Dummy. I was so upset with myself for forgetting to set my DVR for this. But I just found and watched it on the NBC app.
Oh. My. God.
That may have been the most powerful thing I've ever seen on television.
Granted, I was well familiar with the work because I'm old enough to remember the very first release on vinyl. I also saw the movie once. But there was an immediacy to this and a (no pun intended) passion that I'd never felt in the other versions.
John Legend was good in the title role, but the biggest kudos belonged to Norm Lewis, who was an absolutely evil Caiaphas; Brandon Victor Dixon as a spiritually tortured Judas; Ben Daniels as Pontius Pilate; and Sara Bareilles, beautifully emotive as Mary Magdalene.
And as many times as I've heard this music, watching the ending just about reduced me to tears. It was that sad.
Good job on NBC's part. Only three criticisms.
One, the actors weren't particularly emoting at the beginning, although that improved later. It was as if they forgot they were on TV, where close-ups of expressionless faces look awful.
Two, Alice Cooper really just needed to play his ****ing role and stop standing there soaking up the audience adulation.
And three, even though NBC did this on a stage, they probably should've filmed it without an audience. I know we all love the songs, but the audience burst into applause way too many times, sometimes in the middle of a song. Every time they did it it had the effect of bringing the production to a halt.
But overall, that was one of the best things I've ever seen on TV.
Oh. My. God.
That may have been the most powerful thing I've ever seen on television.
Granted, I was well familiar with the work because I'm old enough to remember the very first release on vinyl. I also saw the movie once. But there was an immediacy to this and a (no pun intended) passion that I'd never felt in the other versions.
John Legend was good in the title role, but the biggest kudos belonged to Norm Lewis, who was an absolutely evil Caiaphas; Brandon Victor Dixon as a spiritually tortured Judas; Ben Daniels as Pontius Pilate; and Sara Bareilles, beautifully emotive as Mary Magdalene.
And as many times as I've heard this music, watching the ending just about reduced me to tears. It was that sad.
Good job on NBC's part. Only three criticisms.
One, the actors weren't particularly emoting at the beginning, although that improved later. It was as if they forgot they were on TV, where close-ups of expressionless faces look awful.
Two, Alice Cooper really just needed to play his ****ing role and stop standing there soaking up the audience adulation.
And three, even though NBC did this on a stage, they probably should've filmed it without an audience. I know we all love the songs, but the audience burst into applause way too many times, sometimes in the middle of a song. Every time they did it it had the effect of bringing the production to a halt.
But overall, that was one of the best things I've ever seen on TV.
