messiahs by the sackful
So.
As much as I know every word, every chord, every nuance between (a few) different productions, I have never actually seen Jesus Christ Superstar staged.
Upon hearing which, sheba_finesse promptly shoved a DVD towards me, using most intriguing keywords such as "leather" and "machine guns". I said "omg AWESOME!" and accepted gratefully.
I just watched it.
Right now, I'm a little shaken. After nearly three decades of being wrapped up in this musical, I think I finally get why people took offence. Cos fuck me, but it's highly disturbing to actually witness that visual of the loincloth and the crown of thorns and him on the cross. Live.
Don't get me wrong --- hee --- I was loving it and cheering it but a tiny part of me was quailing and going "omigod omigod omigod, oh god noooo." Vestigal Roman Catholicism, I'm sure. *coughs* That damned hardwiring that sparks every now and then, no matter how much surgery I try to do.
Although it does make me want to dissect that reaction in terms of visual analysis in a cultural context. Is it suddenly the visceral reality of suddenly realising what it must feel like to have thorns cutting into your forehead and scalp? Something you've never really thought about cos it's pretty much a symbol but suddenly ow fuck, poor guy, and then be really shaken that it's the first time this has occurred to you. Is that the power of the images of Christ, how they carry all the natural barbarism of the times through the centuries to our apparently more civilised times? The thorns, the stripped body, the suspension, the nails, the blood. It's one thing to see illustrations and stained glass and figurines. It's another thing entirely to see it in moving flesh. *shudders all over*
Can you tell I flatly refused to watch Passion of fucking Mel Gibson Christ? *lol*
Curious how being raised in the Roman Catholic faith can desensitise you to images of such cruelty. Until of course you wake up one day. If you ever do.
Anyway.
My god, I love Gale Edwards. This production with the leather and machine guns and contemporary clothing and hats and long coats and futuristic armour and the perfect touch of purple and the absolutely glorious clash of vaudeville musical with rock musical. So. Fucking. AWESOME!! *combusts with hideous love*
I have seen something else of hers, racking my brain as to what. Something recently. Ha! Right. Yes, well, for its faults, I loved the production values of that too.
But god, so fucking awesome. I had this utterly schizoid experience cos one half of my mind was dying with happiness at the glorious visuals and the other half of my mind was carefully measuring the vocal performances. Which I'm not so apologetic about cos I've recently realised this is something JCS fans do. We have our favourite vocal performances and are fiercely loyal, whether original or revival. God love us. *lol*
I did not care for Jerome Pradon's vocals at all. There was this shrill note in his voice I loathed, it made him sound querulous and emotional rather than the ruthlessly rational passionate Judas I adore. And the problem of him being high pitched made me wonder how the fuck Jesus was going to distinguish himself. Cos it made me realise I have this subconscious idea of Judas' voice being rough and vicious as compared to the pure sweetness of Jesus' voice. Yin and yang sort of thing. This high pitched quality defeated the purpose completely.
Mind you, I did like Jerome's visual performance, the way he carried himself and reacted, the way he played the moments of doubt. He totally mutilated my favourite bits, Damned For All Time and the death song. I was so discomfited and irritated there was squirming and a burst out "Oh, for fuck's sake!" It would have been entirely fine to have all the writhing and tortured throwing about of himself if his vocals had been raw and low rather than high and ridiculous. And he completely missed the opportunity to really work the "I've been used" realisation. Most annoying.
It was very interesting though how he played the emotion of Superstar. I always heard it as rational Judas striving to understand Jesus' incomprehensible thinking. So the mocking posture of this took me rather aback. I had this reaction of "that's not the way I thought it. But ooh, I see what you're doing. Ooh, interesting." I see how they got it from the lyrics, seems entirely valid. Just not one I'd choose. Hee.
And oh yes. Omigod did they pretty much expliticise the slashy. Holy fuck. I nearly fell off the bed when they kissed. Like holy fuck, was that actual mouth on mouth or mouth just cleverly to the side of mouth? Omigod!
