Drawing 35 - Groovy Palm Sunday

[tealin]

It was a tradition in the household in which I lived during most of my time in Canada that we'd come home from church and put on some loud choral music we could sing along with while we made brunch. Sometimes it was Carmina Burana, sometimes Mozart's Requiem, but during Lent, especially towards Holy Week, more often than not it was Jesus Christ Superstar. I realized last week how much I missed that, so on my way home from church I stopped in the CD store and found a copy – it wasn't the original cast, in fact I couldn't find a mention of the production or cast on it anywhere, but I got it anyway because it was the only complete recording they had, and might as well expand my horizons a little.

To my surprise, it wasn't actually awful. It was recorded in '96 which, according to Amazon, was only three years after the original recording came out on CD, which seems a bit odd. The orchestra was smaller but it was nice to hear different parts stand out a bit more, and the recording quality was excellent. I even liked some of the performances better than the original cast – Jesus sounded less like a petulant child on drugs, and Pilate was more human and much less camp. The biggest surprise (or possibly non-surprise) was that Alice Cooper made an excellent Herod. Overall it was performed more in a Broadway style and less as a groovy 70s rock opera, which has pros and cons. My biggest complaint was that a few lyrics were changed, including some lines in my favourite verse in my favourite song, in a manner that erred on the side of stupid. Some of the lyric changes in Sunset Boulevard, when it crossed the pond at about the same time as this recording was released, were equally dumb; I suspect someone in Andrew Lloyd Webber's camp suspects American audiences of being a bit thick. (I don't know where they would get that idea ...)

Has anyone else noticed that an inordinate number of Webber's musicals are about the ramifications of fame?

Anyway, it's been a long time since I listened to it, and it got me thinking again about how controversial it is in some circles. I'm not surprised, because I know people will get offended at anything, but ... see, my mom spent all of maybe five minutes explaining the premise to me when I was a child, and even though I've never seen a performance and I don't recall ever hearing the whole musical before college, just that explanation had a profound effect on my perception of the Passion. Even now it's still my favourite dramatic interpretation of it, and the focus on the power of the fickle mob probably predisposed me to René Girard's mind-bending theories. I started to write a point-by-point list guessing at what people might find offensive and then explaining why they're full of crap, but it started to get really long so I stopped ... might post it someday if anyone's interested but I don't have the time right now to finish it or to join the conversation it might start. Instead I decided to offend more people by illustrating a mondegreen!


A trick or two with lepers and the whole town's on its feet ... 'lepers' sounds like 'leopards' to me most of the time. Jesus probably could have done tricks with leopards! That would have been awesome! Maybe he did but the Evangelists were embarrassed by the blatant showmanship so left it out of the Gospels...

And that, I have declared, counts for Monday. Take that!

Comments

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Wow-- a musicals post! Geeking ensues!

I love the motion picture soundtrack: the Herod and Pilate (and Judas) all had stronger voices, IMO. My mom always thought that the Mary from the film had a particularly beautiful voice.

I've always wondered why they don't revive this show: it should do very well. Alice Cooper as -Herod-?!? I'll have to see if his songs are on iTunes...

BTW, did you see my reply re: hiking behind Disney (http://twirlynoodle.livejournal.com/272661.html?thread=4142869#t4142869)?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I did! I haven't had the chance to poke around out there during daylight hours though ... unfortunately I'll have to do that when it's gotten hot again. :P

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Bummer-- you'll die in the summer. The sand really reflects the heat back up at you. At least wait for an over-cast day and/or wear a hat.

If you do explore, LJ about it! I've walked a lot of the trails, but never crossed the L.A. River. Griffith Park isn't a great place to be after dark...

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

My favorite will always be the Amstetten soundtrack from 2005. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaEafnklg4) :) But that's an excellent one too. (Steve Balsamo is amazing. ^_^)

From a serious standpoint, I think many people have a problem with the premise of the musical being Jesus telling Judas to go betray him when Judas doesn't want to. (Lol I think some find the way Judas's love for Jesus is presented to be offensive as well.) From a less serious standpoint; they're all singing...

