Easter Sunday ended oh a high note with NBC’s live telecast of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” This may have been the first live musical that people actually got really into. The production was amazing and put a real twist on the whole concept of a live broadcast, unlike the previous attempts of “The Sounds of Music” or “Peter Pan.”
John Legend starred as Jesus Christ, with Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene and Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas. While the decision to cast these three as the lead roles was great, the best decision may have been to have the show performed before a live crowd at the Marcy Avenue Armory in Brooklyn. The energy from the crowd was exuding off the performers, who gave the show all they had.
John Legend’s voice and acting gave off a plethora of emotions, from sad to angry to happy. While there were many people critical of his performs and compared him to the original and amazing actor, Ted Neely, who played Jesus in the produced movie, I have to say that Legend was a perfectly cast Jesus. His rich voice could handle all of the songs for the most part, and he embodied the spirit of the whole production. Watch one of his performances here
Sara Bareilles was by far my favorite part of the production. She sang with such a softness that made it look easy. Her emotions were spot on and hopefully she will get more recognition for her talents in the future. Watch it here
Brandon Victor Dixon truly stole the show. Playing a part who narrates most of the story, he really fit the part and carried the show. His voice and acting skills were on point, coming to a peak at the last song, “Superstar”. It was a performance that will go down in history. Watch it here
Catholic or not, this was a story for all human kind. To the producers, Mr. Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice: there is nothing to say bravo. I hope that are future televised musicals can be at this level if not better.