It was King Arthur Clive and Ioan all over again, the glorious triangle of woman caught between two men. Only Mary Magdalene was way more awesome than stupid Guinevere, far more realised and in no way tokenistic. Then again, I've always had a soft spot for our lovely whore. Who wouldn't, after hearing her in this musical?
Thought Renee Castle acquitted herself quite beautifully for everything except the iconic song. God, she murdered it. *facethwacks* Although that may be just my interpretation. I always like my Mary Magdalene warm and sexual, a prostitute finally waking to the possibility of emotional and spiritual growth. The warmth Renee definitely conveyed through the rest of the play but when it came to the actual song, she was oddly lacking soul. It was like she was conveying more with her eyebrows rather than her actual voice.
The rest of the songs she did perfectly and pretty much had me tearing up at Could We Start Again, Please? cos ahhh, the tremulous broken despair. *sobs* And when she screamed at Pilate sending him to Herod, god did I ever feel it.
I did like how Judas was so clearly contemptuous and jealous of her, how fabulously Jesus was so torn between the two of them. Gah. *squeeee* Wonderful.
Didn't really care for Glenn Carter's performance for the most part. The voice was a bit too thin and not nearly sweet nor powerful enough. I wished there was a little more intelligence in his face throughout the play. And the frequent gazing towards the heavens pretty much irritated me. Having said that, they lit him beautifully and he had the golden glowing look perfect. Most importantly, he did an absolutely marvellous job of Gethsemane although I winced at the pause he took before the big note. He acted it fabulously, all the body and facial expressions, the way he wasn't afraid to demonise his own face in the performance.
Mind you, the cynical part of me wonders if it is at all possible to fuck up that song. unless of course you can't hit the note in which case what the fuck are you doing even attempting the song? All the musical cues and shifts of emotion are there, the lyrics are quite clear and your emotional journey is set out perfectly from beginning to end. Not much room for misinterpretation.
And now that I've dug out the Lyceum production, I discover he played Simon Zealotes to Steve Balsamo's Jesus. So he's seen it done. Good o. And okay, he is way cooler as Simon Zealotes.
But then I always did like Simon. He's just so damned passionate in whatever incarnation, bless his aptly named self. Hey, which came first? The name or the quality? Ooh, I wonder. Hmm, interesting. *takes Wiki with a pinch of salt*
It was sort of hysterical to see Simon Zealotes in this production be a sort of boy band member with a machine gun. Took the zealousness a bit too much overboard and a bit too much vocal acrobatics but I could forgive that. Cos aww, Simon always did have the best melody. *pets*
They did the last supper scene so beautifully. Even if Jerome and Glenn kind of mangled the vocals. Argh. *slaps them* Really, it was the disciples who got me upset, their poor confused upset faces. Curious how it was their innocence and love that evokes the original Seventies sensibility so much for me. They sang it wonderfully but, as with the "well done, Judas" chorus, I wished the last "look at all my trials" bit was a bit louder and not quite so atmospheric. Cos that bit always breaks my heart. Poor disciples.
Absolutely fucking ADORED the Pharisees, every single one of them in their fabulous long coats around the long black table with the inset white bulbs and the suspended televisions. Freaking brilliance! Perfect vocal performances and omg the deepness of Caiaphas was nailed spot on, even better than in the Lyceum production. LOVE that! Even more so that Annas was vocally malevolent enough to be that perfect contrast. He even looked fabulously creepy and Lexian and he totally picked that Judas was in love with Christ. Yum! Michael Schaeffer. Good man, that.
And ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Fred Johanson as Pilate was marvellous! Clearly took a different interpretation of the character and played him more as an artificial general rather than the bewildered practicality of David Burt in the Lyceum production. Absolutely fascinating. How we met him in his purple bed, naked and vulnerable and wondering. Loved the slightly robotic deepness of his voice but kinda wished he could muster the powerful scream of "DON'T let me stop your GREAT self desTRUCtion!" Nnnggghhhh! I love my screaming Pilate, humanistic Pilate whose reasonable mercy has been rebuffed by this incomprehensible monosyllabic infuriating and yes utterly innocent puppet of a man. He did overplay the wincing at the flogging but thass okay, he kinda redeemed himself with the subsequent anguished trying to help Christ.