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I didn't get that out of it at all--but, like I say in my comment, I've only seen the movie once, and that was awhile ago.

Isn't that the premise of the Gospel of Judas? Which is one of the gospels that was supposedly rejected when the New Testament was being put together, and discovered again much later?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I think the premise of the Gospel of Judas was a bunch of Gnostic hoodoo, but that was one of the schools of thought in the early church, that Judas was holy in a perverse sort of way because his betrayal was necessary for the salvation of mankind...

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

... the premise of the musical being Jesus telling Judas to go betray him when Judas doesn't want to.

But they have that argument at the Last Supper, after Judas has (basically) sold him to the chief priests. My interpretation, as a somewhat arrogant pragmatic know-it-all, is that Judas is a somewhat arrogant pragmatic know-it-all who sees the situation getting out of hand and tries to take control of it ... he keeps saying he's acting for the good of the disciples or Jesus or whoever but his actions have consequences he didn't intend. So the moral of the story is, to some degree, 'don't presume you know what you're doing' or something along those lines... I've got the idea as a shape in my head but am having a hard time with words today. :(

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

I agree, but also consider some lyrics from "The Last Supper":

JUDAS: Cut the dramatics! You know very well who.
JESUS: Why don't you go do it?
JUDAS: You want me to do it!
JESUS: Hurry, they are waiting.
JUDAS: If you knew why I do it
JESUS: I don't care why you do it!
JUDAS: To think I admired you. Well now I despise you.
JESUS: You liar. You Judas.
JUDAS: You want me to do it! What if I just stayed here and ruined your ambition. Christ you deserve it!

I interpreted that as Jesus having his "master plan" and Judas betraying him was part of it all along. I completely agree with you on Judas trying to take hold of the crumbling situation, but I don't think Jesus was an innocent victim either.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the argument I was referring to, and it harks to the old Holy Judas theory that arose in the early church as soon as someone sat back and applied critical thinking to the gospel story, that Judas was all part of the plan and in some ways responsible for the redemption of mankind via his betrayal. It's a good way to add human drama and character development to the story, from a dramatic perspective, and if anyone is challenged by the idea behind it there are centuries' worth of theological works on the subject that they can trawl through at their leisure. But my point is that Judas initiated the betrayal on the previous disc (because I don't know where the intermission is :) when he told Caiaphas and his cohorts where Jesus would be at a given time. All he had left to do was identify him in the garden but the principal act of betrayal was already done by the time that argument took place (and really, someone as famous as Jesus, would they have needed the identification?). While betrayal and death were almost certainly part of the master plan all along, who did the betraying, and when, might not necessarily have been set in stone before Judas stepped forward. It's all about the contrast between the Ineffable Divine Plan and petty humans' little attempts at self-determination.

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

Intermission is after "Damned for All Time". Act II picks up with "Last Supper". :)

Very true. Lol look at all the debate this musical can start. XD I agree with you, I think for those who have never seen the musical before, that would be the thing they would object to most.

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

If you want to watch the entire play, by the way, the whole Amstetten production is on youtube. (Starting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaEafnklg4) Or you could send me a PM and I could send you the video in nice and pretty quality. :)

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Wonderful discussion on the Judas-Jesus relationship!

I've always been fascinated by close relationships that go bad-- the above is a famous one, but the God-Lucifer relationship is less spoken of and more intriguing because of it. The how's and why's of two people who need each other falling out.

Now that I think of it, there is a pivotal fall/betrayal in both the Old and New Testament. I wonder if there is anything like it in the Quran? If there is, I wonder why the theme repeats?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Is the whole Fall of Satan thing actually in the Old Testament? I thought it was more or less apocryphal, like Lilith.

