Jesus Christ... huh?
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Cadillac Palace Theater to see Jesus Christ, Superstar. Simply stated, I hated it.
Ted Neely, while he may be the quintessential JC and originator of the role, is far too old to be playing it at this juncture. The songs were too high, and he looked about 20 years older than Jesus (which is probably close to correct).
The songs were horrible. I don’t know if I really liked a single one. The best scene in the entire show was at Herod’s house; the guy who played him was hilarious and it was fun to see him in a bathrobe and those studpid garden clogs. And when he said “Oh God” and then looked over at JC and said “not you” it made me laugh.
Almost all the actors seemed like they were trying to be rock stars; it made me wonder if any of them are actual actors or singers. I found this in particular with JC and Judas. I hated all the screaming and shit. Mary Magdalene wasn’t too bad, but she sounded too “poppy”. This may have been part of the role, of course; perhaps she could sing in recital and put Renee Fleming to shame. However, the best actor in the show was Pontious Pilate. He certainly has a great instrument and unlike the others wasn’t screaming out notes - he was actually singing, as though he had been classically trained. What impressed me most was his enunciation - I could understand every word he sang, while with alost everyone else I couldn’t. So while I cut Mary a little slack, I also think she could have sung it in a little less of a pop style.
I'm really interested in the theory that MM and JC might have been romantically linked. But I didn’t feel any connection between MM and JC in this play. It seemed forced and just uninteresting. I did find Judas to be a sympthaetic charatr, though; it seemed like he felt that JC was getting carried away with his own celebrity, and thinking himself to be more powerful than he was. I got the feeling that Judas’ betrayal was because he felt Jesus had gotten caught up in his superstar status, and forgotten the message and the true purpose - not that he (Judas) was looking out for himself and his own best interests.
I actually was ready to go before the intermission, but I told myself I couldn’t do it. Not only were the tickets expensive, btu I had to sit through it so I coul say that I had in fact seen it.
I can’t figure out why people are obsessed with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I hated with a passion Phantom, and now I’m 2 for 2 with his stuff. I can’t imagine that I would think CATS was worth sitting through.
Lastly... what the hell was with the woman sitting next to me?? She kept looking at her cell phone, and she had her goddamned M&Ms, Milk Duds and Twizzlers. It was so loud I wanted to smack her. Who the hell needs condiments when they go to live theater?? Again, I paid a lot more than a movie ticket price for this. Allow me some quiet!
Ted Neely, while he may be the quintessential JC and originator of the role, is far too old to be playing it at this juncture. The songs were too high, and he looked about 20 years older than Jesus (which is probably close to correct).
The songs were horrible. I don’t know if I really liked a single one. The best scene in the entire show was at Herod’s house; the guy who played him was hilarious and it was fun to see him in a bathrobe and those studpid garden clogs. And when he said “Oh God” and then looked over at JC and said “not you” it made me laugh.
Almost all the actors seemed like they were trying to be rock stars; it made me wonder if any of them are actual actors or singers. I found this in particular with JC and Judas. I hated all the screaming and shit. Mary Magdalene wasn’t too bad, but she sounded too “poppy”. This may have been part of the role, of course; perhaps she could sing in recital and put Renee Fleming to shame. However, the best actor in the show was Pontious Pilate. He certainly has a great instrument and unlike the others wasn’t screaming out notes - he was actually singing, as though he had been classically trained. What impressed me most was his enunciation - I could understand every word he sang, while with alost everyone else I couldn’t. So while I cut Mary a little slack, I also think she could have sung it in a little less of a pop style.
I'm really interested in the theory that MM and JC might have been romantically linked. But I didn’t feel any connection between MM and JC in this play. It seemed forced and just uninteresting. I did find Judas to be a sympthaetic charatr, though; it seemed like he felt that JC was getting carried away with his own celebrity, and thinking himself to be more powerful than he was. I got the feeling that Judas’ betrayal was because he felt Jesus had gotten caught up in his superstar status, and forgotten the message and the true purpose - not that he (Judas) was looking out for himself and his own best interests.
I actually was ready to go before the intermission, but I told myself I couldn’t do it. Not only were the tickets expensive, btu I had to sit through it so I coul say that I had in fact seen it.
I can’t figure out why people are obsessed with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I hated with a passion Phantom, and now I’m 2 for 2 with his stuff. I can’t imagine that I would think CATS was worth sitting through.
Lastly... what the hell was with the woman sitting next to me?? She kept looking at her cell phone, and she had her goddamned M&Ms, Milk Duds and Twizzlers. It was so loud I wanted to smack her. Who the hell needs condiments when they go to live theater?? Again, I paid a lot more than a movie ticket price for this. Allow me some quiet!