Lately I've been feeling like a rechargeable battery that's been recharged a few too many times, topping off at about twenty percent. I'm not really sure why. It just seems like the past three months have been a real struggle to do anything creatively (It's been about a month since my last blog post, and that was a posting of an old file).
It's a particular point of frustration for me, because ever since childhood I've had the idea stuck in my head that 'creative' is an adjective with which I can identify. But the past three months? My brain has been stuck in the mud. I've doubled up on my Prozac recently, and it's possible that in managing my depression I might be taking a hit in theta waves, which is a fairly uncomfortable prospect. I find myself staring at the half-completed Disney fan fiction, the untouched Carousel draft, and the choose-your-own-adventure I'm creating for our Sci-fi festival in July, and I'm just...struggling.
I hate feeling like this. And unfortunately, that's where the update leaves off. I don't know what kind of readership I have out there, but if any of you have ideas on how to legally jump start your imagination, I'm all ears.
But as I'm determined to keep my blog going in the meantime, here's something that I'm quite sure nobody is going to care about. At the library where I work, I'm in charge of creating the shelf reading list as well as encouraging my co-workers to do their sections. What is shelf reading, you tried to deny wondering? It's when librarians comb through their shelves to find books that are out of place. It's exactly as exciting as it sounds.
So a while back, instead of sending out a routine e-mail that says "Hey guys, the damn shelf reading list is up," I thought it might be significantly more fun to deliver the bad news through song lyrics. And so, here's a collection of eight suspiciously similar ways with which I've allegedly entertained the people in my department. I'll put the list of melodies at the bottom, just in case they aren't obvious( I'm proud of the fact that they've gotten progressively more elaborate).
10/16
When the bookstops squeak and the endcaps break
Spines crammed in like a salmon cake
Westerns horizontal-wise
Hidden back behind the 'I's
Prim fiction staff come out to organize
12/16
Fiction shelves! Busy elves!
State of disarray!
Covers bound, and the missing found,
When the reading's gone astray!
Fix our shelves! By ourselves!
Order from decay!
Patrons know there's a spotless row
When they cross the entranceway!
03/17
My wild wryish rows
Defeated highs and lows
You may search through the stacks
But none can relax
When the mystery shelves decompose
This guy wants his prose
Where is it? No one knows
For the new Ann B. Ross
Is marked as a loss
Or it's mixed in with Jodi Picoults
07/17
My section's misery
Seeped in catastrophe
Of thee I read
Cutters misclassified
Blu-rays that try to hide
Large print is twice as wide
We'll intercede
10/17
Dun dada DUN *snap snap*
Dun dada DUN *snap snap*
Dun dada DUN Dun dada DUN Dun dada DUN *snap snap*
The shelves are looking sloppy
The paperbacks are floppy
We've lost another copy
It's mad catastrophe
The paging list's cosmetic
Requires an aesthetic
Arranged in alphabetic
Not mad catastrophe
Dun dada DUN *snap snap* (sleek)
Dun dada DUN *snap snap* (chic)
Dun dada DUN Dun dada DUN Dun dada DUN *snap snap* (mystique)
So grab some vim to wrangle
Or book stops you can jangle
We're gonna disentangle
This mad ca-ta-stro-phe!
02/18
Fair receiver
Gritting like a pressure gauge
Ninety-seven books to page
And there's stacks on the counter
And a New YA in the romance display
From days of mixed returns
Now you wander
Dreading what you have to do
Several spines are labeled blue
But they're shelved in the Westerns
'Cause the patrons try to assist and comply
But give us mixed returns
Sing it with me now
Sha la la la la la
Via trials
We're gonna comb the aisles
Until we've nixed concerns (whoa-oo-oh)
Sha la la la la la
Yesterday
A missing Playaway
Was found betwixt returns
Mixed returns
We want our fixed returns
03/18
O sad employ
The spines, the spines are quarreling
From bin to bin
And down each fiction aisle
The stacks are mauled
And all the patrons snarling
It's you, it's you
Must hope to reconcile
But not alone
You only have a section
And several weeks
To pace out your chagrin
And when it's clear
You'll marvel our collection
And you can rest at ease
Until it's trashed again
05/18
Summer reading grabbed me a stash.
