#king herod jcs

[cecilpedia]

Maybe I should write some Herod angst.....

[dreadful--etiquette]

well if judas iscariot is such a bad guy they shouldn't have given him all the cuntiest songs in jesus christ superstar

[butterscotch-goat]

my dealer: I got some straight gas 💯💯 🔥🔥 😎😎 this strain is called Jesus Christ Superstar ✝️⛪⛪🙏🙏 this shit will get you thinking you're the son of god‼️‼️💯💯🗣️🗣️

me: yeah whatever I don't feel shit

me five minutes later: dude what the fuck I swear it's you that say I am dude

King Herod from The Bible: wonkadoo wackadoo wackity wack walk across my swimming pool boy

[pooroldjudas]

Worm Festival isn't over until Herod makes an appearance with hundreds of worms (on a string)

... with a bonus Webber-Rice crossover

Info below the cut!

Herod's jacket is inspired by the INCREDIBLE MONSTROSITY made by artist Silver Rox (I'm sure many other artists have done similar but theirs was the one that I saw first)

This depiction of King Herod is from the 50th Anniversary Tour, but specifically Reuben Kaye, of the Australian leg.

Our crossover is Joseph from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as played by Donny Osmond in the 1999 film.

Shoutout to the beautiful Jesus Christ Superdiscord for taking a meme and making it into the gloriousness of Worm Festival 2025!

[blorbojudas]

Gifs to confuse people who don't know about Jesus Christ Superstar

[purplespacekitty]

every now and then, the spirit of angsty rock musicals possesses me and I descend into a cycle of listening to, watching, acting out, talking about and singing Jesus Christ Superstar for about 2 weeks straight. during this time period, the falsettos of Ted Neeley and Ian Gillan, masterful ad libs of Carl Anderson, sorrowful balladic notes of Yvonne Elliman and all those who came before and after them consume my every waking thought. I become compelled to listen to every version of “Heaven On Their Minds” and “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)” I can find, even the ones recorded with shitty iPhone cameras and mics. my voice goes hoarse singing along with Judas’ lament over blood money and Simon’s overenthusiastic powerpoint to Jesus about how great he is. I obsess over how cunty Judas’, Herod’s, Caiaphas’ and Pilate’s outfits are by production. I weep over the kiss of betrayal as Judas and Jesus are separated for the last time. I learn new stuff about the singers and productions every time.

I soak up the inevitable poetic tragedy of it all and then I go back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[tjjamess]

Best King Herod’s song by far

[yojesssie]

Pikeman silly stuff 2×

Btw the first one is Pikeman as king Herod from Jesus Christ Superstar cause I think it suits him so damn well frrr

[linguist-in-a-blanket]

Oh, oh, oh, okay let's go! To add to these awesome points...

Whether or not Jesus hears "Heaven on their minds". He has to hear it, sorry 1973, he just has to.

Whether or not there is "Can we start again please". This song is very easy to overlook and I get why it gets cut, it can be seen like breaking the pacing. But it actually doesn't! It provides a breather in the row of very intense scenes. And as for the actual narrative reason: it provides yet another point of view to the, in my opinion, most important theme of JCS: everybody sees Jesus in their own way, and nobody is right. They all want him to be something else. God sees him as a sacrificial lamb. Simon Zealotes and Caiaphas see him as a revolutionary leader. Judas sees him as somebody who bit more than he could chew; not a revolutionary leader but a revolutionary symbol who didn't want the revolution but started it involuntarily. Apostles see him as a man who can tell them what to do. Mary sees him as a smart pretty man. And this is song, so close to the end, drives this point home: Peter and Mary actually think they can start again. It's like a toned-down, foreshadowing version of "Superstar". It is very needed to say: yes, they still don't understand, none of them understands, look at their blank faces.

How disturbed Jesus is in Simon Zealotes scene. God, 2018 must be the worst production I've ever seen, because Jesus is actually VIBING to this scene! He's doing this chill little dance! Like what the fuck! Dude, do you hear what they're making out of you?

Overall intensity of emotions. When Jesus is angry, let him yell on the top of his lungs. When Judas is hysterical in "Damned for all time" and "Judas' death", I want to see spit flying out of his mouth, I want to see him rolling on the ground. Herod must be very unnervingly happy in the beginning and very angry in the end. He's got one song, let him live his short temper during it. The crowd must always want to eat Jesus, either in a positive or in a negative sence...

