Saturday, April 21, 2007
Warning: Improper handling of this product may damage your vehicle.
Today I dented the side of my car with a UPS.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
JCS in MA
Just got back from seeing Jesus Christ Superstar on-stage in Lowell, MA. This is the second time I've seen it live; the first time I ever saw it was in the summer of 1996 in the St. Louis Muny. In between, I've seen the movie a couple of times and listened to the Original London Concept Recording (highly recommended) an uncounted number of times.
I never liked Neeley as Jesus in the movie; I thought his vocal performance was weak and nasal (in contrast to Gillan's in the concept recording), and I thought he was relatively uninteresting to watch -- but tonight he redeemed himself in my eyes. His first number was unimpressive (I thought to myself "Oh no! Am I going to spend all evening waiting for Judas to sing again?"), but the destruction of the temple and the Gesthemane sequence were wonderful; I could listen to them instead of the concept album and be satisifed, which is not true of the sound of any part of Jewison's film.
Judas' (Corey Glover) performance was fantastic throughout, but his volume range was unmatched by the sound system. The quietest parts were consistently overpowered by the orchestra, and this deleteriously affected the title number "Superstar", which I was greatly anticipating. Also, I remember a strong bass part driving this song in both the concept album and the film, and tonight I realized how much that lends to the piece since I couldn't hear the bass at all during that song. Judas was a pleasure to behold, nonetheless.
Mary Magdelene (Tiffini Dodson) was also very good, with a strong, affectionate, and conflicted performance. I preferred tonight's more conventional vocal approach to the slidey performances (I'm sure there's a technical term for this) of the concept album and film.
Herod's number, the only opportunity for comedy in the entire musical, was well done, and they took good advantage of it. I prefer the concept album's circus rendition of the instrumental part to the salsa-fied version I heard tonight, but the tone was right, the chorous of dancing girls was great, and Herod was as pompous as possible. Delicious.
I loved the lighting for the crucifixion scene; with only side lights the matte black cross disappeared and only Jesus was left, suspended cruciform above the stage.
Now for a tangent: There were a couple moments when I couldn't help weeping, and I can't really explain why. In fact, I can't even remember when they were. Every so often a particular piece of music will grab hold of me, and for a time it's able to effect in me such a profound response that I cry. Once upon a time, believe it or not, Hedwig's Theme from the first Harry Potter soundtrack could do this. (I still enjoy the piece, but it no longer evokes such a response from me.) The bottle dance in Jewison's Fiddler on the Roof does it every time (whether I'm just listening or also watching), as does the moment when Tradition wins out over Tevye's love for Chava, and as does the intercultural tavern dancing scene during "To Life!". I think it's some shifting combination of grief and joy about beauty and tragedy that brings these tears to the surface, but it's difficult to pin down in description.
I highly recommend (again) the Original London Concept Recording. Buy it and listen to it.
Jewison's movie is worth watching, but the only real highlight for me is "Simon Zealotes", which I have watched several times all by itself. The choreography and direction complement joyous performances (in the midst of which, I must add, Neeley stands to no great affect).
Overall, tonight's performance was a very satisfying experience, right up there close to seeing The Producers on stage in Boston in 2005. If you get a chance to see Ted Neeley's Jesus on a stage near you, I recommend it.
I never liked Neeley as Jesus in the movie; I thought his vocal performance was weak and nasal (in contrast to Gillan's in the concept recording), and I thought he was relatively uninteresting to watch -- but tonight he redeemed himself in my eyes. His first number was unimpressive (I thought to myself "Oh no! Am I going to spend all evening waiting for Judas to sing again?"), but the destruction of the temple and the Gesthemane sequence were wonderful; I could listen to them instead of the concept album and be satisifed, which is not true of the sound of any part of Jewison's film.
Judas' (Corey Glover) performance was fantastic throughout, but his volume range was unmatched by the sound system. The quietest parts were consistently overpowered by the orchestra, and this deleteriously affected the title number "Superstar", which I was greatly anticipating. Also, I remember a strong bass part driving this song in both the concept album and the film, and tonight I realized how much that lends to the piece since I couldn't hear the bass at all during that song. Judas was a pleasure to behold, nonetheless.
Mary Magdelene (Tiffini Dodson) was also very good, with a strong, affectionate, and conflicted performance. I preferred tonight's more conventional vocal approach to the slidey performances (I'm sure there's a technical term for this) of the concept album and film.
Herod's number, the only opportunity for comedy in the entire musical, was well done, and they took good advantage of it. I prefer the concept album's circus rendition of the instrumental part to the salsa-fied version I heard tonight, but the tone was right, the chorous of dancing girls was great, and Herod was as pompous as possible. Delicious.
I loved the lighting for the crucifixion scene; with only side lights the matte black cross disappeared and only Jesus was left, suspended cruciform above the stage.
Now for a tangent: There were a couple moments when I couldn't help weeping, and I can't really explain why. In fact, I can't even remember when they were. Every so often a particular piece of music will grab hold of me, and for a time it's able to effect in me such a profound response that I cry. Once upon a time, believe it or not, Hedwig's Theme from the first Harry Potter soundtrack could do this. (I still enjoy the piece, but it no longer evokes such a response from me.) The bottle dance in Jewison's Fiddler on the Roof does it every time (whether I'm just listening or also watching), as does the moment when Tradition wins out over Tevye's love for Chava, and as does the intercultural tavern dancing scene during "To Life!". I think it's some shifting combination of grief and joy about beauty and tragedy that brings these tears to the surface, but it's difficult to pin down in description.
I highly recommend (again) the Original London Concept Recording. Buy it and listen to it.
Jewison's movie is worth watching, but the only real highlight for me is "Simon Zealotes", which I have watched several times all by itself. The choreography and direction complement joyous performances (in the midst of which, I must add, Neeley stands to no great affect).
Overall, tonight's performance was a very satisfying experience, right up there close to seeing The Producers on stage in Boston in 2005. If you get a chance to see Ted Neeley's Jesus on a stage near you, I recommend it.
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