So I was listening to this record the other night:
…which got me to thinking about a few things. Specifically, how much I miss performing musical theatre (or theatre in general, really) and how much I’ve enjoyed various iterations of JCS:
The Broadway version:
The Movie Version:
and the 2012 UK revival:
…you may think it odd, perhaps, for an out-of-the-closet atheist to be into something so heavily religious, but I have to say that one of the things that sticks with you when you are raised Roman Catholic is the lore. Things like the stations of the cross and the idea of angels are very deeply ingrained in the ‘western’ psyche. And mine.
Then you have the score: a rock opera inspired by various types of worship music, setting the stage for a fictionalized account of Jesus’ final week of life, including some heavily non-canonical interplay between Jesus and Judas Iscariot.
…seriously, if you’ve never listened to/seen Jesus Christ Superstar, do so. Now.
If you have, then you might know where I’m coming from.
Back to the point: my wistful daydreams of performing or directing have produced more than one fantasy concerning how *I* would stage a production of something like Jesus Christ Superstar.
…not that I have the requisite experience with directing. Or a musical director. Or a rock band slash orchestra at my command. Which is why I give you…
Ultimate Broadway Fantasy Draft 2015!
…I was going to make a Hockey: the Musical joke, but apparently it’s already a thing:
So here’s my imaginary production of Jesus Christ Superstar:
-We open on a dystopian science-fiction desert set which is somewhere between Woodstock, Mad Max and a Margaret Atwood novel (no sand though! One of my profs in university once told me that sand is a nightmare to clean up on a stage).
-Jesus, Judas and Mary are all played by women. (I guess we can call her Judith?) Jesus looks like a young Joni Mitchell, Judas something akin to Katniss Everdeen. Mary Magdalene is, in essence, Tina Turner.
-The Romans are an alien race enslaving humanity. They look like griffins:
…stay with me here, I’m going somewhere with this.
…no, really! The inestimable Neal Patrick Harris as King Herod (he was fantastic as Hedwig, by the way):
-Anna Kendrick as Mary, Idina Menzel as Judas (Judith?), Freema Agyeman as Jesus (can she sing? I like to believe so).
Judas’ lament of practical matters vs. spirituality, Jesus’ views, these things become something else entirely in the face of a domineering alien presence. What is humanity’s place in the cosmos, and in the sight of god?
…but more importantly, David Bowie must reprise his role as Pontius Pilate:
…yes, I know that’s from a different Jesus movie. But it’s DAVID BOWIE! Plus he’d be in a griffin costume. What’s not to like?
So there you have it: my bizarre, imaginary contribution to theatre. It’s a game the whole family can play! What piece of theatre would you produce? Who would you cast, and what would it look like, if your budget was limitless? Leave me a comment!
Coming next week: a new short story and an update on Crystal Secrets. Stay tuned.
Leave a Reply