"Wil you die for me"!!!!! I know it wasn't in the original album, and I am so mad at this fact.

Little interactions in between songs or when the action is not about them: Jesus and Judas exchanging looks, Judas glaring at Mary, apostles being uncomfortable around Judas. (Yes, 2000 film is one of my favorite productions, I will die on this hill, they actually feel human (ha) and three-dimensional in this version!)

[cecilpedia]

It's not that I want to be famous or a massive celebrity, it's that I want to be well known enough for a few weirdos on the internet to think "hey imagine if it got cast as King Herod in JCS wouldn't that be interesting"

[anythingcanhappeninmay]

up late thinking about what the fashion for the 2025 jcs will be

will Cynthia give Jesus long fab nails,,,,much to think about

will king herod be a tiktok influencer??

[aquarianshift]

my personal opinion. me PERSONALLY. i agree with peter as jesus (peace, david, i know. stephen stills is john the baptist. the one who is more powerful than i is coming after me...) but i think the other three are better suited to other roles.

davy for example. king herod's song is a jangly vaudeville dance hall number (with a sinister undertone) and it's the only one like that in a show full of soft contemplative tunes and 60s rock and roll songs. you know, like daddy's song. i feel it's almost uniquely made for him and he for it. a cane and beautiful backup dancers and he's ready to go. he could bring a fresh "despotic boy-king" take to josh mostel's excellent disco nero.

micky. he has the range to do king herod but the role of judas was just written for him. he's manic. when we meet him he's delivering one of the show's most shattering vocal performances while going mad in the desert. he's a rock and roll vocalist, with runs and screeches and scatting. he's wild and heavy hitting, and when he finally succumbs to the horror of what he's done, you can hear every thread snap one by one. that matches micky's expressive, explosive style to me. he's the voice of the musical, the one we find ourselves rooting for despite knowing how it ends.

that leaves mike. for all the reasons micky would make an award-winning judas, i think mike wouldn't. as much as the next person, i love to see him as the brooding serpent whose impossible love for peterjesus spells his downfall, but maybe not here. maybe he lines up better with the closely guarded biblical judas, who moves in relative quiet and obscurity, but JCS judas is a loud, bombastic frontman. mary magdalene, on the other hand, is soft, she's water, with a clear mellifluous folk voice. she doesn't know how to love him. were you ever a strong and silent girl before? magdalene was. and she wept for jesus in front of everybody.

rafelson is pontius pilate.

[lordroyalhighness]

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR • 2025 HOLY WEEK MIXTAPE (2025 digital album compilation; FLAC or MP3 - 320 kbps, individual tracks; MP3 single track also available)

DOWNLOAD: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lHCqSZAKGfourclN0P41wXLbsXoD7bxG

(read more for description + tracklisting)

Happy Holy Week! So this little idea I’ve had ready and been sitting on since January. I originally had the idea to share the tracks through the week as they occurred during each respective day but I thought it’d be better to go ahead and just let everyone have the full product to enjoy as Easter approaches this year. For this project I wanted to (for the most part) go with cast recordings completely different to what I used for certain songs in my “ultimate mix” from years ago (but again, in my opinion, there’s some particular choices repeated that I just think are the absolute best and definitive.) I also made a rule to myself to not *repeat* any cast recordings used in this mix, which was indeed challenging, but I honestly love the final product so much and I’m so excited the time has come to share it with you all. Enjoy, let me know what you think, and definitely let me know what YOUR own personal “JCS mixtape” might look like. Detailed tracklisting below. Happy Easter! xxtyler

Act One

1. Overture (2002 Bad Hersfeld cast)

2. Heaven On Their Minds (2012 Josh Young live in Harlem)

3. What’s the Buzz (1971 National Rock Company album)

4. Strange Thing Mystifying (1992 Australian cast)

5. Then We Are Decided (2021 il Baskerville performance)

6. Everything’s Alright (2005 Vienna concert cast)

7. This Jesus Must Die (2018 live NBC event cast)

8. Hosanna (2022 all-female studio cast)

9. Simon Zealotes (2011 Vienna concert cast)

10. Poor Jerusalem (2000 Carl Anderson live performance)

11. Pilate’s Dream (1973 live Australian cast)

12. The Temple (2000 film soundtrack)

13. Everything’s Alright (Reprise) (1995 studio cast)

14. I Don’t Know How to Love Him (1971 Broadway cast)

15. Damned for All Time / Blood Money (2012 live Arena Tour cast)

Act Two

16. Entr’acte (excerpt from 2005 Dutch cast)

17. The Last Supper (1994 New Zealand cast)

18. Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) (1976 Ted Neeley live at the Santa Barbara County Bowl)

