Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Airing on Easter Sunday. Co-starring Alice Cooper?!? I have no idea how to separate the sheep from the goats on this one. But it blows my mind how many church-based 'theater troupes' continue to perform this show, despite the fact that it essentially presents Jesus as merely human. I'm sure NBC will bill this as some sort of musical that the whole! family! can! tune! in! and! watch! But spoiler alert, Jesus kids. Judas gets the resurrection. - GMB |
|
| Link | John Legend to lead NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert! |
| reply to this message | |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Marcy Armory in Brooklyn? | |
| Posted by: Cainebj 07:56 am EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: Jesus Christ, John Legend - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Live audience? - Marcy Armory in Brooklyn? I wonder how tickets will be available? |
|
| reply to this message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: IvyLeagueDropout 10:26 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Jesus Christ, John Legend - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| I'm indifferent to the casting, I think, not knowing either Mr. Cooper's or Mr. Legend's work very well. But I think they are smart to do this as a concert. I have seen multiple productions of this show, and I think it falls on its face dramatically, but soars musically. So presenting it as concert is a great choice. I'm not saying it will be good or bad. Merely, that only in concert format will it have a chance to be good. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Glitter 06:50 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Jesus Christ, John Legend - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| "despite the fact that it essentially presents Jesus as merely human." I think that's a big misread of the show, which is beautifully open to interpretation. Furthermore, I think anyone who is of faith has times of doubt or crisis or questioning, and what I love about the show is that it allows the faithful that space to question what they believe and why. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:38 am EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Glitter 06:50 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| "What I love about the show is that it allows the faithful that space to question what they believe and why." That's fine as far as it goes, but at least there should be consistency in the beliefs of each character. Again, Judas makes it clear at several points during JCS that he believes Jesus is a man, not a god. And then, suddenly, towards the end of the show, when Judas sings the title song (after he's dead), he asks Jesus why he chose to be born in "such a backward time and such a strange land," definitely implying that Jesus is a god. This seems like sloppy writing to me. Unless, maybe: Are we supposed to think, now that Judas is dead, he has discovered that Jesus was in fact the son of God? I suppose that's a valid interpretation of the title song, but maybe a bit much to ask the audience to get it. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Glitter 02:02 pm EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Michael_Portantiere 10:38 am EST 12/20/17 | |
|
|
|
| seems consistent to me! Judas (the dramatic character) dies before the trial. Judas (the title song singer) is a different entity. AS GMB points out, the show asks questions, it doesn't answer them.....for me, its strength is that it doesn't take a point of view. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:59 pm EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Glitter 02:02 pm EST 12/20/17 | |
|
|
|
| Hmm, I'd never thought of Judas the character as a different entity from the person who sings the title song. In the original libretto, the title song is listed as being sung by the "Voice of Judas" with "Girls" and "Angels." I think the solo singer is meant to be the spirit or ghost of the dead Judas. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: davei2000 11:15 am EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Michael_Portantiere 10:38 am EST 12/20/17 | |
|
|
|
| Well, that would be around the time he'd find out for sure, no?...;) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:06 pm EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - davei2000 11:15 am EST 12/20/17 | |
|
|
|
| Exactly! :-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 03:47 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Jesus Christ, John Legend - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| "It blows my mind how many church-based 'theater troupes' continue to perform this show, despite the fact that it essentially presents Jesus as merely human." But does it? I've always thought JCS is open to interpretation on this point -- or a more negative way to phrase it is that it's confused on this point. For example, Judas's perspective -- which he states more than once -- is that Jesus is merely human, not the son of God. But then, in the title song, Judas sings: "You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned. Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land? If you'd come today you could have reached a whole nation; Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication." Well, if Jesus had the ability to choose when he was born, wouldn't that mean he'd have to be the son of God, or at least something more than mortal man? |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: IvyLeagueDropout 10:29 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - Michael_Portantiere 03:47 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| One of the key reasons the show fails in the drama department, I think, is that it really doesn't take a point of view. Imagine a "Crucible" where Arthur Miller was an agnostic on the proceedings. JC:S I think would have been far better served to either be resolutely pro or anti Jesus's teachings. It is so meandering. I learned to turn off my brain and just enjoy the music. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| Agreed | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 09:16 am EST 12/20/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Jesus Christ, John Legend - IvyLeagueDropout 10:29 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Agreed, it's hella muddy and confused. I really don't think Sir Andrew and Tim Rice imagined that it'd explode the way it did -- maybe they'd have put more thought into it. I'm still willing to say that JCS remains rather secular, on the whole, because the show doesn't feature Jesus's most 'showy' miracles -- water to wine, loaves & fishes, Lazarus back from the dead -- or the classic resurrection scenes (empty tomb, Jesus with holes in his hands, etc.) The title song essentially asks a question, rather than making a statement. "Do you think you're what they say you are?" - GMB |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Jesus Christ, John Legend | |
| Posted by: JohnPopa 03:44 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Jesus Christ, John Legend - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:10 pm EST 12/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Legend seems more vocally in line with Judas - or, at least, I've never heard him do the rock wailing the Jesus role requires. Alice Cooper is actually a devout Christian, for what that's worth. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
Time to render: 0.039369 seconds.