Jesus Christ, It's time to play "Cast This!" again
Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at 6:17PM By Nathaniel R
Paul Nolan as Jesus in the most recent Broadway revival (2012)This just in: NBC is prepping its sixth live musical for April 2018. Their first Sound of Music was a mixed bag quality-wise but a giant ratings hit. Since then they've had two critical and ratings successes (The Wiz and Hairspray) and one failure (Peter Pan). [Update: the fifth is Bye Bye Birdie starring Jennifer Lopez will air during the holidays later this year.] The sixth, after that, will be Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. It's made frequent regular appearances on stages all over the world since its debut in 1970. It even had a Golden Globe nominated film version in 1973 directed by Norman Jewison who was, at the time, a very hot commodity having recently made three best picture players: The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966, not a sci-fi time travelling movie about the current US government), In the Heat of the Night (1967) and the Best Picture nominee Fiddler on the Roof (1971).
No casting has been announced but they're said to be seeking "authentic recording artists." What does that even mean...?
Does that just mean actual rock or pop stars? What is an inauthentic recording artist? Does it mean Middle Eastern recording artists to play the Middle Eastern characters? We have so many questions. Our guess is that they go with color blind casting like the '73 film which starred a white guy, a black guy, and an Asian girl
Carl Anderson (Judas), Ted Neeley (Jesus), and Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene) -- all Golden Globe nominated -- on the set of the 1973 film version
Which "authentic" recording artists could you see as Jesus and Judas?
And, more importantly, who would you cast as Mary Magdalene who gets the show's very best song "I Don't Know How to Love Him"
Reader Comments (23)
I'm crushing on Brandon Flynn but I don't know if he can sing.
Otherwise, Darren Criss and Selena Gomez.
G
Lets' have a black gay guy play Jesus!
I want a black Jesus too!
Jaragon - Which gay black actors do you suggest?
Helen Reddy's first radio hit was I Don't Know How To Love Him. It reached 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Whatever happened to Bye Bye Birdie?
Please not Adam Lambert.
John Legend as Jesus! Maybe Daveed Diggs as Judas. And Cee-lo Green as Pontius Pilate.
For Mary, have Sia do voiceover while one of her stand-ins does modern dance. Obviously.
Bye bye Birdie will actually be the fifth in December. This production will be the sixth.
Did anyone watch Patti Lupone last night on Watch What Happens Live where she trashed Madonna, the Les Miserables movie and also the NBC musicals because she said no one knows how to film them except the Crazy Ex Girlfriend show?
I assume she won't be in Birdie or Superstar.
I would love to see John Legend as Judas, it's the better role and would sound great in his voice. Also John Gallagher Jr. as Jesus and Christina Aguilera as Mary Magdalene.
Connor & James -- THANKS. my bad. Post updated. I forgot about bye bye birdie.
I kind of want to see Elijah Kelly tackle Jesus. That's the hardest role in the musical, all of you seem to be forgetting that he has to hit those insane notes in Gethsemane.
Maye Laura Osnes as Mary? Judas is tough too, but if we want to go middle eastern then maybe Ramin Karimloo?
let's hope for, at least, one actor from the middle east
Terence, I'm on board with Elijah... inspired. And Ramin? Great. That's one sexy New Testament. Praise Jesus!
I'd like someone from the area (Israel/Palestine) to actually play Jesus. Can we have a racially conscious, believable Jesus? Not a black one, neither a full white one? He has to be jewish... I think we owe ourselves one, by 2017.
Most Semites and Arabs are white, people. Most middle easterns are white. Heck, the Aryan people are of Persian origin (nowadays Iran, where you can easily find blondes and green eyed gingers walking around). If you HAVE TO make everything about race/ethnicity, at least get it together. Use the term "caucasian" instead of white (Semites and Arabs are non-caucasian whites).
I'm fine with whomever they cast, so long as they can sing and act. My favorite Fantine and Eponine are both Lea Salonga, and, as far as I know, nothing French in her ancestry.
All that said, I like the idea of a black gay Jesus, because I'm thinking of Jussie Smollett in the role. He'd do a great job.
For Mary Magdalene, Naya Rivera would be an interesting choice.
Lady Gaga as Mary Magdalene, Madonna as Mary
Chris Pine as Jesus.
Well, if you want someone from the area, how about Ivri Lider. He's from Israel, he's gay, and he can sing.
Oh dear god, please not Christina Aguilera as Mary. She would butcher that song so hard with all her overboard melisma. Beyonce maybe would, too, but I'd trust her just a touch more not to indulge too much. Same with Gaga.
I wonder if they'd be willing and able to get Adele? Would she even want to? Could she act it? Not saying she's a good choice, but you know her name will get floated around.
Biggs -- Ceelo Green as Pontius pilate? BRILLIANT.
@Biggs.....that is perfection.