My guess is the theme repeats because a)it tends to happen all the time in real life and b)it makes for good storytelling. :)

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I think John Milton made it up. :D I mean, he made up so much stuff that everyone takes for granted now, I wouldn't be surprised if it was his idea all along. (English Major speaking, obviously.) At any rate, I think he was the first one to write about it in any great detail.

I believe both Lucifer and Satan are mentioned in the Bible, but I don't think there's anything to suggest that they are the same person. Also, the snake in Eden is just a snake--Milton was the one who decided it should be the devil in disguise.

Gospel of Judas--from what I've heard, the story goes that Judas was Jesus's closest disciple, and they actually planned the "betrayal" together, because it had to happen for man's salvation to take place.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

The Lucifer=Satan is a long-standing argument. You're very correct that they both have only passing references made to them in the Old Testament. Here's something I found with a quick Google. (http://www.tektonics.org/gk/heylucy.html) Considering the magnitude of the event, it is very curious why the event was not elaborated on more.

Milton (in "Paradise Lost", which I have -never- been able to slog through: epic poem/blank verse=augh!) tried to extrapolate the event from the Biblical references. Steven Brust's "To Reign in Hell" is his version as a fantasy novel (very nicely done). Michael Michetti did a fantastic play that was a twist on Paradise Lost (called, "Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings")-- an amazing blend of costuming, anime and martial arts.

I am looking forward to anything about the Gospel of Judas-- whether it's validated or not. I think he is a complex and interesting personage.

Ironically, there is a show on Discovery Channel right now called, "Lost Gospels" (about the gospels of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and Judas). A bit dramatic, but still interesting.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Mr Balsamo is a very good singer and performer but my previous life in the orchestra makes me recoil a bit at how cavalier he is about staying (or not staying) with the music. Also see film/theatre no touchie comment below ... I am just too neurotic to enjoy it, I'm afraid. :)

[noodledaddy.livejournal.com]

And he makes a mean vinaigrette!

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

P.S. I just noticed this morning when importing my new CD to iTunes that Steve Balsamo is, in fact, Judas in this cast. Heh! He does a much better job of keeping with the orchestra in this recording than on the Youtube video. :) Nice passionate performance; perhaps it's my radio brain but I think it serves a purely aural experience better than one combined with visuals, because he puts so much into his voice ... video is just sensory overload.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I've only seen Jesus Christ Superstar once, although I know the music better, because we used to play a lot of Webber's songs when I was in the band in Junior High and High School. One year we played a "Medley from Cats," and another time it was songs from various musicals, which included "Jesus Christ Superstar"--and "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina," but I liked "Jesus Christ Superstar" better.

I don't recall being offended by it at all. I think I was mainly confused. It's just a fact of life that some people will indeed be offended by anything.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

See, I haven't seen it at all ... it's one of the many musicals I know only from the soundtrack. I should probably watch the movie someday but I don't know if I can get past the hippies – it took me ages to get past the groovy funk beats and appreciate the telling of the story objectively. (listening to it from start to finish rather than individual songs on ALW collections certainly helped...)

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

You should try watching the filmed-on-stage version from 2000 with Glenn Carter and Jérôme Pradon. The vocals are a little rough, but the emotion and passion are completely there. (Lol I can't even face the Hippie movie. I saw JCS live with the guy who played Jesus in that film and I wanted to rip my ears out. XD)

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I can never really get into filmed stage productions, though ... I like theatre, and I like film, but I don't like them to touch! Each has their own strengths and trying to do one in the other medium just ... kills it.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I acted on stage for a few productions in high school, and the big thing I learned is that acting on stage is completely different from acting on film. Acting on film, emotions and movements and feelings can be very subtle, because the camera is right there. Acting on stage, everything has to be exaggerated to the nth degree so the people in back can see it. That's why good theatre actors don't necessarily make good film actors.

[meganphntmgrl.livejournal.com]

The "filmed stage version" doesn't actually look or feel like it. From what I could tell watching it, it was based on the London revival and used the same costumes, but the sets were built as four-sided and the staging made more cinematic for the filming.

