayall (Drop Dead Fred, The Young Ones) stole the show as Pilate.
I picture Lenny Kravitz as Jesus, and Coolio as Judas.
Mayall was actually Herod, not Pilate. He did the big “You are the Christ, yes the great Jesus Christ” song as a 20s Charlston number with flappers. Yes, it’s available on video and DVD.
Yeah, but wouldn’t it be funny if, after two thousand years, the other shoe dropped and Jesus himself finally made an encore presentation and acted the role?
See, I think he’d be great. But only because he wouldn’t have to ask, “So, what’s my motivation?”
Slight hijack: The original version of Evita, written in 1974, actually contains the line “She can do what she wants; it doesn’t matter much/She’s the new-world Madonna with the golden touch.” They changed it for the movie, when Madonna actually played Evita.
I really can’t answer the original question, as I know too much about theatre performers and not enough about popular ones. Though Ozzie would make a good Herod.
Also thank you, Krokodil for the imdb ref and info! I will tell my mum.
I don’t know if he can sing, but I think Richard E Grant might make an interesting Pilate…
SkipMagic – JC himself is inspired…but I wonder, if he might not be one of these ‘difficult’ thespians, you know, ‘Uh, excuse me? Mr Director? Hold on – sorry everyone – I think we need a script revision here…what? YOU don’t think so? HelLO, who was up on the cross, you or me?’ But the aftershow would probably be a lot of fun…
cheers
PS You have me curious, Annie-Xmas, as I’ve never experienced the Madonna version of ‘Evita’ (only seen Patti LuPone on stage); may I ask what the revised line was?
Herod: Larry David
Mary Magdalene: Roseanne
Judas Iscariot: John Lithgow
John the Baptist: Robin Williams
Pontius Pilate: Chris Rock
Jesus Christ: Bruce Willis
Jesus: Matt Barlow of Iced Earth
Caiaphas: Peter Steele of Type O Negative
Mary Magadelene: Skin of Skunk Anansie
Judas: Chris Cornell of Audioslave
Herod: Ozzy Osbourne
Pilate: Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden
Annas: Rob Halford
Simon Zealotes: Ray Alder of Fates Warning
Peter: Ronnie James Dio