Jesus Christ Super Star

[chicago]

Pilate, indeed, seems to reveal a quite human and genuine aspect of his character that we may never think much of, in general. Perhaps it is because, unlike a lot of the other biblical personages, we just don’t know hardly anything about him. So the creative characterizations add something to the mix. But, then, I suppose this is the essence of what the authors were attemption to accomplaish, more generally: to give us some food for thought as to some of the more human elements and side of the people who we may have only known from Sunday school or Church. How effective this is, or how theologically accurate, if of course debatebale. Yet it certainly did open up a discussion.

 

[patrick457]

Ted Neely played Jesus in the JSC that came to our city last season.

My husband saw him. Said, “He definitely looked and sounded old.”

He thought the production was amazing, but it would have been better with a younger actor in the lead role. There comes a time when we all have to move on.

It was because Ted Neeley is also the one who played Jesus in the 1973 movie.

 

[patrick457]

Ive always been nervous about Godspell after Superstar. Mom took me to that when I was I guess 11. At the time it made no sense, the story was off somehow, (now I know why) the girl singing she loved Him was a conterversy everyone talked about before we went, the costumes and the whole main song deal Superstar was plain weird, I think I thought the hippies were spacing out, and no talking in the thing. And not to mention they arrived in that bus and left their buddy there after, dead.

That’s the one problem of the 1973 movie; it was dated (the Apostles sporting long hair and tanktops, those silly costumes).

The 1973 movie did not show the Resurrection, but if you’ve rewatched the movie, you’ll notice they left Jesus on the Cross along with the two thieves but on the final shot, only Jesus’ Cross remains and is no one in there anymore.

There was also this silhouette of a man with some sheep (some say a camel) that came into the shot; Norman Jewison (The Director) stated that the Shepherd just appeared out of somewhere and they filmed it (Ted Neeley however claims that he was the shepherd and walked into the shot). Many usually take this appearance as a hint to the Resurrection.

A few productions of JCS do show a Resurrection though, for example one had Jesus rise up to Heaven from the Cross and reappear at the curtain call dressed in white.