Jesus Christ Superstar 2000 Broadway Revival Cast

Wykonawca: Broadway Cast (Live Recording)
Gatunek: Musical
Cena: nie na sprzedaż zł
Rok wydania: 2000
Wytwórnia: Really Useful Group

The JCS 2000 Revival Cast is a production based on the film remake of JCS directed by Gale Edwards. Some of the film's actors went on to appear in the live production of the Broadway play. For example, we can single out the main role - Glenn Carter, who appeared in the London production of JCS as Simon Zealotes opposite Steve Balsamo, and played the title role himself from '97-'99. Tony Vincent, who had a main role in the film, appeared in the role of Judas in the Broadway production. Instead of Renee Castle, Maya Days played Mary Magdalene. All performances of this production took place at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now known as the Hilton Theatre). From time to time, cast changes took place, so we are unable to pinpoint the full ensemble.

This is probably one of the show's early performances, because the soloists don't really show their skills. I chalk it up to uncertainty in the roles, and maybe a touch of stage fright? On later bootlegs you can really hear the actors, because they've had time to show what they can do.

Glenn Carter - There are rumors that his portrayal of Jesus in the European tour was much better than his film or Broadway performances, but we're not here to talk about that portrayal. Operating with a high, clean voice, Glenn impresses some listeners with his strong lungs. A good example is the ending part of "Gethsemane," in which he performs (in a high octave) the last word with one exhale, without change of tone, for several seconds. Thanks to Gale Edwards, Glenn became famous and developed a new reputation as the first actor to play the role following the film remake. His sensitive, strong voice and reputation, matched with a unique vision of Jesus, truly hit the public and JCS fans hard. (The only person who matches him for shocking the public is hard-rock star Sebastian Bach, who played Christ opposite Carl Anderson in the 2003 North American Tour.)

Tony Vincent - Many critics look down on him for not playing the role of the doomed apostle the way they expected it to be played. Such rabid fans prefer a Judas like Carl Anderson or Zubin Varla, but this portrayal of Judas as a rock "tough guy" can be seen in countless other productions. Many others, however, see Tony as the big star of JCS, who brought a whole new angle on Judas to the world of musicals: Judas the pop star. Judas' songs adapted surprisingly well to Tony's voice and abilities. His master talent (a great clean, unique voice) interested many people, especially JCS fans, and his renditions of "Heaven On Their Minds" and "Superstar" have become extremely popular, among some of his greatest hits. On another positive note, he is (probably) the only Judas in all the productions based on the film to make the visual concept for "Superstar" work--he looks great in the red clothes (especially with that blond hair). Apart from that, his acting ability in scenes (choreography, facial expressions, gestures) shows him in a good light as well. In my opinion, he's the best Judas to walk the Earth.

Maya Days - An American pop singer, she was one of many candidates for the Mary Magdalene role and she was surely the best choice. She has a very calm and melodic voice, which helps set the mood in "Everything's Alright." Unlike Renee Castle, however, she wasn't afraid to use her voice, adding her modulations and extras to Mary's part. This shows best in the final moments of "I Don't Know How To Love Him," where she sings high parts very well. But apart from that, she hasn't done anything special. While Renee didn't add anything extra, she had a more sensitive and clean voice in the less noisy moments. In the new North American Tour, Natalie Toro was much better.

Kevin Gray - (The Pilate for this recording is actually unknown, but due to the similarity of his voice to Kevin Gray's in later bootlegs, we're going to assume it's him.) This is a great Pilate, and he can act very well, even in the hottest moments. During the flagellation, the last numbers normally counted are screams, effective enough to make a great impression of the brutality of the scene. His acting is much better than Fred Johanson, who we see in the remake.

Paul Kandel - I was surprised when I saw him listed in the role of Herod. When I saw his name, I thought, "Isn't this the guy who played the voice of Clopin in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame?" Yes, yes! It's the same actor/vocalist. Here we have a Herod who can really sing. He is a very talented singer, playing with his voice without any problems and making the audience laugh at his ad libs in "King Herod's Song." In the song's introduction, there's a moment where he boasts strong lungs by prolonging one of the last words for ten seconds. He certainly makes a better impression than Rik Mayall, who spoke his way through the whole song.

Frederick B. Owens - We first saw him in the film, where he played the stern role of Caiaphas, a role he reprised in this production. All of the high priests look very cool in this production (walking with the black robes on and chains on their necks), and I like his performance, but he didn't really do anything new. Sometimes he said something more strongly, but that's all.

Ray Walker - His version of Annas, in my opinion, completely blows the guy in the film out of the water. Without any doubt, Ray can sing, play with his voice, and show the dark side of a Pharisee convincingly. His voice also blends extraordinarily with Frederick's.

Michael K. Lee - Plays Simon Zealotes. He sings with a high, clean tenor, but he's basically an imitation of Tony Vincent's performance (the same modulations, the same notes held, the same lines lost in the sublime chorus and the ending of "Simon Zealotes"). However, of note is that in video bootlegs, he wears a headband on his forehead while he acts, and in my opinion, this makes him look more like a real revolutionary.

Rodney Hicks - This guy is playing the part of Peter, and he only has two songs to really show his skills ("Peter's Denial" and "Could We Start Again, Please?"), so it's no surprise that he manages to bring nothing special to the part. If Maya Days wasn't singing with him, the songs would be very boring.

And on a technical note...

The orchestra is trying to imitate that of the film, which shouldn't surprise anyone, since the show was following the pattern of the remake. But on this recording, the vocalists far overpower the music. I can't say that the musicians rocked. In fact, they did a good job with "Gethsemane," "Superstar," and other songs of that type, but they don't deserve anything higher than a grade of "Not bad." (For an example of true badness, "John 19:41" is the worst track.)

Ocena: 5.25
Liczba komentarzy: 2    
Data dodania: 02.12.2008r.

HitcH 07 12 2008 (16:52:20)

Może chciał się popisać angielskim :P

Pcheła 07 12 2008 (15:30:02)

Dlaczego nie po polsku?