Summer reading here in a flash.
I read a book. Left me beguiled.
I took a row, all Lincoln Child.
Summer reads, everyone needs
Leading up to their summer flights.
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh
It's the chore that we bore
Keeping sections in line
Can't ignore Lorrie Moore
Has a mislabeled spine
Need the printer, forgotten my PIN.
Castle Panic is stuffed in a bin.
PS4s, they never stand.
The Rooster Bar was buried in sand.
Summer blitz cleaned out our kits
It's a world full of summer slights.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Now we store in a drawer
'cause the audios sag
Or they pour on the floor.
Have you found Fannie Flagg?
Every rental checks in en masse.
Monumental piles to surpass.
Fiction staff, our saving grace,
Sets them all back in their place.
Summer guests, gained their requests
Never know our summer plights.
Grim Grinning Ghosts
Jingle Bells
My Wild Irish Rose
My Country 'Tis of Thee
The Addams Family Theme Song
Kiss the Girl (The Little Mermaid)
O Danny Boy
Summer Nights (Grease)
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
The Heavenly Court (script excerpt)
Going through some of my old Google documents, and I came across this little limestone. I'd started writing a comedy script called Power Struggle. The characters were God, Time, Karma, Nature, etc. This would have been the opening scene.
Empress?
(politely) Please don’t call me that. Ever.
Sorry. Um…majesty? (TIME doesn’t react) My lady? (she shakes her head) Mistress?
You must be Hope.
Does it show?
We’ve met before. A long time ago.
I have a bad memory.
Well, that’s why you’re hope. Call me Dora.
Is that your name?
As far as you know. Yes.
HOPE ponders this as KARMA marches to his desk as the prosecution.
But you are the Empress of Time?
You’re stuck on the word ‘empress’. No, I’m not. I’m the incarnation of time itself. Just like you’re hope and tippy over there is Karma.
Yes, but isn’t it more impressive to introduce yourself as Time than by a name?
Sweetie, nobody up here is capable of being impressed. And in my vast experience, time is treated as the enemy.
So you think you might be less disliked with a name?
One can hope.
So what do I do for this thing?
You’re the bailiff.
I know. It’s not like anybody’s going to get out of line.
Just look pretty and be yourself.
But I don’t know what my purpose is.
Nor do I.
HOPE
Do you know what time it is? (TIME gives him a defiant stare) Sorry.
Interior – Heaven. A courtroom on a cloud.
Several unimportant heavenly characters filter in to witness the first trial held in the afterlife. TIME enters and takes her place at the defense attorney’s bench. HOPE meanders in awkwardly as the bailiff.
HOPE (approaching Time)
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME
HOPE
TIME (to herself)
GOD enters dressed in a mock judges robe.
GOD
All rise. The honorable me presiding.
HOPE (quietly to GOD)
Sorry.
GOD
I forgive you. Everybody sit down who wants to. And hey! Let’s give a big round of applause to our resident purgatory ambassador for setting up the first court system in paradise. Thank you Karma for the contamination. Thoughtful.
KARMA
You can berate me all you want…
GOD
May I? Cheerfully accepted.
KARMA
But the fact remains that this court system is legitimate.
GOD
Only in as much as it succeeds.
KARMA
And as long as it does, it deserves to be taken seriously.
GOD
You mean you deserve to be taken seriously. Well let’s see what’s so important to you. (GOD looks at HOPE)
HOPE
Me?
TIME (covering for HOPE)
We have two cases.
HOPE
There’s two cases pending your almightiness.
GOD
Two whole cases. Any chance we can do them at the same time?
HOPE
Are you being sarcastic?
GOD
Usually.
TIME
There’s a class action suit against heaven from the Mormons.
GOD
And they used to love us.
KARMA
Too much.
TIME
It’s actually not so much of a suit as it is a complaint.
GOD
Well what could be more pleasing to the Alpha and Omega than a customer service issue?
TIME
It’s not even a formal complaint. They’re just whining a lot.