19. The Arrest (1996 London cast)

20. Peter’s Denial (1992 London cast)

21. Pilate and Christ (2017 Striving Artists album)

22. King Herod’s Song (1972 London cast

23. Could We Start Again, Please (2012 live Avondale cast)

24. Judas’ Death (1973 film soundtrack w/ intro from 1970 concept album)

25. Trial Before Pilate (1972 Australian cast)

26. Superstar (1998 Marcus Lovett live at the Royal Albert Hall)

27. Crucifixion (1996 BBC Radio concert cast)

28. John 19:41 (2012 Á la c’ARTe live at the Fool Moon a cappella Festival)

29. Superstar (Reprise) (excerpt from 1971 Kingsway Youth Opera Company album)

[sea-of-machines]

JCS 2000 ALBUM LISTENING (thoughts)

Disclaimer: the only Jesus Christ Superstar I've ever heard before this is the original concept album.

Heaven on their minds: wow, the mixing sucks. Also Judas' voice is odd, sounds a bit weak.

What's the buzz? Strange thing, mystifying: damn, Jesus has a soft voice. I think I kinda like it. Otherwise the track feels somehow hurried and odd paced.

Everything's alright: the mixing is so horrible it's almost making me a hater. Also, the way the singing is flowing with the music feels weird compared to the original concept album (not just on this song but the other's as well).

Hosanna: hmm, this one feels a bit more pleasant to listen to. Whoever plays Caiaphas sounds kinda bussing.

Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem: even the instrumental is poorly mixed. I like the choir singing. Simon has a nice voice too. As far, I feel like they casted the main trio (Jesus, Judas, Mary) a bit poorly but the rest quite well. The mixing is too “cinematic” aka some bits are just too silent.

Pilate's dream: too fucking silent. Singer sounds like mom said that we have opera at home. 

The temple: this has some of my favourite lines for Jesus. It was very promising until we got there. Jesus wasn't upset enough. Should've screamed more angrily. (Oh boy, what will Gethsemane be with this…) Also, the end part of the song began too quietly once again, but it got better. Seriously, Jesus’ singer lacks aggression. He is great but it's lacking.

I don't know how to love him: honestly, at this point I'm probably just a hater, but they played it too safe with Mary. 

Damn, they just skipped songs??? Where's Damned for all time / Blood money??? (This made me realise that there's songs missing from the beginning as well.)

The last supper: was the original this long as well? This feels oddly long. The Jesus & Judas argument is cool, except angry Jesus reminds me of the video where a man was screaming at yellow paint. Choir singing slaps though. Splendid.

Gethsemane: Oh no. The beginning is horrible. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PACING OF THE SINGING??????? I want to scream into a cardboard tube. The emotion is put in the wrong places. Sounds extremely hilarious. Man screams at yellow paint again. I feel like this was too pretentious and therefore failed to be the great masterpiece it should be.

King Herod's song: hell nahh what is this goofy ahh shit ���💀💀 I never want to hear this again.

Could we start again, please?: What's this? I've never heard this song in my life. They decided to add this instead of the banger songs they cut out??? (Ok apparently this was in the og movie. I haven't seen it so I didn't know, but this track is lame.)

Judas’ death: promising start, nice amount of drama, but that's about it. The rest is meh. Honestly, I regret uninstalling subway surfers because this is boring.

Trial before Pilate: “so the king is once again my guest” but you cut out the part where he was his guest for the first time lol. I have to admit that Jesus’ vocals are pretty neat in this (rare). Also the mixing seems to have gotten a bit better as we're reaching the end, or maybe I've just gotten used to it…

Superstar: the intro goes hard. Vocals are surprisingly good for this album too.

