Eric, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but my older brother saw that 90s London revival and he too thought it was one of the best he had ever seen. He said it was actually refreshing to see a straight-forward take on it rather than be treated to yet another over-stylized version, which is the problem this musical seems to not be able to shake. He brought back a souvenir brochure of the production and it looked amazing.
He and I were just as perplexed as you were when we saw Edwards had completely redone the production for the U.S. One of the single worst decisions ever made. My brother simply couldn't believe it as he thought that London revival was perfect. Edwards seemed to think that version wouldn't work over here and that it needed to be altered for American audiences. Rent had also upstaged basically every rock styled musical a few years back and was still all the rage at the time of the Broadway revival, and it was no surprise to see it mimic Rent somewhat. Why else did they have the apostles dress like some biker gang, Mary Mag looked more like Mimi, and Judas looked suspiciously like Roger.
I did not like that production visually but that will always be the most memorable live orchestra of this musical. I sat 2nd row orchestra center and the music reverberated within me. Hearing that iconic score played live that close up is a treat I'll never forget. It was more memorable than the show itself.
Having said that, I don't seriously believe the elimination of the whole string section in the 2012 revival to be the cause of its failure. As someone with deep affections for this musical (was only my second after Mary Poppins film and the musical that really got me hooked on musical theatre), I never felt an urge to see this year's revival. After being disappointed with the 2000 Broadway revival, I'd have jumped at a chance to finally see a good take on the material. This production looked absolutely BORING from the very first photos, which were of the cast in costume (pictures that were ridiculously photoshopped which just added another strike). Once again, it was frustratingly over-stylized but this time it has the same ugly American Idol aesthetic that was also ineffectively incorporated into that recent new Dreamgirls tour. Why must everything mimic that stupid, glittery American Idol set look? The look for JCS is not only reminiscent of that, it gives the impression it isn't a fully staged production but a half-assed concert thing.
I don't buy the explanation that it had no 'names' and especially the tired argument that the show is old and irrelevant. Give me a break. The musical itself is beloved by many and a GOOD production would be all that is needed to get people in; however, this production just looked boring. Once again, they charge the outrageous prices for a bare bones show, chuck the score's string section and expect to turn a profit.
Lately revivals look and sound so lackluster and unexciting with the same cheap look and the same video gimmicks. I was appalled when Jesus interrupted "Superstar" to say some random, lame crap via video at this year's Tony Awards. This is live theatre!!! ENOUGH with the cheesy video gimmicks and projections!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
Updated On: 6/22/12 at 06:51 AM
I have seen every production that I could get to (excluding the original production, of course, since I wasn't even born) 
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