Not many people know this about me, but I’m a big time Andrew Lloyd Webber guy. Huge, in fact. My mom had a bunch of ALW soundtracks we would put on for long car rides (remember when there was no satellite radio or Spotify or iTunes and you had to use CDs? Yuck) that I listened to roughly 10,000 times. Some of the songs are ingrained in my DNA at this point. I know all you Theatre Heads out there are calling me basic and plebeian and all sorts of nasty stuff because I like the Broadway equivalent of Top 40 pop music, but you can all go to hell. Yes, I enjoy Mr. Mistoffelees more than some highfalutin B.S. like My Fair Lady or something. So sue me.
Anyway, yeah, big ALW guy, so you knew I was tuning in to Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC last night. It was the first major event I watched via PlayStation Vue (no more cable for me!), which was exciting. It also kind of made me feel a little holier after I “forgot” to go to church for Easter (although I was wearing a Jon Snow t-shirt all day so I was supporting the cause). Folks, let me tell you: I was not disappointed. Usually these “live” (I still refuse to believe it’s really live) musicals they show on TV are absolutely trash, and, as such, I never watch them, but when I heard they were throwing up an ALW joint I was in. I’ve never actually seen JCSS (only heard the soundtrack a bunch) so I was kind of lost in the beginning, but once it got rolling it was flaming hot. Some rapid-fire thoughts since I’ve never even considered reviewing a play before so I don’t know what you’re supposed to talk about:
- My sources are confirming that John Legend can, in fact, sing. Quite well.
- I’ve never seen Hamilton because I’m not rich so I’d never seen the guy who played Judas before. His name is Brandon Victor Dixon and he’s an absolute MEGASTAR. Guy owned the stage every second he was on it. One of the most dominant performances these eyes have ever seen. Need him to be more famous so he’s in more stuff.
- The casting on the whole was A+.
- I go back and forth on John Legend all the time, mostly because it feels like he’s more famous than he should be. Like how many super-duper-mega-hits does he really have? Not many. I mean, he’s one of the most talented artists in the world and he hardly has any signature songs. Maybe I’m just not a big enough Legend stan so I haven’t heard the deep cuts, but I feel like for him to justify being an A-lister he needs to pump out a couple more heaters. I don’t know, I’m probably wrong. But when he really turns it up, not many people can touch him.
- Shoutout to the wardrobe department. That gray cardigan John Legend had on was what Mugatu envisioned when he created Derelicte.
- The villain duo was pure dynamite. The jackets they had on were straight out of Power Rangers in Space.
- Dammit, there weren’t any mohawks or tattoos in Jesus’ time. My column:
- If you’re Peter and you’re told you’re going to deny Jesus three times beforehand, wouldn’t you stop yourself after two just to prove him wrong? Maybe that’s just me.
- Top Five ALW Shows- 1. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2. Phantom of the Opera 3. Cats 4. JCSS 5. Evita
- Top Five ALW Songs- 1. “Music of the Night” 2. “Mr. Mistoffelees” 3. “Any Dream Will Do” 4. “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” 5. “All I Ask of You”
- The Brian’s Den Official Review for Jesus Christ Superstar Live: 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
So, um, yeah, how about that thing that happened in the NBA, huh? Pretty crazy.
Brian's Den 