KARMA (to TIME, obviously)
Would you just give him the damn folder!
GOD
I know what this is about and the answer is the same now as it always has been. They have to wait in line like everyone else.
KARMA
My clients feel their faith is being insulted.
TIME
Are your clients aware that as soon as they get through the gate, faith is no longer a possibility?
KARMA
But they’re not through the gate.
GOD
So in formulaic terms this case is founded on a premise with an intention to eliminate the premise?
TIME
Your honor, may I?
GOD
We have all the time in the cosmos.
TIME
Faith is being used as a legal rubric, but faith is an ambiguity. If you introduce an ambiguity into any equation, that equation dissolves.
GOD
So we rule the case inadmissible on account of ambiguity.
KARMA
I suppose if you believe the ambiguity is dismissible.
TIME
Oh cute Karma. You’ve managed to put faith on trial.
KARMA
I didn’t plan that out if that’s your insinuation.
TIME
I knew we shouldn’t have agreed to this.
GOD
Calm down Dora. We’re smart entities. Counsel approach the bench.
KARMA (coming forward)
Afraid to have this conversation publicly?
TIME (joining him)
He’s keeping you from looking like a dumbass.
GOD
Guys. Deep breath. Think of puppies. (to KARMA) Now, how do you want this to turn out?
KARMA
I’m not really concerned.
GOD
Then how about we give up on this one.
KARMA
And why would that help you exactly?
GOD
What do you mean?
KARMA
Oh, I thought you knew everything. I mean what do you stand to lose by addressing this case?
TIME
Because faith is a concept. Its power lies in the beholder’s perception.
KARMA
So it’s an illusion.
TIME
It’s a concept. Physicality is an illusion. If you’re asking Heaven’s court to make a concrete statement about an abstraction the abstraction becomes powerless.
GOD
So introducing a constant into an ambiguity turns that ambiguity into an equation?
TIME
I’m trying to help.
GOD
I know. And you have. (to court) Let all complaints be handled by the main gate. (bangs gavel)
KARMA
So you’re dismissing the case?
GOD
No, I’m ruling that anyone who reaches the front of the line has the option of standing outside of paradise and complaining until second Armageddon if that’s truly what they feel needed.
KARMA
Wonderful. So now there's a little matter of a counter suit.
TIME
A counter suit from whom?
KARMA
From the court.
GOD
This court?
KARMA
No. The four square court. Counter suing for time wasted.
TIME
Objection.
GOD
Sustained.
KARMA
On what grounds?
GOD
To make you mad.
KARMA
Are there legal grounds for sustaining the objection?
TIME
Aside from you suing your own client?
KARMA
Is Heaven really going to limit itself by semantics?
GOD
All right, I’ll humor you. What is it you feel will shut you up?
KARMA
I think they should go to the back of the line.
TIME
For complaining?
KARMA
In paradise.
GOD
So that’s what this whole court system is about. You. Fair enough. This case is being held over until the defense is available to testify on their behalf.
HOPE
Won’t they already be through the line then?
GOD
I suppose so. (bangs gavel)
TIME (to KARMA)
Dumbass.
GOD
Well, that was Psalm worthy. Moving on to item two.
TIME
It’s another class action suit. People versus the Holy Ghost.
GOD
Well they wouldn't be people unless they were versus something.
KARMA
People feel that the Holy Ghost’s freedom to observe anyone at any moment is an invasion of privacy.
GOD
Isn't spot checking the Ghost's job?
KARMA
The people demand that the Ghost’s activities be limited to churches and temples.
GOD
Sure because nobody does anything wrong there. How about we go with the same verdict. Held over until the accused gets here.
TIME
My client is here your honor.
GOD
I don’t see your client.
TIME
That’s because my client is invisible. You know that.
GOD
Yes, all you had to do was keep your mouth shut and we could be out of here.
TIME
Sorry.
GOD
Fine. Holy Ghost, you’ve been charged with…existing. How do you plead?
TIME (after a moment)
My client pleads no contest.
GOD
So you’re the only one who can hear your client.
