History Headscratchers / JesusChristSuperstar

** Because the song refers, not to the moment when Christ died, but ''when he was born and arrived on Earth''. The authors have ShownTheirWork, because most scholars agree that Jesus Christ was born at some point between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C. (if the Biblical narrative is to make sense, given that, according to our chronology, Herod the Great -he of the massacre of the innocents, mentioned in - died in the year 4 B.C. Matthew and Luke both wrote that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, which means that, in that case, Christ would have had to be born in the year 4 B.C. or before).

** Because the song refers, not to the moment when Christ died, but ''when he was born and arrived on Earth''. The authors did Showtheirwork, because most scholars agree that Jesus Christ was born at some point between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C. (if the Biblical narrative is to make sense, given that, according to our chronology, Herod the Great -he of the massacre of the innocents, mentioned in - died in the year 4 B.C. Matthew and Luke both wrote that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, which means that, in that case, Christ would have had to be born in the year 4 B.C. or before).

** Because the song refers, not to the moment when Christ died, but ''when he was born and arrived on Earth''. The authors have Showntheirwork, because most scholars agree that Jesus Christ was born at some point between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C. (if the Biblical narrative is to make sense, given that, according to our chronology, Herod the Great -he of the massacre of the innocents, mentioned in - died in the year 4 B.C. Matthew and Luke both wrote that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, which means that, in that case, Christ would have had to be born in the year 4 B.C. or before).

* Why does Judas say "''If you'd come today you could have reached the whole nation/Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication''"? B.C. literally means Before Christ, so this story, about Jesus Christ, obviously took place after 4 B.C..

** I'm pretty sure by the time we see judas in that scene Jesus is already lying in his cell looking pretty battered up. Though that might only be in the 2000 version

* Every production [[@/BreakfastFish I]] have ever seen turns King Herod's song into a ''Rocky Horror''-esque production that would make [[{{Futurama}} Hedonism Bot]] blush. My aunt told me the first time she saw the show, Herod sang his song alone on the stage in a fedora and tails, coming off as a [[VaudevilleVillain very dapper villain]]. I think that's a far more interesting interpretation of the song. Why don't they do that more often?
** I heard the first production had Herod wearing lipstick. She has seen it three times, once as the film. The first two she has blocked out for other reasons. The third had Herod with tastefully clad dancing girls and a couch he was carried on, but nothing that would impress Hedonism Bot. Perhaps you should go to more productions by Catholic elementary schools.
** Remember Herod from Passion Of The Christ? [[BrainBleach I wish I didn't.]]
** [[@/{{Turtleducks}} I]] went to a local high school's production and it had Herod as a pimp, with a cane and fedora. And lots of scantily clad dancing girls with him. But in no way was he a CampGay.
** I watched a clip on Youtube a while back (not sure if it's still there, she couldn't locate it) where Herod literally came out of a closet in nearly CampGay attire and was touching Jesus throughout the song (just on the shoulders, back, and grabbing his hands and such, nothing overly sexual). It was actually very well-done.
** The production that my local theater did had Herod in a yellow checked suit and vaudeville-cane, doing a dance with three showgirls behind him in feathery costumes. It was hysterical.
** I've seen two college productions of the show, and neither had Herod giving off any real CampGay vibes. The first time it was done as an over-the-top parody of 40s musicals, complete with a tap-dance thrown in for the heck of it, and the second was more the vaudeville vibe discussed above. Of course, the latter also replaced Judas with the Apostles in "Superstar" so one has to wonder if that director missed a point or two somewhere.
** During [[TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Richard O'Brien]]'s brief tenure as Herod, he was dressed in a gaudy Elvis-esque costume, with his court made to look like Vegas.
** The version I was in had a female Herod wearing a leather jacket and riding a motorcycle, with four shirtless chorus boys backing her up.
** Its Herod's [[OneSceneWonder only real scene]], so it needs to be spectacular. Also, it's the last chance for comic relief before all the grim crucifixion scenes.
* The CampGay view of him seems to be derived from how Antipas was manipulated by his wife- therefore making him 'less of a man' in ancient eyes- and a throwaway line in Luke calling him a 'fox' (a phrase which had gay connnotations in those days). But mainly to mark him out as a different sort of villain from Pilate and Co, it seems. Remember the idea of the DepravedHomosexual was still de rigeur in the Seventies (JCSS preceded ''[[RockyHorrorPictureShow Rocky Horror]]'' by three years).
* Why is Ted Neeley still playing Jesus? He's decades too old for the part, his voice is shot, and it just sucked. Jesus himself is younger than Ted Neeley. Also, the "dying and dying and dying and dying" thing on the wiki is spot-on.
* What bugs me is I can never quite understand the message of the play. In some versions it seems to be a pro-christian story that is friendly to the church, other versions it seems more like it's mocking christianity and jesus looks to be a selfish celebrity figure. I don't really have a problem with either, I'm just curious of what was it originally intended to be?
** That's an argument that's been going on since its debut. Don't expect an answer any time soon. WordOfGod (so to speak) is that Jesus is not meant to be God but is "the right man, at the right time, a the right place".
** I think it's open to interpretation. Though going by the above, it looks like the original was somewhere in between. Personally, I think it works best if it doesn't take a strong stance.
** It’s meant to be questionable. That’s the point of the title song.
* I wish the movie had been made five years earlier. To me, this show/film dies the second it is removed from the hippie-trippie era/style (I have only seen the 1973 movie, I haven't seen it staged or the 2000 film), and while the '73 film is great, there's barely enough hippie-trippie in it to carry it, and the 70's influence is painfully obvious and regrettable. (the HELL was Judas wearing for "Superstar"?!) Now, if this film had been made circa '68, both of these problems vanish.
** Well, then watch the other versions of it? I'm not really sure what else you want us to say, beyond lets build a time machine.
* I am confused as to why the main page has no mention at all of Murray Head and Ian Gillan. Y'know, the original Jesus and Judas from 1970. There are even a few references which suggest that Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson played the parts on the original album.
** Then mention them.
*** I would if I knew enough about them or their perfomances. There's not much information to be had and I don't own the album. I've tried to edit out the references to Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson being the first actors to play the roles, though.
**** Then that's why they aren't mentioned.
** [[@/{{Berr}} I]] have it on vinyl, but only just now learned that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing the seminal album version which is apparently Murray Head -- so I listed his name here under The Other Darrin (w/ link). It's a strong competition between those four.

