# Jesus Christ Superstar **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610 "2018-04-02T00:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/61 "2018-04-02T03:19:43Z")
I too liked the staging and production, and I agree the final scene interpretation over _John 19:41_ is a very good closing. Of the leads, agree, strong Judas and Magdalene, weak Jesus. As pointed out in this show it’s Judas who’s doing the heavy lifting so that’s where you want someone who can carry it. Still, as earlier mentioned even within the modest expectation Legend badly undersold bits where Jesus should be forceful, and vice-versa. \*Gethsemane \*got fumbled for sure, even if not ruined. Also I dunno, can’t put my finger on it but sure felt something was off in The Trial. I question the directorial decision on why on _Poor Jerusalem_ they do not have Jesus address his initial rebuke of Simon \*to \*Simon but instead to the table (I know it is so that he faces the audience, but then _move Simon_, dammit). Props to **longhair75** for coining “Klingon Caiaphas” :D, I got that same vibe when they first introduced the High Priests. Quite “alien” as were the guards (of whom we could have used more than two). Alice Cooper is a natural for Herod, since his own act is about going over the top, but really it is a limited bit so he can’t really give it his all. I think the reaction of many people is a result of contrasting Legend’s sometimes morose performance with AC clearly being into his brief bit. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/62 "2018-04-02T03:34:47Z")
Here’s Alice Cooper: [http://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/04/02/watch-alice-cooper-jesus-christ-superstar-live-performance-video-king-herod/](http://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/04/02/watch-alice-cooper-jesus-christ-superstar-live-performance-video-king-herod/) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/63 "2018-04-02T03:56:23Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I love Judas more than I love Jesus. I’m telling your mother! 😉 But yeah, as others have said he was the original star and made me rethink my own views of Judas. > [@monstro](#): > > But the King Herod scene has always been my least favorite. The campiness of it all is a bit jarring to me. Works better in the 1973 film, I think. Hmm, the 1973 film had Zero Mostel’s son, Josh, playing him totally campy. In 2000 it was noted lunatic Rik Mayall. Didn’t Alice camp it up enough for you? I haven’t seen it yet. > [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > And “Gethsemane”… well, I’ve done concerts with the guy who played Jesus in more productions that anyone, so those were big shoes to fill. Legend certainly had a different take, which was cool. Did I miss the high notes? Yeah, but he still did a good job, and it sounded like everything was in the original keys. I did see the '73 movie today. Ted Neeley, who I assume you mean, couldn’t hit the high notes cleanly in it, and played Jesus almost disinterestedly. Maybe Legend was following his lead. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/64 "2018-04-02T03:58:07Z")
A correction to my earlier post: I had my facts mixed up. It wasn’t John Farnham of the Australian cast I was thinking of, it was Steve Balsamo in this 1996 studio recording. [Have a listen to his Gethsemane.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPdxxXoekmk) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/65 "2018-04-02T04:01:25Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Here’s Alice Cooper: [Watch: Alice Cooper Dominates as King Herod in 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live'](http://popculture.com/tv-shows/2018/04/02/watch-alice-cooper-jesus-christ-superstar-live-performance-video-king-herod/) Phoning it in and not NEARLY campy enough. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/66 "2018-04-02T04:16:15Z")
Watching it now, and I think Legend is doing just fine. Judas is better, but I’m OK with how John is portraying Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/67 "2018-04-02T05:33:30Z")
The leper part seemed like a scene from _The Walking Dead_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/68 "2018-04-02T05:37:37Z")
I was disappointed by Alice Cooper, and thought John Legend was decent but not great, but loved just about everything else. Judas was the standout, as seems to be the consensus, but I also really liked Pilate. They _almost_ nailed my favorite moment of the show, which is Pilate’s shout-singing at the end of the trial: **Don’t let me stop your great self destruction** Maybe it’s because of whatever recording I first became accustomed to, but I have this mental audio picture of what that’s supposed to sound like, nearly all yelling with just a hint of singing, and then the awesome transition into _Superstar_… and it wasn’t quite there. But I’ve seen at least three filmed productions, and several live on stage, and it’s never quite lived up to my internal hype for it. Still, by a good margin the best of the recent crop of live televised musicals. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/69 "2018-04-02T06:52:07Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Wow, I guess I’m the odd one out cuz I thought Alice Cooper’s Herod was a complete waste of time. Dixon and Bareilles were just phenomenal from start to finish though. I agree. Very underwhelming. This is a camp role, and there was no camp, and not enough backup dancers ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/70 "2018-04-02T06:56:15Z")
