Tuesday night I had the great pleasure of going to see Jesus Christ Superstar, the so-called "Farewell Tour," starring Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar. (Check out this youtube clip of Neeley singing his trademark "Gethsemane" on The Tonight Show)
Neeley is now in his early sixties - he's no longer the young 30 year old that starred in the 1973 movie. And he has aged since I saw him touring in the production in 1992 and 1996. But it was still just so awesome to see him perform - his age was very low on a list of concerns! I went to see the production with my little brother, a birthday present from me to him that was as much for me, and in the overture when Jesus first appears, I glanced excitedly over to Todd and leaned forward in my seat in anticipation. As soon as Neeley appeared, the audience went crazy with applause, before he ever even sung a note. And then again when he first sang. And then again with his "Gethsemane" - still hitting the high notes in rockin' style. And then of course for the curtain call, a standing ovation.
As I mentioned recently, I had the pleasure when I was in junior high of meeting Ted Neeley. This was in the height of my JCS obsession, when I would actually wear only Superstar t-shirts for about a month preceding my annual trip to see an area production. He was extremely warm and gracious and stayed to chat, meet, and sign autographs for everyone who was in line. (The cast in general had stayed around, all were very kind.) Check out these reviews here, which also paint a picture of Neeley as a generally nice guy and humble performer. My only disappointment was that Carl Anderson was supposed to perform as Judas, but his understudy was onstage when I saw it, and I never did get to see Anderson perform live in the role.
Anyway, back to the show. Corey Glover, lead singer of Living Colour, played Judas Iscariot. His voice was fabulous, and his final number, "Jesus Christ Superstar" was great. But the rest of the time I didn't really like the way the character portrayed. I thought the blocking was boring - all this fabulous energetic movement, and Judas seems wimpy, head hung, shoulders hunched, and isn't moving anywhere. I can only imagine this is how Glover was directed (at least in terms of where to move when) but I would have liked to see a bolder, stronger Judas. It was cool to see Larry Alan Coke, a Syracuse native, in the role of Caiaphas. I can't imagine hitting such low notes. (And cool that Coke signed my blog a while back!) The rest of the ensemble, the chorus - they were great. The chorus was clear, had great harmony, and sounded much bigger than their number.
The lighting and 'special effects' were also fabulous. Great use was made of hangings to change the scene in the center of stage. Most effective was the staging of "The Temple" - the second part of the number where Jesus is healing lepers. This production portrays the lepers as a mass of people all crying for Jesus to be healed - in his mind - as he is struggling with fatigue in his ministry and uncertainty/worry about the future. I thought this was the best staging of the scene I've encountered so far - made it stand out in a totally new way.
Also curious - a few lyric changes here and there. Not sure why/for what purpose, but for someone singing along (mostly silently!) in her seat, they stuck out.
Check out tour dates here - the show is traveling around the country for a year or so, and making stops in many locales!
21 comments:
I saw JCS last night, 9/29/06, and was excited to see Ted perform. I saw Carl Anderson play Judas a few months before he died and he sounded just like the movie soundtrack. I was wondering to others who have seen this tour, is Ted losing his voice some? I'm not being critical I love his voice and ageing is natural but I thought he may just have a cold or something too.
Neeley is incredible!
Neuroslicer -
Unfortunately, that's typical with national tours of any show. The rights are usually withheld as long as a show is touring or on Broadway - has to do with theatre union rules.
Thought about doing Godspell instead?
I agree...
Godspell is a great show, with awesome music. I had the opportunity of performing "Bless the Lord" in our production of Godspell in college. It's a great show for sure!
I saw the show today (12/2/06) in Clearwater, FL. Understudy Gabe Belyeu did an excellent job creating a very sympathetic Judas, and Craig Sculli in the role of Pilate was awesome, as well. The rest of the cast, sadly, gave the impression of a high school production. Both the blocking and choreography left much to be desired.
As for Neeley, I was really curious about how he would pull off the role of a dynamic, rebellious young man, considering he's now a man nearly twice the age of his character. Sadly, I don't think he did. I don't think even the back row could have taken him for a contemporary of the apostles, his movements were stiff and affected, and my God, what was all that pantomiming for an unseen observer?
That said, no one can sing "Gesthemane" like Neeley can, and for that alone, all other faults can be forgiven. The ascension was nicely portrayed, too, and he seems to have remained in remarkably good shape over the years.
The music was flawless, even with the minor changes, and I was moved to tears more than once. (I was touched to see the conductor quietly singing along, too.)
I've loved JCS since I was ten years old, and I'm very happy to have seen the farewell tour. I do think I'll watch Jewison's film version again though, just to be sure that the vibrant Jesus of '73 stays foremost in my memory.
I saw JCS last night with my grandma and mom.We saw it at the play house in cleveland ohio. it was my first time seeing the play but i saw the movie before. I thought it was awesome. For a 63 year old man ted sure can hit the high notes. All of the other performers were great too, espesially judis he has an amazing voice. My grandma actually knows ted and they were good friends. It was awesome and im happy i saw it.
I saw the show for my first time at the play house in cleveland. i went with my mom and grandma. it was amazing. for a 63 year old man he is great. all of the other peformers were awesome too, espesially judis he is great. I loved the peformance and im gland i saw it.
