From: kilroy@access.digex.com (Donna Lettow)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: JC Superstar Opening Night
Date: 16 Dec 1992 12:16:53 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: access.digex.com

[Disclaimer:  In addition to being a Andy&Tim fan, I'm also a huge
Styx fan.  Imagine my surprise to find out that JC Superstar, to 
which I already have opening night tickets, would feature Dennis
DeYoung of Styx.  Imagine also my surprise to arrive at opening
night to find that the g'damned sonofabitch ISN'T THERE!  A friend
of mine flew in from Wisconsin to see the show 'cause we haven't
missed one of his opening nights in 10 years -- and "In tonight's
performance, James O'Neill will be playing the part of Pontius 
Pilate."  ARGH.  However, now that I've voiced that anger, I
won't let it effect my review of the show.  Promise.]

The Review:

If this was New York, these would have been previews and the press
would not have been allowed.  Good thing.  Unfortunately this was
not New York and the place was crawling with other people like me
carrying a rather sparce press kit and pass.  Too bad.

Honest Opinion:  It's going to need all three weeks of practice 
that they're scheduled for in Baltimore before they hit the road.

The voices sounded GREAT.  If they do a cast album, I'm the first in
line.  I always thought I liked Ian Gillan's JC better than Ted Neeley's,
but not after tonight.  Just the right amount of world-weariness and
vulnerability in the voice.  Dammit, the boy can act!  And Carl 
Anderson's voice if anything is more powerful than before.  Irene Cara
has a lovely voice, but she needs to put a little more inspiration/emotion
into "I Don't Know How To Love Him."  The walls rumbled when Caiaphas sang.

The voices sounded GREAT when you could hear them.  I know what the
problem is with this -- the show is designed to pop in and out of
theaters like rock concerts, two days here, one travel day, three
days there.  They can't do hanging mikes or mike the stage because
there's going to be no time.  So everybody's got a mike.  Judas, 
Caiaphas, and Pilate have "Garth Brooks" headset mikes.  Mary has
a wireless in her cleavage.  Jesus carries a wireless so he can sing
down into it and look pious.  The rest of the cast trade wired mikes 
back and forth.  So right now they're suffering from a lot of feedback 
and a lot of instances where the sound crew neglects to turn someone's 
mike on and you lose a word or a line or a verse or two.

Act I wasn't that great to watch.  Nice to listen to, but not great
to watch.  The dancing is pretty good, and the history of the world
pageant they do during the overature is cool, but otherwise Act I
blocking sucks.  And once again, this is probably a factor of being
more like a rock concert and less like a musical.  The "set" consists
of a raised back riser and a huge, tilted, round turntable (that never
actually turned) in the center of the stage about 2-3 feet high with
removable steps.  Blocking, especially for poor Judas in Act I, is
pretty much set for vigorous pacing back and forth.  The High Priests
need to do more than stand at the edge of the stage looking like the
Supremes during "This Jesus Must Die."

All in all, Act I did not inspire me.  It certainly didn't win over
my friend from Wisconsin who'd never seen it before, but he had an
ax to grind any way.  There were exceptions:  

 -   Anything Ted Neeley did was great.  Since his job thru most of 
     Act I is to stand in tableau looking pious and meek, that played 
     off the vigorous pacing real well.

 -   The scene in the temple ("Roll on up...") is very nicely done
     (although I hope their special effects timing gets better with
     practice) -- it reminded me of the Merchandizers in "Chess."
     It was blocked well, the choreography was good, and it was
     engaging.

 -   "See my eyes..." started a bit too slow (they're also not sure yet
     how long or if to pause for applause) but was very driving and
     ended great.

Instead of getting chased by Israelli tanks in the opening of "Damned 
For All Time," Judas gets attacked by winged angel/devils who torment 
him throughout the show.  I was wondering what would go there.

OK, Intermission.  Change of scene.  And someone must have given the
cast a hell of a pep-talk backstage, cause the team came out for the
second half and KICKED SOME BUTT!

OK, so the disciples part in "The Last Supper" was a little lame, but
it's supposed to be.  There are some awkward pauses, but you could
leave Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson on stage together all night and I 
won't complain too loudly!

And "Gethsemane" made me cry.  Enough said.

Ted's entire being oozed vulnerability throughout the entire second
act.  Even in the scenes where he doesn't get a line, he was eloquent.

And then there was "Herod's Song."  We interrupt this musical for
"Highlights From Pippin"!  (Or at least costuming ideas from Pippin.)
It's always been my contention that Herod's Song was something they had 
left after "Joseph" and wanted to use somewhere.  This rendition was from 
some other show altogther.  Not a bad show.  Just not this show.  Actually, 
it really was a gas.  But I always have trouble shifting gears right at 
that point.

Carl Anderson's "I Don't Know How To Love Him" blew Irene Cara completely 
out of the water.  And they handled the suicide alot more tastefully than
I had hoped.

Now, keep in mind I was determined to utterly hate and despise the man
(James O'Neill, the assistant director) filling in as Pilate.  "Trial
Before Pilate" was WONDERFUL.  God, I hope Dennis does it nearly that
well.  And Ted's body language, especially during the 39 Lashes, was
beautiful.

And finally, I normally HATE "The Crucifixion."  I've made tapes of the
soundtrack and left it off.  I've closed my eyes while watching it.  But
expressive Ted made it sing... sort of.  And the ending!  Nah, I won't
give everything away.

Any way, IN SUMMARY:  Stay until Act II.  Or come late.  You'll be
glad you did.  And, hopefully, before they leave my fair city, maybe
they'll get the bugs worked out of the rest of it, too.

Donna Lettow
Baltimore, MD