I was so overwhelmed with glee at the vaudeville staging of Herod's number with the girls and the dancing and the name in lights that I can forgive the suspicion that Rik Mayall played the words rather than the character. Damnit, why does no one play Herod properly? Alice doesn't do it well, either. Really, my favourite performance with all the screaming wilful fear of the tyrant is still the Indian production. *sigh*
My skin totally crawled at the lepers bit. Brilliantly done. As was the flogging with each person running past to swipe blood on to him. So clever! And the use of black for the ensemble as vultures, all of them streaming past Judas in his betrayal. So effective. Absolutely adored how they staged the temple number with the girls in the cages and the gambling machines. Definitely a roundeyed experience of sheer joy. Loved the television screens and how they faded to white noise. Although I do wonder if they distracted a bit from Jesus' song.
Gah, how marvellously they worked the media superstar angle with the cameras and the microphones and the video screens. The Superstar number totally gave me chills of the creepified variety. *moan* With the angels in bondage leather and Judas in the red vinyl. I think the hair was standing on the back of my neck.
I really didn't like that suddenly he'd been cast as the devil mocking Christ on his journey with the cross. It's fucking brilliant staging but it's not my Judas. My Judas would be on the sidelines, watching and approaching with anguish, still trying to understand while everyone else cavorted around Christ. Although it was quite cool to see the moment of communication betwen them and how Judas swung between mocking and anguish and how he reacted to the nailing to the cross.
It was a curiously haunting end, though. I would have loved to be in a theatre, shaken and tearful, to be blinded by that blazing cross.
And me, I've gone right back to dear wonderful Zubin Varla. What I wouldn't give to have seen the Lyceum cast in exactly this production with all these visual elements. *sigh* If only.
My mother would love this production. And hey, lookit. I watched it on Mother's Day. Huh.
The movie doesn't count, the movie is not worth mentioning.
As much as I know every word, every chord, every nuance between (a few) different productions, I have never actually seen Jesus Christ Superstar staged.
Upon hearing which, sheba_finesse promptly shoved a DVD towards me, using most intriguing keywords such as "leather" and "machine guns". I said "omg AWESOME!" and accepted gratefully.
I just watched it.
Right now, I'm a little shaken. After nearly three decades of being wrapped up in this musical, I think I finally get why people took offence. Cos fuck me, but it's highly disturbing to actually witness that visual of the loincloth and the crown of thorns and him on the cross. Live.
Don't get me wrong --- hee --- I was loving it and cheering it but a tiny part of me was quailing and going "omigod omigod omigod, oh god noooo." Vestigal Roman Catholicism, I'm sure. *coughs* That damned hardwiring that sparks every now and then, no matter how much surgery I try to do.
Although it does make me want to dissect that reaction in terms of visual analysis in a cultural context. Is it suddenly the visceral reality of suddenly realising what it must feel like to have thorns cutting into your forehead and scalp? Something you've never really thought about cos it's pretty much a symbol but suddenly ow fuck, poor guy, and then be really shaken that it's the first time this has occurred to you. Is that the power of the images of Christ, how they carry all the natural barbarism of the times through the centuries to our apparently more civilised times? The thorns, the stripped body, the suspension, the nails, the blood. It's one thing to see illustrations and stained glass and figurines. It's another thing entirely to see it in moving flesh. *shudders all over*
Can you tell I flatly refused to watch Passion of fucking Mel Gibson Christ? *lol*
Curious how being raised in the Roman Catholic faith can desensitise you to images of such cruelty. Until of course you wake up one day. If you ever do.
Anyway.
My god, I love Gale Edwards. This production with the leather and machine guns and contemporary clothing and hats and long coats and futuristic armour and the perfect touch of purple and the absolutely glorious clash of vaudeville musical with rock musical. So. Fucking. AWESOME!! *combusts with hideous love*
I have seen something else of hers, racking my brain as to what. Something recently. Ha! Right. Yes, well, for its faults, I loved the production values of that too.
