Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls singing "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection...

 

John legend struggled a little as jesus, but the rest of the cast was perfect.

Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls singing "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection...

 

Michael Lorant as Judas with "Heaven on their Minds" from the Indigo Girls Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection...

 

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The Apostles at the Last Supper from The Indigo Girls - Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection...

 

Andrew Lloyd Weber is phenominal.

What did you think?

 

It was well produced and created. I wasn’t sold on Jesus’ performance. I thought he lacked something on the Gethsemene Song. Not enough agony and passion.

 

Judas and Caiaphas were best performances to me. Mary Magdalene was strong.

 

I liked it and thought the band and orchestra was fantastic.

John legend struggled a little as jesus, but the rest of the cast was perfect.

 

I get what you're saying as Legend did swallow some high notes here and there and have to carefully approach others in order to not strain or crack. No doubt it's not an easy show to sing in many parts.

 

While Legend does have some background with training, Brandon Victor Dixon is a seriously trained Broadway actor who they needed for sure to give this performance a first class professional sheen. Legend was passable enough and did the show justice, and undoubtedly was selected for his more recognizable face and name. Sarah Bareilles did a real nice job with her Mary Magdelene part.

 

I pondered while watching just who they could have had to play Jesus with a popular enough name who could pull it off vocally, and I was having a hard time coming up with one because to be super good at it you almost have to be a super trained musical theater actor and not a lot of those are household names.

 

Adam Lambert perhaps for his vocal chops, or maybe even Adam Lavine since he can hit his highs and could pull off a passionate look, but Legend I thought really did well in that department. If I thought long and hard I suppose some others could come to mind, but all said and done Legend no doubt completely put his heart and soul into the role and gave an honorable and memorable performance.

 

Just for kicks I'd like to hear what other popular names people can imagine for the role, and please nobody suggest the egomaniac messiah complexed Kanye West. :lol2:

I’d like to hear some more return before I check it out on demand wherever it’s going.

 

I like the play well enough so I’m curious but so many of these network musicals in the last couple years have just been dull.

 

And I worry about Legend as Jesus. That role requires such a powerful voice and I just don’t see Legend in that role at all. How can his voice which, quite frankly, usually doesn’t do much for me, hit those notes? Will he even try to?

Great post, @B-Ball-fan! I think you nailed one of the main issues. The audience of last night’s performance is not a typical movie theater audience. And I agree that musical theater stars have a different skill set than typical concert performers like John Legend. Perhaps the producers also knew this, but knew that a big name like John Legend would bring the viewers. If it was an NBC prime time network performance starring the not so well known Brandon Victor Dixon as Jesus, what kind and size of viewing audience would NBC get?

Great post, @B-Ball-fan! I think you nailed one of the main issues. The audience of last night’s performance is not a typical movie theater audience. And I agree that musical theater stars have a different skill set than typical concert performers like John Legend. Perhaps the producers also knew this, but knew that a big name like John Legend would bring the viewers. If it was an NBC prime time network performance starring the not so well known Brandon Victor Dixon as Jesus, what kind and size of viewing audience would NBC get?

 

Tru Dat

I’d like to hear some more return before I check it out on demand wherever it’s going.

 

I like the play well enough so I’m curious but so many of these network musicals in the last couple years have just been dull.

 

And I worry about Legend as Jesus. That role requires such a powerful voice and I just don’t see Legend in that role at all. How can his voice which, quite frankly, usually doesn’t do much for me, hit those notes? Will he even try to?

I actually have not seen it yet either. I was working on a big paper for my class that had to be submitted by midnight! My daughter kept texting me to tell me that it was AMAZING. It's recorded and I hope to watch it tonight.

Watched it. Loved it.

(and not going gonna lie—-might have a little crush on Brandon Victor Dixon :o)

Loved it.

 

So glad that this movingly powerful show has remained so significant, and meaningful to so many throughout generations for nearly 50 years. Obviously the story has remained powerfully meaningful to many many more generations much longer than that.

 

This incredible show has always been one of my absolute favorites. My oldest sister bought the original double brown album when I was about 6 or 7, and I then immediately began listening to it, and learning it the best I could word for word, and it's become a staple in my life ever since, and a certain yearly tradition during Holy Week.

We had a similar childhood. I was about the same age as you when my older brother bought the album. We listened to it nonstop. My brother played Jesus in his HS play his senior year, so it was on all the time while he was learning the songs.

We had a similar childhood. I was about the same age as you when my older brother bought the album. We listened to it nonstop. My brother played Jesus in his HS play his senior year, so it was on all the time while he was learning the songs.

 

I think you're right, and it seems that we connected not too long ago about some other good music that our older siblings turned us on to. Gotta just love having been raised with cool older brothers and sisters giving us a jump start in music appreciation.

 

It's funny because It seems that my parents didn't quite know what to make of it all because on one hand, being raised with Big Band, they weren't exactly too keen much with Rock n' Roll past Bill Haley, and maybe even a bit of Elvis if they were really getting daring, and they were questioning it some regarding whether or not it was blasphemous, but they couldn't deny that the kids were getting more excited and passionate about Jesus than ever before, and considering that previous to it they had to put up with occasional whining about some of the various Holy Days of Obligation. :lol2: