Re: TV: Did you make Barry's List?
To be fair to Legend, the show is Judas' to own or crap the bed. Jesus is just wallpaper for other characters to play off. He's a whiner.
Understood. I just felt the John Legend has a serene quality that made him well cast as Jesus, you know? He wasn't overpowering, but I don't think he was supposed to be.
Amazing performances, in rough order: Judas, Mary, Pilate, the lead Pharisee in the Pinhead costume whose name I forget.
Are you talking about Norm Lewis? I saw him perform with the Boston Pops on the Esplanade a few years ago, he was awesome. One of the comments I saw frequently last night was that, with the exception of John Legend, most of the performers were musical theater talent and not celebrity talent. Good job by the casting director(s).
Poor performances: none, though I wasn't wild about the Swede.
Yeah, he was OK. Thankfully he really only had that one number.
The real star was the set designer. I'm biased because that was my old gig, but good lord I have rarely seen better sets. They were also shot beautifully, so the cinematographer/director should win something as well.
Agreed. Wholeheartedly. That final scene with the cross disappearing into the light...I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds.
They were like a drunk Vegas audience at an old rocker's revival show that shouts whenever he cranks out a high/long note even if he misses it, and goes wild whenever anybody they recognize walks on for a cameo. Pearls before swine. Live audiences can add a lot to a show, especially like this, but this one was as annoying (and predictable) as a laugh track.
I was puzzled by the crowd. I don't think I've ever been to a Broadway musical when a crowd acted like that. Then I thought, well, they billed the show as "Live In Concert" so I'm wondering if that was the direction they were given. I feel like they toned it down a bit as the show progressed. Maybe the directors were following commentary on Twitter or something.
I was bummed by the amount of ads. I am OK that they had them, but I felt the cuts to commercial were harsh, like a performer would finish a song and before he/she got his/her last breath, the screen went dark. I would've been OK with fewer, longer breaks. Though if they ever re-run this, and they should (like, next Sunday on Orthodox Easter!!), they should find a sponsor or two to show with limited commercial interruptions.
