JC Superstar
Randy and I went to see the Ted Neely's farewell tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Here's a review...
First of all, a little bit about Ted Neely. He is the original Jesus from the film of this musical. That was 30 years ago... he is... get this.. 63 years old.... 63! And this guy can still bust those rock star notes.
The show was definitely toned down compared to prior productions I've seen. I don't know if that's to reflect Ted's age, but he definitely showed signs of slowing down. Judas was to be played by Corey Glover but last night we had an understudy. Usually I'm very weary about understudies but as the show went on this guy totally won me over. When I think of Judas, I think of Carl Anderson's portrayal in the movie, which was intense and really emotional. This guy didn't really have that, but man he could sing.
The first act was a bit iffy and flew by quick but the second act came along and things got really intense.
The venue was awesome. The Orpheum has beautiful spanish style interiors and old historic charm. We were four rows away from the stage so our views were amazing. I can't believe I was THAT close to Ted Neely.
Some interesting things the producers of the show put in. During the prelude, two actors come out and draw an ichtus (symbol used to identify Christians) on the ground to identify each other. Also, after the crucifixion Jesus literally rises to heaven. After he is done ascending, a huge picture of the shroud of Turin appears then drops to reveal Jesus alive and well... interesting...
Even though it had a slow start, Ted Neely pushes the show through the second act and beyond. He can definitely still rock.
First of all, a little bit about Ted Neely. He is the original Jesus from the film of this musical. That was 30 years ago... he is... get this.. 63 years old.... 63! And this guy can still bust those rock star notes.
The show was definitely toned down compared to prior productions I've seen. I don't know if that's to reflect Ted's age, but he definitely showed signs of slowing down. Judas was to be played by Corey Glover but last night we had an understudy. Usually I'm very weary about understudies but as the show went on this guy totally won me over. When I think of Judas, I think of Carl Anderson's portrayal in the movie, which was intense and really emotional. This guy didn't really have that, but man he could sing.
The first act was a bit iffy and flew by quick but the second act came along and things got really intense.
The venue was awesome. The Orpheum has beautiful spanish style interiors and old historic charm. We were four rows away from the stage so our views were amazing. I can't believe I was THAT close to Ted Neely.
Some interesting things the producers of the show put in. During the prelude, two actors come out and draw an ichtus (symbol used to identify Christians) on the ground to identify each other. Also, after the crucifixion Jesus literally rises to heaven. After he is done ascending, a huge picture of the shroud of Turin appears then drops to reveal Jesus alive and well... interesting...
Even though it had a slow start, Ted Neely pushes the show through the second act and beyond. He can definitely still rock.
posted by d-vizz at 12/20/2006 09:41:00 PM
3 Comments:
That's the musical Dad took Mom to see in London for their first date in London.
awesome ! i really hope i can see this musical sometime n my life lol. i'm gonna go see wicked in may (:
Although I have not experienced the road show of Ted Neely's performance, his portrayal in the film version is ever etched in my mind. Added your picture with a click back to your blog on my site. FYI: Found you in top listings for search term Ted Neely on Google!
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