[moonmystique.livejournal.com]

There was a time in my life when I knew all the lyrics to JC Superstar x)

[gg-83.livejournal.com]

My biggest complaint was that a few lyrics were changed, including some lines in my favourite verse in my favourite song, in a manner that erred on the side of stupid.

Now I'm curious. What were the lyrics and the change, if you don't mind telling?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

As luck would have it, I had intended on posting them but when proofreading the post decided that whole segment was too tangential, but thanks to the wonders of modern computing I can cut and paste what I'd written!

In 'Heaven on their Minds,' the original verse goes:
Listen, Jesus, do you care for your race?
Don't you see that we must keep in our place?
We are occupied – have you forgotten how put down we are?
I am frightened by the crowd,
For we are getting much too loud
And they'll crush us if we go too far
The line I am frightened by the crowd/for we are getting much too loud is replaced by and our conquerors object/to another noisy sect which, okay, it's kind of staying in the political sphere, but it eliminates the reference to mob psychology and the disciples' misgivings about the movement getting out of hand, which are principal themes of the musical and much more important to the story and characters than just an objective establishment of the broad socio-political situation in Roman Palestine. Similar Messianic sects (which did exist) are never mentioned again in the story so it's been downgraded to a more or less throwaway line.

[kairii1989.livejournal.com]

Jesus Christ Superstar is the reason my mom, sisters, and I have to fight the giggles on Palm Sunday. When the congregation has to join in for the reading of the Gospel with the line "We have no king but Caesar" our minds all go to the play and we have to fight the urge to sing/chant the line.

[noodledaddy.livejournal.com]

Leperd: A cat whose spots fall off.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

GROAN.

Good one.

[trutitipudlian.livejournal.com]

Good sir, I think I love you. That was a truly grand pun.

[raddishh.livejournal.com]

"Alice Cooper made an excellent Herod"

My eyes just zeroed in on this phrase and try as I might, could read no further, continually coming back to that.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I'm having a hard time envisioning that, personally.

[meganphntmgrl.livejournal.com]

He's the first one I'd ever heard.

[noodleface38.livejournal.com]

he's the first one I ever heard too. but after watching Rik Mayall on the 2000 release of it I fell in love. The campness of his performance and character choices were very enjoyable. Also, just love that song :)

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

Y'know, Paul gave this cd to me and I remember liking it when I was a Christian - I wonder what I would think of it now that I'm not a Christian... hmmm, experiment time...

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

It's an excellently structured capital-T Tragedy complete with a tragic flaw, hubris, and the cold cruel hand of fate, so according to Aristotle it should be universally entertaining, cathartic ... and GROOVY.

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

Well, how can I say no to Aristotle?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

You CAN'T. He's DEAD. So there!

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

You always slay me with logic you cunning beast!

[jume.livejournal.com]

Has anyone linked this video to you yet? http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2009/04/07 Pretty amusing
(it purports that disney has, ah, several tropes of animation that they like to use a lot)

[noodleface38.livejournal.com]

I took it upon myself to watch the video of JCS with Glen Carter in it every Good Friday after I had bought the video(obviously). And I think that the people who are offended by the musical really need to look at it objectively. When I read/heard about the Passion in Mass or church services, it just seemed so clinical. (I think the fact that the people who read out the "role-play" section of the gospel were volunteers and a priest didn't help...hearing a hundred people monotonously chant(half-heartedly too) "crucify him" just doesn't bring the message home.)

Therefore when I watched this version for the first
time I cried like a baby and actually felt something for the characters, appreciating it more. I think a lot of people who disapproved of how Judas was portrayed didn't like the "humanisation" (oh look... I created a word) of him because it meant we could identify with him, and who wants to empathize with the man who helped Kill the Son of God?

Also, I agree with the thing that Steve Balsamo tended to go mad with the rhythm in Gethsemane, but it was one of the best emotional and vocal performances IMO. The fact that he's also not too bad to look at didn't hurt either ;)

essay over :)