Crucifixion: DJHSGSDHSHSGZ omg lollll what the fuck this is just so fucking miserable 😭

John nineteen: forty-one: it's an instrumental, they can't fuck it up, right?

I want back the 1 h 19 min I just wasted from my life.

[jcs-study]

Hello, friends! Let an expert at this one! >:)

So, calling this small is a misreading of the eventual results of the production. There was nothing small about it. This event was the culmination of many "things bright and beautiful" -- to borrow the phrasing of a familiar hymn (and a Sondheim lyric) -- in JCS history. For all of that history, hit the jump!

Pre-JCS

It starts with "the owner of the theater," Jack Nakano. In 1962, he was a humble performing arts teacher at La Cumbre Junior High School in Santa Barbara, California. (I know, right? Once upon a time, these positions not only existed but flourished in American schools instead of falling victim to budget cuts.) He wanted to do something for local kids that would keep 'em off the streets during the summer, so he and four other area drama teachers teamed up to create Youth Theatre Productions, Inc., which made its debut with a production of Bye Bye Birdie.

The program was ambitious and rapidly expanded, eventually pairing Equity performers with student actors (practiced solely at a college level until then). In 1968, Santa Barbara High School -- where Nakano had transferred in 1964 and would teach until 1978 -- presented a production of Life With Father starring Leon Ames and Lurene Tuttle alongside students; a later on-campus production of Winesburg, Ohio, paired Eva Marie Saint (under the direction of her husband, Jeffrey Hayden) with the high schoolers. In 1969, YTP's production of Carnival, featuring future star Timothy Bottoms, was the first-ever school production to tour, performing at the L.A. Cultural Center in downtown Los Angeles. (You must understand how big California is as a state to know why that's a big deal, but rest assured that it is.)

JCS: Phase 1

After spending a year in England on a Fulbright teaching grant in 1973, Nakano created Gazebo Theatre One, his first off-campus venture into production. Together, YTP and Gazebo formed the basis for his new brainchild, the statewide California Youth Theatre, Inc., a nonprofit theater arts training program for ages 12 to 21 which Nakano described as "a grass-roots effort for the arts, covering all aspects of performing."

To launch CYT, it was decided to mount a benefit production of JCS, mixing experienced performers with 200 young artists. Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson, the 1973 film's stars, donated their time and talent, recreating their iconic roles of Jesus and Judas for an unforgettable series of performances under the stars at the outdoor Santa Barbara County Bowl. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice graciously waived all royalties from these performances to further benefit the goals of CYT. Recalled Neeley in a 2006 interview, "We were so excited about having the opportunity to help a youth organization provide access to kids to get into the theater. We had a beautiful time doing it."

(Fun fact: one weekend, Yvonne Elliman -- who, it should go without saying, played Mary Magdalene on the original album, on Broadway, and in the film -- attended a performance, along with JCS' original producer [and her manager] Robert Stigwood. As Ted, Carl, and Yvonne reunited backstage, it came up in conversation that, although all three had appeared in the original Broadway cast, they had never performed their respective roles onstage together. Struck by inspiration, "Stiggie" approached Nakano and the show's director, Gary Goddard, and asked if they'd allow Yvonne to join the company as Mary for its final weekend. They readily agreed, and in return, he waived the cost of the rights for the entire run. After seeing the show with Yvonne in it, CYT was proud to report that "Stiggie" had remarked that JCS would still be running on Broadway if it was this production that debuted. You can [sort of] judge for yourself, as a soundboard recording was privately released as a curio for cast members, and a copy that wound up in a used record store in California was brought to light by my website, JCS Zone, and became a rare example of found media. Listen to it here.)

The ten performances of JCS were a massive success, and the proceeds financed the new CYT's first statewide tour, a production of Peter Pan which played in six cities throughout California in July and August 1977. Indeed, JCS proved so successful that it was revived for a second run in 1977 at the Concord Pavilion, once more reuniting Ted and Carl alongside Paul Ainsley, who reprised his role as Herod from the original Broadway cast.

CYT went from strength to strength and continued to grow, and many future famous faces, including Jack Black, Nicolas Cage, and Anthony Edwards, passed through its doors. It proved to be equally a breeding ground for creative brains, as evidenced by the next section.