TIME
Actually, I was just guessing.
GOD
Okay, we’ve got a plea of no contest. No contest, no debate. No debate, no examination. No results. No evidence. No bargain. No show. Novena. No deposit. No return. Case dismissed on grounds of inanity.
KARMA
Hang on. The case is People, all inclusively, versus Heaven's imaginary friend. If you’re not listening to this what are you listening to?
GOD
Listening or responding? Have it your way. Make it an eighteen dollar fine.
TIME
My client probably wants to know what for.
GOD
Failure to appear in court. Happy? (bangs gavel) Who's up for sloping?
The entire courtroom goes dark.
GOD
What is this, the end of the world again?
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Review of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
I have a particular affection for the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. My parents were hippies, and the original recording was one of the albums I grew up on. I could recite most of the words before I understood their definitions (much less their meaning). The soundtrack was my introduction to the crucifixion narrative, and it certainly had an impact in the way I thought about my religion. In other words, Superstar is a part of me, and I'm quite possessive of it.
The original soundtrack is always going to be the definitive version for me, to which I compare all other performances; Superstar's 'gospel' if you will. So I find the challenge any subsequent production has to overcome is to "get it right"; a concept on which I'm characteristically inflexible.
So how did the 2018 Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert TV film do? Well, I'm glad I asked.
The Overture
Right off the bat I need to rave about the musicians. The music in Superstar is as much a character in the story as Jesus and Mary are. What the character is, I can't really nail down. Maybe two thousand years of emotions that have poured through those biblical passages? But every musician that they hired for this production was spot on, with perfect timing of every accented downbeat and atypical time signature. In many cases it felt like an identical replication of the soundtrack. It's the kind of score that almost incites the orchestra to fall flat, and nobody every did. I particularly loved the fact that the performers made appearances on the stage throughout the grander numbers.
As for the set, the modernization of the Christ narrative is always a hit and miss idea (the tanks in the film version were probably just too silly). Here it blends into the background pretty easily. I don't know how first time viewers felt about the anachronisms, but as I'm used to them I felt this show kept them within reason. As for the limited staging space, it leads to a few awkward moments (Judas can only storm out of the Last Supper by a few feet) but overall it's a fair trade for the conciseness of it all. It is a creatively designed set.
And finally, the staging was nothing shy of brilliant. There is a whole lot going on in the crowd scenes, but between the carefully crafted choreography and the well placed camera work, you never lose sight of the action. In many ways it makes for a better film version of the opera than the 1973 film did; not all, but many.
Frightened by the crowd
One of the really fun elements to this production is the use of the audience. There are a couple of mosh pits right by the stage that take full advantage of the passionate ticket holders who don't mind standing for two and a half hours. John Legend (who may very well have been cast just to give us the review title "Jesus, the Man, the Myth, the Legend", which I'm alas not going to use) is a high profile performer in the title role. I know of him. I'm not familiar with his work, but clearly the audience at the show is. When he makes his entrance and comes over to high five his fans, it adds to the whole atmosphere of 'Celebrity Jesus' interacting with his own crowds (at least in the Hosanna phase of the story).
On the plus side, you can feel that everyone on and off the stage is singing the crowd numbers, adding a raw energy that most shows never experience. On the minus, there are certain songs that begin and end on somber moments that the exuberant audience kind of smothers. I imagine if they were able to do a second take, one of the directors would have suggested the audience maybe, you know, not...applaud so much for "Jesus must die"?
Christ, you deserve it
John Legend is an outstanding Jesus. He's not perfect, but he more than makes up for his own shortcomings. All the role ultimately requires is the voice, and he's got it. It's not to say that any of the Jesuses throughout the musical's history have ever phoned in their performance, but Legend could have just sung the songs and gotten glowing reviews. Fortunately he does us one better by genuinely acting the role. You never feel like you're watching John Legend as Jesus, you're able to just get lost in the story because Legend is able to slip so comfortably into his role.