* Every production [[@/BreakfastFish this troper]] has ever seen turns King Herod's song into a ''Rocky Horror''-esque production that would make [[{{Futurama}} Hedonism Bot]] blush. My aunt told me the first time she saw the show, Herod sang his song alone on the stage in a fedora and tails, coming off as a [[VaudevilleVillain very dapper villain]]. I think that's a far more interesting interpretation of the song. Why don't they do that more often?
** This troper heard the first production had Herod wearing lipstick. She has seen it three times, once as the film. The first two she has blocked out for other reasons. The third had Herod with tastefully clad dancing girls and a couch he was carried on, but nothing that would impress Hedonism Bot. Perhaps you should go to more productions by Catholic elementary schools.

** [[@/{{Turtleducks}} This troper]] went to a local high school's production and it had Herod as a pimp, with a cane and fedora. And lots of scantily clad dancing girls with him. But in no way was he a CampGay.
** This troper watched a clip on Youtube a while back (not sure if it's still there, she couldn't locate it) where Herod literally came out of a closet in nearly CampGay attire and was touching Jesus throughout the song (just on the shoulders, back, and grabbing his hands and such, nothing overly sexual). It was actually very well-done.

** [[@/{{Berr}} This troper]] has it on vinyl, but only just now learned that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing the seminal album version which is apparently Murray Head -- so I listed his name here under The Other Darrin (w/ link). It's a strong competition between those four.

** [[@/{{Berr}} This troper]] has it on vinyl, but only just now learned that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing the seminal album version which is apparently Murray Head -- so I added his name here under TheOtherDarrin (w/ link). It's a strong competition between those four.

** [[@/{{Berr}} This troper]] owns it on vinyl, but only just learned today that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing Murray Head's seminal album version, they're both so good -- hence I stopped by and added his name (under TheOtherDarrin) here, with linky-linky. It's a strong competition between those four, but overall I'd say the album version had superior instrumentation.

** [[@/{{Berr}} This troper]] owns it on vinyl, but only just learned today that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing Murray Head's seminal album version, they're both so good after all hence stopped by and adding his name (under TheOtherDarrin) here, with linky-linky. It's a strong competition between those four, but overall I'd say the album version had superior instrumentation.

** [[@/{{Berr}} This troper]] owns it on vinyl, but only just learned today that Carl Anderson was ''[[TheWeirdAlEffect not]]'' singing Murray Head's seminal album version, they're both so good after all hence stopped by and adding his name (under TheOtherDarrin) with linky-linky. It's a strong competition between those four, but overall I'd say the album version had superior instrumentation.

** Its Herod's only real scene, so it needs to be spectacular. Also, it's the last chance for comic relief before all the grim crucifixion scenes.

* Every production [[@/BreakfastFish this troper]] has ever seen turns King Herod's song into a ''Rocky Horror''-esque production that would make [[{{Futurama}} Hedonism Bot]] blush. My aunt told me the first time she saw the show, Herod sang his song alone on the stage in a fedora and tails, coming off as a very dapper villain. I think that's a far more interesting interpretation of the song. Why don't they do that more often?

* Every production [[BreakfastFish this troper]] has ever seen turns King Herod's song into a ''Rocky Horror''-esque production that would make [[{{Futurama}} Hedonism Bot]] blush. My aunt told me the first time she saw the show, Herod sang his song alone on the stage in a fedora and tails, coming off as a very dapper villain. I think that's a far more interesting interpretation of the song. Why don't they do that more often?

** [[{{Turtleducks}} This troper]] went to a local high school's production and it had Herod as a pimp, with a cane and fedora. And lots of scantily clad dancing girls with him. But in no way was he a CampGay.

* The CampGay view of him seems to be derived from how Antipas was manipulated by his wife- therefore making him 'less of a man' in ancient eyes- and a throwaway line in Luke calling him a 'fox' (a phrase which had gay connnotations in those days). But mainly to mark him out as a different sort of villain from Pilate and Co, it seems. Remember the idea of the DepravedHomosexual was still de rigeur in the Seventies (JCSS preceded ''RockyHorror'' by three years).
* Why is TedNeeley still playing Jesus? He's decades too old for the part, his voice is shot, and it just sucked. Jesus himself is younger than Ted Neeley. Also, the "dying and dying and dying and dying" thing on the wiki is spot-on.