JCS: Phase 2

The director and choreographer of that JCS production, Gary Goddard and Tony Christopher, plus Forbes Candlish (Herod in the '76 cast, Peter in the '77 cast, Ted's understudy in both), went on to found Landmark Entertainment Group, which created theme parks, theme park attractions, live entertainment productions, and virtual reality attractions. If you name a big-ticket attraction, they probably designed it; some noteworthy ones include The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Jurassic Park: The Ride, and Terminator 2: 3D, and that's just the ones at Universal Studios theme parks.

In late 1992, they launched a North American "first-class" national tour of JCS to celebrate the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the film's release. Not sure what to expect, they initially planned a three- or four-month run. Ted and Carl once again reunited as the centerpieces of the production, with some star casting in supporting roles for added box office allure in case that wasn't enough -- Irene Cara (Fame) and, later, Motown star Syreeta (Stevie Wonder's former wife) co-starred as Mary, with Dennis DeYoung (former lead singer of Styx) as Pilate.

The "A.D. Tour," as it came to be known by its fans, far outstripped its planned run by several years, crisscrossing the nation to much success (playing a dozen or more performances over several nights at each stop in 2-to-5,000-seat auditoriums, returning to some cities numerous times), competing outside its field with Guns 'n' Roses and Janet Jackson at their respective peaks on Variety's list of 1993's highest-grossing concert tours, and finally closing in 1997 as the longest-running revival in North American theater history to date, with 1,753 performances under its belt, having grossed over $140 million. (Tim Rice still contends it's the most money he ever made from one of his shows, and for many North American fans of both the film and the musical, this is the JCS they remember, if only for its longevity.)

Sounds great, right? But there is an elephant in the room that we must discuss.

Interlude: "From ancient grudge break to new mutiny..."

I'll slip into opinion and speculation for a second here, and I hope you'll indulge me while recognizing it is simply that and nothing more.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a sore ass for several decades about people making decisions about his work without consulting him. Any JCS fan who knows its history is well aware of how he felt about the original Broadway production (TL;DR: loathed it with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns), and he resolved after its opening night that he would never let control slip from his fingers again, and though it took decades to completely extricate himself from the exclusive deal with Robert Stigwood and buy all the rights back, that's why he formed The Really Useful Group. It's worth noting at this point that he's also far from a fan of the 1973 film.

Per one of the tour's producers, I dunno if he holds a grudge about Ted and Carl being in the film specifically, but he was hugely against the A.D. Tour, both for its production values (for all its glitz, it could be rough around the ages) and for what we would call ageist reasons today. He even went so far as to publicly badmouth the production (while never returning a cent of the royalty checks he cashed).

Finally, ALW assumed total control of JCS' rights and exercised a stop clause to end the tour, the better to make way for his impending West End revival, which he hoped would catch on well enough to immediately go wide. Instead, it was the first incident in a recurring pattern over the past several decades where ALW tries to update the show, forces the update as far as it can go as his "ideal vision," and then eats humble pie and allows members of the film's cast to perform it live again, be it in America or in Europe. Whenever the latter productions go out, they are consistent moneymakers; they arguably pay in part for the failed updates.

All that to say, while live productions featuring the original cast members still occur, it's always a delicate dance, with ALW holding the reins on everything that isn't the film itself (thus why Ted and co. have successfully hosted reunion screenings off and on since 2013, celebrating the film's 40th and now 50th anniversaries, with zero interference). This brings us to 2006 and the subject of the initial post. (Doesn't that feel so long ago? Both the OP and the year. Sorry about my blathering. Anyway...)

JCS: Phase 3

Over the years, the team behind the A.D. Tour had tried to launch a JCS reunion on a grander scale. After Carl Anderson's huge success stepping into the role of Judas in a critically-acclaimed Italian tour endorsed by the Pope (and the forerunner of Ted's eventual European adventure), he wanted to take it wide. Per his L.A. Times obituary, they were hatching plans for a worldwide tour that would debut at the Vatican.

After his death, there were efforts to continue developing what was informally dubbed "The Last Supper Tour," now in his memory. A then-current bio for Gary Goddard suggests that concert promoter AEG and even The Really Useful Group were behind what was described as an arena tour. According to sources close to the production, the option of Murray Head, who'd last touched the part on the original album, stepping in as Judas was discussed at one point. But any action was up to ALW, and naturally, the result was conflicting reports (one being that "If he says yes, the tour will be limited to Europe"), all of which eventually ended at the same place: "It's up to him."