Jesus is always a problematic part in JC Superstar. He doesn’t \*do \*anything, except in the Temple scene (which was very odd in this production. What was pouring sand all over the table supposed to represent?). Otherwise, he just simps around and moans. Judas is the star in every production I’ve ever seen. It’s his role. I have seen some very overacted Pilates, this was underacted, I thought. Still, I enjoyed it. I just read that Jennifer Lopez’s **Bye Bye Birdie** has been postponed yet again. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/71 "2018-04-02T06:58:26Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What was pouring sand all over the table supposed to represent? I thought it was supposed to be glitter, which I thought was a genius choice for something that can represent both money and drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/72 "2018-04-02T10:51:51Z")
nice they had a few songs squeezed in among the ads. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/73 "2018-04-02T11:30:53Z")
I enjoyed the whole thing. While I understand some of the criticisms of Legend’s performance, I was impressed by his vocal chops. I’m familiar with some of his pop work, and he showed range and ability I didn’t know he had. My wife believes that what we saw was filmed a few days before broadcast, while I thought we (in the eastern time zone) were watching an actual live performance. Does anyone here know which is true? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/74 "2018-04-02T11:45:11Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > nice they had a few songs squeezed in among the ads. Please tell me one of them was for a moneylender. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/75 "2018-04-02T13:22:10Z")
The thing about _JC Superstar_ is that Judas is really the main character and the primo acting role. As I said earlier, I think John Legend was fine. He wasn’t great, but was certainly good enough to make the whole thing work well. I also like the moneylending scene, and the glitter was a great idea. The problem with that scene is that Jesus had a chair as as his only prop, and he didn’t really do anything with it. Is the woman who played Mary Magdalene pretty famous? They seemed to have made a big deal about her (and she was very good), but I had never heard of her before. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/76 "2018-04-02T13:44:14Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > My wife believes that what we saw was filmed a few days before broadcast, while I thought we (in the eastern time zone) were watching an actual live performance. Does anyone here know which is true? Your wife would be wrong. I don’t know what would make her think it was filmed earlier. They filmed a rehearsal Saturday night and the live performance on Sunday evening. I know people who were at the rehearsal and the live show. They also said that at the rehearsal John Legend was much better overall and especially on Gethsamane. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/77 "2018-04-02T13:50:40Z")
I also know someone who was at the performance last night. I thought they did an excellent job with the production. It’s the 4th time I’ve seen it: 1. Original US Production (at my high school, three months before it opened on Broadway). 2. Original Broadway production, with Tom O’Horgan’s over-the-top direction and design. 3. Movie. 4. NBC It’s been a long time since I saw it (or even listened to the record), but NBC did a credible job with it. Their live musicals have been hit or miss and this was definitely a hit. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/78 "2018-04-02T13:50:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is the woman who played Mary Magdalene pretty famous? I would certainly say Sara Bareilles is pretty famous. 😉 Is it even possible to do this show in a non-70’s style, or does the music pretty much force it? I was hoping it wouldn’t be a copy of the movie, but it pretty much was. Good idea casting people with a fair amount of stage experience for this one - most of these live performances that are all the rage these days seem a little stiff, the stars a little too nervous. Maybe a live audience helped. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/79 "2018-04-02T13:59:47Z")
It’s funny…the only time I’ve ever seen this was in the 1970’s when my parents took me to the stage version to see it. There were dozens of protesters outside of the bulding, waving signs and screaming “BLASPHEMY!” at us as we walked in. I can only imagine what they would have thought had they seen the production scheduled for (gasp!) Easter Day itself. On second thought, maybe they all would have not been there but in church instead. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610/80 "2018-04-02T14:13:52Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Your wife would be wrong. I don’t know what would make her think it was filmed earlier. They filmed a rehearsal Saturday night and the live performance on Sunday evening. I know people who were at the rehearsal and the live show. They also said that at the rehearsal John Legend was much better overall and especially on Gethsamane. Thanks. I MIGHT mention this to her. 🙂 I would like to add that the music, meaning the performances of the instrumentalists, was outstanding. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar/811610.md?page=5)