Billy Porter... as Jesus

I first became acquainted with Billy Porter in the early 2000s through an mp3 recording of this gospel (the music genre)-inspired production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. It's kind of awesome and insane.

Gethsemane

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 02:44 PM

His voice does take on a pinched, screechy quality towards the upper end of his range, but I like his riffs. It's not my favorite version of the song (I like John Farnham's on the 1992 Australian recording, followed by Ian Gillan), but it's an interesting alternative take.

"Gospel-inspired? Not quite. It was set in South Africa during apartheid."

Noted. My only exposure to the production was from poor quality audio files. That concept sounds potentially disastrous, though. Did you see it, and if so, did it work?

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 09:40 PM

MikeInTheDistrict:

Never saw it myself; I'd be eight at the time. A video has floated around, but I haven't watched it enough times to comment.

The Times reviewer liked it.

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^ Well, it may have been a question of whether or not they thought it commercially viable. Gospel can sell in Atlanta, but on Broadway might have been considered a whole other matter. Frankly, I don't understand the emphasis on the Great White Way when you could go the Tyler Perry route and pick a whole new form of Off-Broadway and touring circuit for stuff like that: book any of the thousand seater churches in Harlem, and you're good to go. Hell, JCS: Gospel could have turned into the urban community's answer to The Fantasticks if marketed right.

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Updated On: 7/4/13 at 10:31 AM