Me and my 20-year-old daughter (a drama student), who both LOVE JCS, were estatic to see the 10/13/06 performance with Ted Neeley. We drove from Canada to Michigan. We were in awe. The sad part is while he hit those high notes, I was scared to clap and ruin the mood. I hope he realizes that he still has it and has brought joy to so many. We got tickets for an April performance in another part of Michigan, which is sadly, the last time we will see him perform.
Just came home from the Milwaukee show, 1/12/07. The quality of all the vocalist was excellent, but Corey Glover steals the show in this regard. Neeley does a great performance and obviously was the audience's favorite. He started out soft and got stronger throughout the perfomance. If you loved JCS from years ago, you will love this stage production.
I just saw JCS this afternoon, Feb 4, 2007 in Vancouver. I saw the Broadway production back in 70s and watched the movie version over and over.
I could not believe how Ted Neeley can still sing despite his age. I wish this is not a farewell tour... perhaps I can catch one more show in another city.
I just saw JCS in Vancouver (4 Feb 07). I completely agree with the author of this blog that Glover's Judas snivels too much. Whereas Anderson played Judas as the lyrics suggest him -- a sincere nationalist who believes that Christ is a danger to the cause. I've always liked JCS because it makes Judas, Pilate and the Pharisees convincing characters by giving them genuine motives. JCS is interesting because its real conflict is between material political struggle and spiritual internal redemption. For Judas, national liberation is what matters -- and it's not a villainous goal; it's actually quite moral and reasoned in its own way. That's why Judas is so confused by Christ -- because, up to this point, Judas thought Christ was really just an anti-colonialist like himself. But Christ asserts that the spirit transcends physical liberation. Judas' failure to grasp this is the hinge of the plot. There are no villains in the opera, merely opposing factions who each make sense in their own way. (Even Pilate is sympathetic, and tries to help Christ climb down from his predicament.) That's why this play is so powerful. And, amazingly enough, it's why playing Judas with a cringing stoop sort of obliterates the point. -- W.
I saw JCS today in Vancouver (Feb 4/07). I will say, as excited as I was to hear Neely's voice (I'm a big fan from the movie), at first my opinion was clouded when I saw that no effort had been made to at least make him *appear* younger than his actual age. It was difficult at first, for me to picture him as Jesus, who was barely 30, looking at Neely's graying and thinning hair... But my worries were soon forgotten. Although his voice was noticably deeper and older than it was in 1973 he could still wail those rockstar notes that send chills down your spine. It was glorious. I especially liked how the ending was different than the previous touring of the play which I saw a few years ago, with Carl Anderson (also mindblowing, even better than Neely, if that is possible!). A heavy but effective focus on the dying scene on the cross, but Neely made it overcome any "cornyness" that might initially come to mind. He made it real, and uncomfortable to watch (a good thing in this case!). I also liked that they added him being risen at the end, though the movie does not show that, which is not telling the whole story, in my humble opinion. Anyways, yes, Ted Neely was aces in my books, I am very greatful I got to see him perform this role!! (I was looking forward to seeing Glover as Judas, but his understudy performed instead... I found him weak and awkward, unfortunately.)
Saw JCS in Escondido 2/26/07. Ted Neeley still blows me away. I practically flew out of my seat in the temple scene. He did seem a little stiff at times, but I was amazed at how physical the role was and he handled it great. He has a lot of blocking on the floor, plus he gets thrown around a lot in Act II. I don't think I could kneel half as long as he does without whining. I agree that Judas's blocking left something to be desired...but I really enjoyed his vocals. The cast seemed to be having a great time and their harmonies were spot on. The lighting was awesome, the set design works (and probably travels well) and the sound was fantastic. Costumes were a little odd - Mary Magdalene wore an orange tank top. While this isn't my favorite JCS, it was a great night.
Thanks for your review. I found it after discovering that Ted's "farewell tour" is coming to my area and I must see it!
I had the good fortune of seeing Ted and Carl Anderson in the 1993 "A.D." tour. I also got to meet them both afterwords. Both so gracious and so wonderful.
Thanks for your great post!
Bob
dear ted neeley'
i looked in a newspaper that said you were going
to act at a jcs tour in febuary but you were sick.
so can you perform again next month of augest 12th 2007 ? i trueley appreciate it.
jake barlow
ted neeley's still touring!
it starts december 19th and ends december 30th!
does anyone know where i can find this video:
ted neeley 1997 gethsemane ad tour?
i watched it on youtube and it got deleted.
can anyone upload it on this site:
youtube.com
thanks!
jake
I saw JCSS 06.02.07 in Omaha Neb. I flew me and my Daughter from Texas just to see Ted Neeley. It was one of the pinnacle`s of my life-having falling in Love with JCSS after I saw the movie when I was 8. That was in 1973-The movie changed my Life forever -Steve
I'm sorry, but I can't agree with the comments on Neeley or his voice. We saw him last night in Portland, Oregon, and maybe he just wasn't on. He looked and sounded like and old man out of place and out of the character. Glover wasn't much better; the character of Judas is a tough sing with a wide vocal range and he hedged most of it within a single octave, making up for lack of range with very impressive stylings.
The high point for me was the lighting, the blocking and choreography, and the youth and vibrance of the supporting cast and chorus.
I really felt they were going more for "Ted Neely Superstar" than Jesus Christ Superstar--It was more about him than about the production. Quite a disappointment
a sacrilege that God will judge
How so anonymous?
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