But god, so fucking awesome. I had this utterly schizoid experience cos one half of my mind was dying with happiness at the glorious visuals and the other half of my mind was carefully measuring the vocal performances. Which I'm not so apologetic about cos I've recently realised this is something JCS fans do. We have our favourite vocal performances and are fiercely loyal, whether original or revival. God love us. *lol*
I did not care for Jerome Pradon's vocals at all. There was this shrill note in his voice I loathed, it made him sound querulous and emotional rather than the ruthlessly rational passionate Judas I adore. And the problem of him being high pitched made me wonder how the fuck Jesus was going to distinguish himself. Cos it made me realise I have this subconscious idea of Judas' voice being rough and vicious as compared to the pure sweetness of Jesus' voice. Yin and yang sort of thing. This high pitched quality defeated the purpose completely.
Mind you, I did like Jerome's visual performance, the way he carried himself and reacted, the way he played the moments of doubt. He totally mutilated my favourite bits, Damned For All Time and the death song. I was so discomfited and irritated there was squirming and a burst out "Oh, for fuck's sake!" It would have been entirely fine to have all the writhing and tortured throwing about of himself if his vocals had been raw and low rather than high and ridiculous. And he completely missed the opportunity to really work the "I've been used" realisation. Most annoying.
It was very interesting though how he played the emotion of Superstar. I always heard it as rational Judas striving to understand Jesus' incomprehensible thinking. So the mocking posture of this took me rather aback. I had this reaction of "that's not the way I thought it. But ooh, I see what you're doing. Ooh, interesting." I see how they got it from the lyrics, seems entirely valid. Just not one I'd choose. Hee.
And oh yes. Omigod did they pretty much expliticise the slashy. Holy fuck. I nearly fell off the bed when they kissed. Like holy fuck, was that actual mouth on mouth or mouth just cleverly to the side of mouth? Omigod!
It was King Arthur Clive and Ioan all over again, the glorious triangle of woman caught between two men. Only Mary Magdalene was way more awesome than stupid Guinevere, far more realised and in no way tokenistic. Then again, I've always had a soft spot for our lovely whore. Who wouldn't, after hearing her in this musical?
Thought Renee Castle acquitted herself quite beautifully for everything except the iconic song. God, she murdered it. *facethwacks* Although that may be just my interpretation. I always like my Mary Magdalene warm and sexual, a prostitute finally waking to the possibility of emotional and spiritual growth. The warmth Renee definitely conveyed through the rest of the play but when it came to the actual song, she was oddly lacking soul. It was like she was conveying more with her eyebrows rather than her actual voice.
The rest of the songs she did perfectly and pretty much had me tearing up at Could We Start Again, Please? cos ahhh, the tremulous broken despair. *sobs* And when she screamed at Pilate sending him to Herod, god did I ever feel it.
I did like how Judas was so clearly contemptuous and jealous of her, how fabulously Jesus was so torn between the two of them. Gah. *squeeee* Wonderful.
Didn't really care for Glenn Carter's performance for the most part. The voice was a bit too thin and not nearly sweet nor powerful enough. I wished there was a little more intelligence in his face throughout the play. And the frequent gazing towards the heavens pretty much irritated me. Having said that, they lit him beautifully and he had the golden glowing look perfect. Most importantly, he did an absolutely marvellous job of Gethsemane although I winced at the pause he took before the big note. He acted it fabulously, all the body and facial expressions, the way he wasn't afraid to demonise his own face in the performance.
Mind you, the cynical part of me wonders if it is at all possible to fuck up that song. unless of course you can't hit the note in which case what the fuck are you doing even attempting the song? All the musical cues and shifts of emotion are there, the lyrics are quite clear and your emotional journey is set out perfectly from beginning to end. Not much room for misinterpretation.
And now that I've dug out the Lyceum production, I discover he played Simon Zealotes to Steve Balsamo's Jesus. So he's seen it done. Good o. And okay, he is way cooler as Simon Zealotes.