The (slightly) disappointing element is that he never vocally 'goes for it'. Once you've heard Ian Gillan or Ted Neeley shriek out "Gethsemane" then you know the vocal equivalent of sweating blood. Legend plays it safe on this front. Now in his defense, he probably needs to preserve his voice for the sake of his career. And if you go full wail and crack, it's all anyone is going to remember about your performance. So it's a minor quibble. As I said before, I' a bit of a snob.
On women of her kind
My wife is a fan of Sara Bareilles, having met her previously (Bareilles is really sweet in person). In this production, I thought she was good. Not smashing, just good. Unlike Legend, I just kept seeing Bareilles. I know there's not a whole lot one can do with the role, but it came across more as 'Sara Bareilles performing the Mary Magdalene songs' instead of 'Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene'. Her voice is beautiful, but the Yvonne Elliman passion isn't there. So out of all the cast, she was just good.
And I know who everybody's going to blame
Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas. You can tell he's from Broadway by the way he makes use of the stage. His facial expressions are animated. Your eyes naturally seek him out whether or not he's the one in the spotlight, just to see how he's reacting.
I'll admit, I had misgivings about him at the start of the show. He sings "Heaven on Their Minds" in a way that's...pretty. I didn't like it when I heard it, and I don't know how differently I'll feel on a second viewing. But mainly I was concerned that Dixon wouldn't be able to invoke Murray Head's meltdown going into Judas's suicide. I was wrong.
It was probably a combination actor's choice and direction that Judas starts with fair stability before falling apart in the fourth quarter. And Dixon's show stopping title song demonstrates exactly what he's capable of. It's entirely possible he intentionally toned down the Broadway so as to not outshine Legend and Bareilles, but suffice to say, he's stolen the show by curtain call.
But to keep you vultures happy
So let's talk show. What did I like/what didn't I like? I liked the glitter. It was a great way to metaphorize money and greed. I didn't the use of the chair when Jesus chased everyone out of the temple. I realize the limitations of a stage production, but it just seemed awkward. I loved the costumes on the lepers. That scene needs to be as horrifying as possible and they did a great job. I didn't care for the inclusion of the last verse in "Hosanna". The whole point of the extension is for that moment when the chorus sings "Hey J.C. J.C. won't you DIE for me" and we get a look at his reaction to the request. Here they didn't do anything with it. At first I thought Ben Daniels's Pontius Pilate was a tad too unsympathetic, but he came unhinged beautifully. I have never liked the song "Could We Start Again, Please?". It brings nothing to the show, it interrupts the tension, and it's boring.
And finally, I loved the way they handled the 39 lashes. By turning it into a crowd dance it eliminated the visual monotony that the sequence easily falls into. And Legend's acting really sells it. Speaking as someone who's played Jesus before (in Baton Rouge's teen theater Godspell) it's not fun to writhe in agony for any extended period of time. So, cap's off to you.
And now I understand you're God. Wow.
You knew I wasn't going to forget. Alice Cooper is a treasure. He doesn't have to do a damn thing to be awesome, and he knows it. The man has impeccable comedic timing, and his understated performance as King Herod (reprised from the 1996 revival) is a gem of pure giddiness. I always love it when Cooper the artist has a chance to perform independently of his stage persona. He is a pure unapologetic ham, and I thank God we didn't lose him in his rough years.
With a kiss
In the end, the trick to a good performance of Superstar lies in the show's ability to answer the question; why am I watching this instead of just popping in the soundtrack? Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert sprinkles its answer throughout its production. We all know the story and the songs, and yet it still manages to find a few surprise acting beats that allows for its own identity.
The Last Supper, usually presented as a somber occasion from its beginning, is set up as if it's going to be a genuinely festive gathering; you know, as if the disciples didn't know what was going to happen. The moment following Judas's kiss typically goes right into the arrival of the Romans, but here Jesus expresses a powerful gesture of forgiveness by embracing his right hand man. And Jesus's slap in the face realization of "What I started- What YOU started" is given a real gravitas.
