Farewell tour.

Today I found out that Ted Neeley is performing a "farewell tour" of JCS to run through early '07.

Although my first real girlfriend was a die-hard "Phantom" fan, I really didn't discover how much I would love musical theater until 1992, when I caught my first-of-many performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" live.

Although I've seen many variations of JCS (children's theater, regional productions, and national tours), nothing comes close to seeing Ted Neeley in the role of Jesus. Neeley was the actor who performed the role of Jesus in the 1973 filmed version of the musical (or "rock opera," as it is known) which was directed by Norman Jewison.

Wikipedia does a decent job of summing up the story:

A large part of the plot focuses on the character of Judas who is depicted as a realistic, conflicted, and tragic figure who is not satisfied with Jesus's apparent lack of political planning and recent claims of divinity.

While this dramatic take on the story is largely made up, the situations are formed very accurately and vividly from the canonized gospels, and the musical is credited for countless conversions of its viewers to Christianity throughout its lifetime. Of course, the musical is now some 36 years old, so it's had a little time to sink in to popular culture. In fact, JCS was the best conceptualization of the basic passion play I had ever seen (and I've even sat through an Oberammergau production, natch) - at least until Mel Gibson did his thing. But I'm being a little defensive - I just love the show as great drama and prog-rock. (Contemporary critics of the first Broadway run weren't so kind.)

Anyway - the revival I caught in '92 was a big to-do; The cast included Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson (who played Judas in the '73 film as well), rounded out by Irene Cara as Mary Magdalene and Dennis DeYoung (of Styx fame) as Pilate. Ted Neeley's performace just blew me out of my seat. I had to get another ticket to a show 2 days later to hear him again.

So I've seen him in the role once or twice since, and I've seen Carl Anderson as Judas in other perfomances as well (sadly, Anderson passed away in 2004.) And now Neeley's leading a farewell tour. No way I'm gonna miss this.

Here's Ted performing his showstopper from JCS during a 1997 tour. Enjoy. Gethsemane, live performance, 1997.

In case I haven't gone on about this long enough, here are some final thoughts from a great JCS article that appeared in the Journal of Religion and Film:

It is the Gethsemane scene, though, that is most successful here. It is certainly the most moving part of the film and arguably one of the most evocative depictions of Jesus' suffering in Gethsemane ever achieved. Jesus is genuinely agonized. He has not accepted the cross and he does not simply go through the motions of protesting an already established fate. Jesus climbs higher and higher up the steep side of a hill (Mount of Olives), using his hands and feet, and the camera looks down on him as he sings. He asks, with the synoptics, that God 'take this cup away from me', but goes on to reflect on his ministry - 'Then I was inspired; Now I'm sad and tired' -and he questions the purpose of his death - 'You're far too keen on where and how and not so hot on why' - before ultimately he accepts it, screaming in falsetto voice, 'All right, I'll die? Just watch me die! See how I die!'

The tortured suffering of an agonized, human Jesus is depicted by means not only of the imaginative lyrics, the musical contrasts and Neeley's forceful performance, but also by the striking use of camera angle, peering down on Jesus throughout. The viewer is given God's perspective as Jesus tries to reach him to wrestle with him, climbing higher and higher. There is an arresting contrast between this and (other Jesus) films... in which the camera often looks up, in phony reverence, at an over-divine, almost docetic Jesus.