But then I always did like Simon. He's just so damned passionate in whatever incarnation, bless his aptly named self. Hey, which came first? The name or the quality? Ooh, I wonder. Hmm, interesting. *takes Wiki with a pinch of salt*
It was sort of hysterical to see Simon Zealotes in this production be a sort of boy band member with a machine gun. Took the zealousness a bit too much overboard and a bit too much vocal acrobatics but I could forgive that. Cos aww, Simon always did have the best melody. *pets*
They did the last supper scene so beautifully. Even if Jerome and Glenn kind of mangled the vocals. Argh. *slaps them* Really, it was the disciples who got me upset, their poor confused upset faces. Curious how it was their innocence and love that evokes the original Seventies sensibility so much for me. They sang it wonderfully but, as with the "well done, Judas" chorus, I wished the last "look at all my trials" bit was a bit louder and not quite so atmospheric. Cos that bit always breaks my heart. Poor disciples.
Absolutely fucking ADORED the Pharisees, every single one of them in their fabulous long coats around the long black table with the inset white bulbs and the suspended televisions. Freaking brilliance! Perfect vocal performances and omg the deepness of Caiaphas was nailed spot on, even better than in the Lyceum production. LOVE that! Even more so that Annas was vocally malevolent enough to be that perfect contrast. He even looked fabulously creepy and Lexian and he totally picked that Judas was in love with Christ. Yum! Michael Schaeffer. Good man, that.
And ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Fred Johanson as Pilate was marvellous! Clearly took a different interpretation of the character and played him more as an artificial general rather than the bewildered practicality of David Burt in the Lyceum production. Absolutely fascinating. How we met him in his purple bed, naked and vulnerable and wondering. Loved the slightly robotic deepness of his voice but kinda wished he could muster the powerful scream of "DON'T let me stop your GREAT self desTRUCtion!" Nnnggghhhh! I love my screaming Pilate, humanistic Pilate whose reasonable mercy has been rebuffed by this incomprehensible monosyllabic infuriating and yes utterly innocent puppet of a man. He did overplay the wincing at the flogging but thass okay, he kinda redeemed himself with the subsequent anguished trying to help Christ.
I was so overwhelmed with glee at the vaudeville staging of Herod's number with the girls and the dancing and the name in lights that I can forgive the suspicion that Rik Mayall played the words rather than the character. Damnit, why does no one play Herod properly? Alice doesn't do it well, either. Really, my favourite performance with all the screaming wilful fear of the tyrant is still the Indian production. *sigh*
My skin totally crawled at the lepers bit. Brilliantly done. As was the flogging with each person running past to swipe blood on to him. So clever! And the use of black for the ensemble as vultures, all of them streaming past Judas in his betrayal. So effective. Absolutely adored how they staged the temple number with the girls in the cages and the gambling machines. Definitely a roundeyed experience of sheer joy. Loved the television screens and how they faded to white noise. Although I do wonder if they distracted a bit from Jesus' song.
Gah, how marvellously they worked the media superstar angle with the cameras and the microphones and the video screens. The Superstar number totally gave me chills of the creepified variety. *moan* With the angels in bondage leather and Judas in the red vinyl. I think the hair was standing on the back of my neck.
I really didn't like that suddenly he'd been cast as the devil mocking Christ on his journey with the cross. It's fucking brilliant staging but it's not my Judas. My Judas would be on the sidelines, watching and approaching with anguish, still trying to understand while everyone else cavorted around Christ. Although it was quite cool to see the moment of communication betwen them and how Judas swung between mocking and anguish and how he reacted to the nailing to the cross.
It was a curiously haunting end, though. I would have loved to be in a theatre, shaken and tearful, to be blinded by that blazing cross.
And me, I've gone right back to dear wonderful Zubin Varla. What I wouldn't give to have seen the Lyceum cast in exactly this production with all these visual elements. *sigh* If only.
My mother would love this production. And hey, lookit. I watched it on Mother's Day. Huh.
The movie doesn't count, the movie is not worth mentioning.