But every performance has to decide what to do with the final image of Jesus on the cross. Webber and Rice intended it to simply end on that huge question mark, what was this for? The film version honors this wish by us never seeing any sign of the resurrection. Ted Neeley's very extensive farewell tour had him ascending via harness up to the catwalks, ending on a definitive period. Live in Concert finds a solid compromise. Jesus and the cross are lifted up and pulled away from the audience, fading into the light behind the set. Is it an ascension? Is it symbolic of a historical event becoming metaphor? We're not told, and the musical is all the better for it.
Final thoughts: this version is a worthy successor to it's source material. It will never replace the soundtrack for me, but it proves itself on its own merits. And if you feel the need to see the opera as well as hear it, this is the one to watch.
The original soundtrack is always going to be the definitive version for me, to which I compare all other performances; Superstar's 'gospel' if you will. So I find the challenge any subsequent production has to overcome is to "get it right"; a concept on which I'm characteristically inflexible.
So how did the 2018 Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert TV film do? Well, I'm glad I asked.
The Overture
Right off the bat I need to rave about the musicians. The music in Superstar is as much a character in the story as Jesus and Mary are. What the character is, I can't really nail down. Maybe two thousand years of emotions that have poured through those biblical passages? But every musician that they hired for this production was spot on, with perfect timing of every accented downbeat and atypical time signature. In many cases it felt like an identical replication of the soundtrack. It's the kind of score that almost incites the orchestra to fall flat, and nobody every did. I particularly loved the fact that the performers made appearances on the stage throughout the grander numbers.
As for the set, the modernization of the Christ narrative is always a hit and miss idea (the tanks in the film version were probably just too silly). Here it blends into the background pretty easily. I don't know how first time viewers felt about the anachronisms, but as I'm used to them I felt this show kept them within reason. As for the limited staging space, it leads to a few awkward moments (Judas can only storm out of the Last Supper by a few feet) but overall it's a fair trade for the conciseness of it all. It is a creatively designed set.
And finally, the staging was nothing shy of brilliant. There is a whole lot going on in the crowd scenes, but between the carefully crafted choreography and the well placed camera work, you never lose sight of the action. In many ways it makes for a better film version of the opera than the 1973 film did; not all, but many.
Frightened by the crowd
One of the really fun elements to this production is the use of the audience. There are a couple of mosh pits right by the stage that take full advantage of the passionate ticket holders who don't mind standing for two and a half hours. John Legend (who may very well have been cast just to give us the review title "Jesus, the Man, the Myth, the Legend", which I'm alas not going to use) is a high profile performer in the title role. I know of him. I'm not familiar with his work, but clearly the audience at the show is. When he makes his entrance and comes over to high five his fans, it adds to the whole atmosphere of 'Celebrity Jesus' interacting with his own crowds (at least in the Hosanna phase of the story).
On the plus side, you can feel that everyone on and off the stage is singing the crowd numbers, adding a raw energy that most shows never experience. On the minus, there are certain songs that begin and end on somber moments that the exuberant audience kind of smothers. I imagine if they were able to do a second take, one of the directors would have suggested the audience maybe, you know, not...applaud so much for "Jesus must die"?
Christ, you deserve it
John Legend is an outstanding Jesus. He's not perfect, but he more than makes up for his own shortcomings. All the role ultimately requires is the voice, and he's got it. It's not to say that any of the Jesuses throughout the musical's history have ever phoned in their performance, but Legend could have just sung the songs and gotten glowing reviews. Fortunately he does us one better by genuinely acting the role. You never feel like you're watching John Legend as Jesus, you're able to just get lost in the story because Legend is able to slip so comfortably into his role.
The (slightly) disappointing element is that he never vocally 'goes for it'. Once you've heard Ian Gillan or Ted Neeley shriek out "Gethsemane" then you know the vocal equivalent of sweating blood. Legend plays it safe on this front. Now in his defense, he probably needs to preserve his voice for the sake of his career. And if you go full wail and crack, it's all anyone is going to remember about your performance. So it's a minor quibble. As I said before, I' a bit of a snob.
