Jesus Christ Superstar: Original Broadway Cast (1971)

The original Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar, at the time and since, has remained what might be considered a polarizer. Some people -- Andrew Lloyd Webber included; he has frequently remarked about this -- hated it, and some people absolutely (pardon the pun) worshiped it. Its director Tom O'Horgan (Hair), to quote an obituary by West End critic Michael Coveney, "filled the stage with huge angels swinging on psychedelic wings across shimmering, surreal sets, laser beams, dancing dwarves and lepers, and a crucifixion scene set on a dazzling golden triangle." (In his one concession in almost 50 years to O'Horgan's cleverness, Webber admitted to liking the opening: "The floor of the stage was vertical, and, as it went down, people swarmed over the top of it, like ants.") This approach has never sat all that well with those who feel that JCS should be starker and more gripping, and less a wacky, outrageous synthesis of multiple influences.

Ultimately, all that survives of the production are press photographs, the mixed (at best) reviews, and this recording: the original Broadway cast recording. Its label, MCA, did not expect the new album to do well if the price was too high, since so many copies of the original concept recording (also on MCA) had been sold, so it was decided to release a one-record, abridged version in a double jacketed package containing a large assortment of photographs from the show.

Some people involved in the recording, Ben Vereen among them, have voiced a low opinion of its virtue, but for those willing to give it a listen, maybe the jazzy inflections, the quicker tempos, and the vocal talent on display will give you a hint of what it was like to see the show on Broadway for the first time in 1971.

Recording Information
Classification: Original Broadway Cast
Year of release: 1971
Language: English
Type: Official recording, Stage cast

Cast List
Jesus of Nazareth…………Jeff Fenholt
Judas Iscariot…………Ben Vereen
Mary Magdalene…………Yvonne Elliman
Pontius Pilate…………Barry Dennen
King Herod…………Paul Ainsley
Simon Zealotes…………Samuel Wright
Caiaphas…………Bob Bingham
Annas…………Phil Jethro
Peter…………Michael Jason
Priests…………Steven Bell, Alan Braunstein, Michael Meadows

Track Listing
Side 1:
Heaven On Their Minds
Everything’s Alright
This Jesus Must Die
Hosanna
Pilate’s Dream
I Don’t Know How To Love Him
Gethsemane

Side 2:
King Herod’s Song
Could We Start Again Please?
Judas’ Death
Trial Before Pilate
Superstar
John Nineteen Forty-One

For more information on this recording, visit our website:
http://www.jesuschristsuperstarzone.com/knowledge-base/discography/original-broadway-cast-1971/

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If you would like to own this album after listening you can purchase it through iTunes or Amazon.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jesus-christ-superstar-original-broadway-cast/908942
https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Superstar-Highlights-Original-Broadway/dp/B00008QSBZ/

Видео Jesus Christ Superstar: Original Broadway Cast (1971) канала Jesus Christ Superstar Zone