In the meantime, Jack Nakano and CYT were still highly active, and he had a new vision: "We've gone statewide. Let's go nationwide!" He envisioned a program called YouTHeatre-America! that aimed to establish and complement a network of similar programs to CYT across the country and would also serve as a clearinghouse for technical and artistic resources and advice. And he had just the idea for a benefit that would kick it off. Hey, it worked in '76!

And forces rallied around him:

ALW and Tim Rice agreed to waive their royalties for the evening.

Ted, Yvonne, and Barry Dennen said yes to reprising their signature roles.

The choice for Judas came down to the wire between Murray and Ben Vereen, with Ben winning the race.

Master maestro Craig Barna, who had served as musical director of the A.D. Tour and of Carl's final American appearances as Judas, was engaged to lead the pit with a full 32-piece rock band and orchestra.

Most of the A.D. Tour and Santa Barbara creative team reunited once again, turning the evening from a conventional concert performance (singers standing at individual microphones reading from the score) into a mega-event, with an enormous set, projection screens to show clips from the film to enhance onstage action, and more lights than a rock concert. (Much photographic evidence of this, a scan of the program and publicity items, and even a production diary can be seen on staff -- and, eventually, a cast -- member Cindi Verbelun's website.)

A supporting cast was assembled both from stars of stage and screen, such as Clint Holmes (Simon), and a host of A.D. Tour veterans and Youth Theatre graduates and alumni, as well as the world-famous choir from Carl's church, Agape International Spiritual Center (Ted would later say there were enough people on that stage for twelve JCS productions).

One particularly noteworthy CYT alumnus -- and perhaps the most famous cast member of this benefit -- joined the production when the film's Herod, Joshua Mostel, couldn't participate due to a project conflict. Jack Black was glad to give back to the program that launched him.

The venue was the illustrious Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood. In return for using the space, proceeds benefitted both YTA and the Ricardo Montalbán Foundation. Tickets for the general public ranged from $110-$520, with special "platinum circle" VIP tickets available for $1,000 that threw in an exclusive reception and a meet-and-greet with the stars.

The event was thrown together on a wing and a prayer, assembled in about three weeks (two after casting), with only five actual rehearsals. (This article about the technical aspects of the show's production attests to just how crazy things got.) The buzz was growing, with rumors that ALW might sign off on the show becoming a tour if the word was good and promotional material on the producers' website suggesting that plans for encore presentations of the concert in New York and Rome were not off the table.

There were some not-insignificant bumps in the road, but they were overcome. Per cast member Scott Spalding, Universal wanted to film the performance in HD for possible distribution on CD and DVD (and a PBS broadcast), with the proceeds again aiding YTA and the RMF. The cast all signed their waivers, which reportedly guaranteed them two copies apiece, but if any of the stars didn't sign, filming was a no-go. And Jack Black's representatives, in addition to demanding an initial private rehearsal sans cast, were leaning towards "no," which led to the plans initially being scrapped. Happily, the producers decided to speak to Jack himself, and -- not unusual for such Hollywood demands -- his direct answer was "Of course," so they brought in the cameras, stuck 'em at the back of the house, and the whole event was video- and audio-recorded.

(At the time, another cast member reported on a Ted Neeley fan mailing list that the run-through earlier on the day of the event was also recorded, which was a good thing because the sound guy forgot to turn on "Caiaphas'" mic for his first ten seconds of singing in "This Jesus Must Die.")

The Aftermath

You can see just the kind of Hollywood set that turned out for such an event on Cindi's site; ample photographic and reported evidence of huge names filling the seats. A very well-reviewed event.

So, why was there no official release, or at least broadcast? Well, I'll give you one guess who's to blame. (Hint: it's the person in charge of all things JCS.)

Both fans and insiders, wizened by years of his crap, suspected this benefit would probably be the beginning and end of "The Last Supper Tour." Even its presenters worded the press releases' hype with caution, perhaps even resignation, referring to it as a one-night-only event never to be repeated.

