On Mon, Apr 2, 2018 at 1:15 PM, PGage <pga...@gmail.com> wrote: > I have had a couple of friendly but passionate debates the Gethsemane > number already this morning. Couple of things about that: > > 1. I liked Legend’s performance on every other number better than > Neeley’s. On this one, I would give the nod to Neeley even though I > preferred how Legend did the end of the song, which is heart breaking. But > nobody is going to do the “Watch me die...” part like Neeley. And, to be > fair, this song, and scene, is the key to the whole show (and to the whole > story), so even if that is the only one Neeley did better on (and lots will > disagree with me about that), that is the one song to be better on, if you > had to pick one. > > 2. That classic rock screaming style is not really my lane musically; > while Legend’s more soulful pop sound is, which may be why I liked his > whole performance so much better. Those who think this show can only be > done in 70s power rock style will prefer Neeley - but then they may be as > guilty of rigid fundamentalism as those Evangelicals who are whining about > the graffiti. (Note: This is not a clap back at Diner, but at a few of my > more friendly but intense interlocutors on other platforms this morning). > > 3. I know Neeley has been touring the show live for years, but I have > never seen him do it. It is a little unfair to compare Legend’s live > performance, maybe 90 minutes into the show, with a movie soundtrack > version, that likely spliced together best takes fro several tries, with > plenty of rest and no actual moving around. > > 4. I grew up with the movie soundtrack to this show, and literally wore > the grooves out of the album. I am a fan of Neeley’s performance, though I > always had a few quibbles. I just like last night’s better. That certainly > comes down to personal taste, or as we say here - YMMV. Both performances > are memorable, and, for those so inclined, deeply moving. >
I had the album of JCS and Ian Gillan of Deep Purple sang the part of Jesus. He is arguably the best of the screaming seventies vocalists and I would compare Legend to him rather than Neely. Not that I would compare them directly - there were two different arrangements and each vocalist sang appropriately to his. This was the first live theater event on TV that I saw with an HDTV and a good sound bar. That made a huge difference in the experience. I mostly liked the staging. I liked having minimal props on a single stage. I liked having a live audience after they settled down. I especially liked the staging of the crucifixion scene. My big quibble was the way the cameras zoomed around. It was especially off putting during the overture when the dancers were doing a routine and it was impossible to follow with the moving cameras and the quick cuts. It might be old fashioned of me to prefer three or four static cameras that can pan and zoom when necessary and they keep a constant point of view. I didn't really go for the choreography but I think it was hip hop style and it's for people younger than me. I also had a problem with the costumes. The main cast of apostles and dancers' costumes were too hipsterish for me. They should be relatable as young people on the street but I saw too many torn jeans and leather. It bothered me that the Pharisees were dressed like Darth Vader. I get that the designers wanted them to be distinctive and not too Jewish, but there had to be a better way of showing them. Jesus, Magdalene, Pilate, and Herod were all okay. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
