So, I realize I am a little late to the show here, but I could not let another minute go by without addressing Brandon Victor Dixon’s electrifying performance as Judas in NBC’s live production of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar.
Full disclosure: I did not see the entire production but I did watch various performances by John Legend as Jesus, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, Alice Cooper as the villainous King Herod and, of course, the star of the show, Brandon Victor Dixon. All the artists, dancers, musicians were so, SO good.
But, Judas is the star and, in fact, in every performance I have seen of this musical, Judas is the main character in this show. This is not to take anything away from any of the other performances. It is fact. And this is saying a great deal because the music from this show is outstanding and all the principal characters have the gift of brilliantly crafted songs.
However, the Judas character is an omnipresence throughout and requires a strong, confident and charismatic presence. And those qualities were aptly filled by Brandon Victor Dixon, of Hamilton fame. Yes, Hamilton. So, that explains everything.
I have watched his performance numerous times over the last couple of days and I marvel at how glorious his technical control and choreographic skills mesh together. He makes it look so easy and yet the artistic skills he displays cannot be underestimated.
Have a look and listen at a true MasterClass Performance. His voice is a little shaky at the beginning but all that fades to oblivion as his experience and fortitude and discipline take over. What a star. Kudos Brandon Victor Dixon.
You can stream or pre-order Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack on April 6th 2018 on Apple Music
My favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is Phantom of the Opera. I’ve seen it in person on Broadway 3 or 4 times.
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His performance was outstanding. I had never heard of him before but he more than held his own with the big name performers.
The one problem I had with the production was that Sara Bareilles wasn’t miked well during her first song. It was hard to hear her. I’m a fan of Sara anyway and enjoyed her in this role. As a side note, as I have said before, she would be an excellent addition to American Idol as a judge. She was very good in that role on the Sing Off and could only be an improvement.
I was impressed with John Legend in the role of Jesus in this production. He pulled off the humble yet authoritative role very well and offered some pretty impressive vocals as well.
I think this production is available through “On Demand” on your cable system. Mine is down right now so I can’t check it.
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I watched it live on TV and recorded a copy on my DVD-VCR player. The only problem I had was that my cable provider, Comcast, froze for a few minutes during the opening number.
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