[BK001]

Did anyone see NBC's live production of John Legend in Jesus Christ Superstar last night, Easter Sunday?

This was a somewhat modernized "in concert" version. I thought it was pretty good given that it was performed live for television. At times though it felt like the orchestra (and frequently the audience) overwhelmed the singers. The second half of the performance was far better in my opinion.

John Legend did an adequate, if emotionally underwhelming, job in the role of Jesus. The true superstars were Norm Lewis as Caiaphas, Jason Tam as Peter, Ben Daniels as Pilate, and Brandon Victor Dixon, as Judas.

Alice Cooper gave a surprising performance as King Herod, however, the shocker to me was that he played it far less flamboyantly than is usually performed.

What did you think?

PS

Go to youtube and search for Michael Crawford’s version of Gethsemane from this play for an incredible performance.