On women of her kind
My wife is a fan of Sara Bareilles, having met her previously (Bareilles is really sweet in person). In this production, I thought she was good. Not smashing, just good. Unlike Legend, I just kept seeing Bareilles. I know there's not a whole lot one can do with the role, but it came across more as 'Sara Bareilles performing the Mary Magdalene songs' instead of 'Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene'. Her voice is beautiful, but the Yvonne Elliman passion isn't there. So out of all the cast, she was just good.
And I know who everybody's going to blame
Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas. You can tell he's from Broadway by the way he makes use of the stage. His facial expressions are animated. Your eyes naturally seek him out whether or not he's the one in the spotlight, just to see how he's reacting.
I'll admit, I had misgivings about him at the start of the show. He sings "Heaven on Their Minds" in a way that's...pretty. I didn't like it when I heard it, and I don't know how differently I'll feel on a second viewing. But mainly I was concerned that Dixon wouldn't be able to invoke Murray Head's meltdown going into Judas's suicide. I was wrong.
It was probably a combination actor's choice and direction that Judas starts with fair stability before falling apart in the fourth quarter. And Dixon's show stopping title song demonstrates exactly what he's capable of. It's entirely possible he intentionally toned down the Broadway so as to not outshine Legend and Bareilles, but suffice to say, he's stolen the show by curtain call.
But to keep you vultures happy
So let's talk show. What did I like/what didn't I like? I liked the glitter. It was a great way to metaphorize money and greed. I didn't the use of the chair when Jesus chased everyone out of the temple. I realize the limitations of a stage production, but it just seemed awkward. I loved the costumes on the lepers. That scene needs to be as horrifying as possible and they did a great job. I didn't care for the inclusion of the last verse in "Hosanna". The whole point of the extension is for that moment when the chorus sings "Hey J.C. J.C. won't you DIE for me" and we get a look at his reaction to the request. Here they didn't do anything with it. At first I thought Ben Daniels's Pontius Pilate was a tad too unsympathetic, but he came unhinged beautifully. I have never liked the song "Could We Start Again, Please?". It brings nothing to the show, it interrupts the tension, and it's boring.
And finally, I loved the way they handled the 39 lashes. By turning it into a crowd dance it eliminated the visual monotony that the sequence easily falls into. And Legend's acting really sells it. Speaking as someone who's played Jesus before (in Baton Rouge's teen theater Godspell) it's not fun to writhe in agony for any extended period of time. So, cap's off to you.
And now I understand you're God. Wow.
You knew I wasn't going to forget. Alice Cooper is a treasure. He doesn't have to do a damn thing to be awesome, and he knows it. The man has impeccable comedic timing, and his understated performance as King Herod (reprised from the 1996 revival) is a gem of pure giddiness. I always love it when Cooper the artist has a chance to perform independently of his stage persona. He is a pure unapologetic ham, and I thank God we didn't lose him in his rough years.
With a kiss
In the end, the trick to a good performance of Superstar lies in the show's ability to answer the question; why am I watching this instead of just popping in the soundtrack? Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert sprinkles its answer throughout its production. We all know the story and the songs, and yet it still manages to find a few surprise acting beats that allows for its own identity.
The Last Supper, usually presented as a somber occasion from its beginning, is set up as if it's going to be a genuinely festive gathering; you know, as if the disciples didn't know what was going to happen. The moment following Judas's kiss typically goes right into the arrival of the Romans, but here Jesus expresses a powerful gesture of forgiveness by embracing his right hand man. And Jesus's slap in the face realization of "What I started- What YOU started" is given a real gravitas.
But every performance has to decide what to do with the final image of Jesus on the cross. Webber and Rice intended it to simply end on that huge question mark, what was this for? The film version honors this wish by us never seeing any sign of the resurrection. Ted Neeley's very extensive farewell tour had him ascending via harness up to the catwalks, ending on a definitive period. Live in Concert finds a solid compromise. Jesus and the cross are lifted up and pulled away from the audience, fading into the light behind the set. Is it an ascension? Is it symbolic of a historical event becoming metaphor? We're not told, and the musical is all the better for it.
Final thoughts: this version is a worthy successor to it's source material. It will never replace the soundtrack for me, but it proves itself on its own merits. And if you feel the need to see the opera as well as hear it, this is the one to watch.
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