The most reliable sources have it that ALW used the leak of that shitty-quality audio clip of Jack Black's performance to justify putting the kibosh on the release. Apart from the YTA infomercial clips and some irritatingly brief snippets of pro-shot footage in a corporate reel on the A.D. Tour team's now-long-dead website, it's never surfaced again. (I've spoken to several cast members about whether or not they got the copies of the CD and DVD promised in their contract, and either the NDA was so ironclad they all agreed on a lame excuse, or they never got their copies because no one has reported receiving them. At any rate, there were reports from production staff that neither RUG nor the unions had signed off on the video, so, to the extent that's true, releasing it would be technically illegal without protracted post-concert negotiations. For that matter, Barry Dennen reportedly didn't have a high opinion of the final cut when it was screened for him. Anyway...)

Because that release never went forward, YTA lost a lot of its initial momentum, which is why everything disbanded so rapidly, and what traces it left on the Internet give the impression of a small-time company today instead of the intended U.S. equivalent of, say, the NYMT in the UK. It was never allowed to thrive because one douche suffering from acute professional jealousy couldn't have a successful JCS production that didn't emanate from him, even for the benefit of a non-profit.

One more reason to hop on the ALW basher bandwagon, folks...

There is very little footage uncovered of Jack Black playing King Herod back in 2006 for the stage performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The only surviving recording is a really bad audio recording of it while people cheer over him, the promo, and a video of him and the other actors bowing at the end. I can't blame the bad audio quality because it was back in 2006. It was probably recorded with a flip phone.

The trail goes cold pretty fast because it was a smaller theater (YouTheatreAmerica) that did the showing. It's long gone now, the owner of the theater passed away in 2009, and everyone eventually disbanded.

The website was apparently still up in 2011 (according to the Wayback Machine) and it once had a link to the event starring Jack Black (perhaps a recording but I could never be sure.)

Apparently, the company helped out Jack when he was looking for roles way back when.

[eliounora]

in light of your latest rb, what is your preferred production of jesus christ superstar?? i've yet to see any but want to have fun with everyone & trust your taste on this :) ty in advance and also! i really love your art ^__^

you have come to the right neighbourhood... *puts on my pharisees hat* I am so happy to answer this question

I recommend you start with the 1996 west end revival (spotify, youtube). the insrumentation is great, the quality of the recording is crisp, and the performers are top-notch. steve balsamo as jesus is definitely the star of this one, his voice is very light and pure but he also portrays the character's inner conflict magnificently.

for comparison, there is also the original 1971 broadway cast recording (spotify, youtube). this is one of my favourite versions!

here is also the original 1972 west end production (youtube). also excellent!!!

if you actually want something to watch, there is the 1973 film (spotify, youtube, I think the film can be rented on YT as well, I borrowed the DVD from my local library haha). the film also has a magnificent cast, many people consider ted neeley the best jesus ever and he has an unique take on the role and a gorgeous voice. carl anderson as judas is also just superb. I think the best word to decribe this version is "raw", it's really haunting.

the original 1970 concept album (spotify, youtube) with ian gillan of deep purple as jesus and murray head as judas is also a must-listen! both singers are just divine, both their performances easily hold up against newer productions with ease, they're just divine.

there is also the 2000 film, watchable on youtube (the album on spotify). jerome pradon plays judas and he is absolutely glorious at it. dude is going absolutely off the rails and his voice is so whiny and he's so deliciously vindicative in the end. I've gotten the impression his performance can be sort of hit-or-miss, but I really like it!

for something more recent, there's also the 2012 arena tour (youtube) with ben forster as jesus and the legendary tim minchin as judas. a lot of people like this one, and while I personally don't like it much, maybe you will! there is also the 2018 live in concert (spotify, youtube). a solid, good production I think.

now I think every song in JCS is a solid banger, but good songs to look out for when listening is

heaven on their minds, sung by judas

everything's alright, sung primarily by mary (in many of the early productions, like the original concept album and the film, mary is played by yvonne elliman) while judas and jesus argue

this jesus must die, includes caiaphas, who has a bass voice, and annas

pilate's dream

I don't know how to love him, mary's ballad

gethsemane (I only wanted to say), jesus's power ballad. look out for his high note at "why should I die" (awesome compilation here)

king herod's song

superstar, judas questioning jesus from beyond the grave

good luck to you superstaring!!! I'm very normal about this musical