This blog is evidence that I have a very hard time with self-restraint. Musical shenanigans happen here. Mostly JCS, Hair, and Godspell. a_trick_or_two_with_lepers on ao3 👀 She/her | 20
no listen the most upsetting thing about the JCS movie is that people don't appreciate Caiaphas enough, objectively one of the hottest people in the movie but i barely see any posts about him come on i need content
worst part of being a jesus christ superstar fan is that when you mention its your favourite musical people who aren't familiar will be like 'oh haha are you a jesus fan... is jesus your blorbo' and its like no!! absolutely not!! my blorbo is very obviously Judas Iscariot ):<
✨ challenge: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters, and then tag five people to do the same, and see which character is everyone's favourite ✨
Thanks for the tag, @answermywearyquery ! This is gonna be a TOUGH one, cause I normally focus on bigger stories rather than individual characters 😰 but I'll give it a shot :D
Favorite characters
Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire 2022)
Judas Iscariot (Jesus Christ Superstar 1973)
Claude Bukowski (Hair)
Tobias Beecher (Oz)
Loki (various Marvel stuff and also Norse mythology)
Voting ended onJun 28, 2024
So which pathetic baby man is your favorite?
(There are no women because all the women are my favorite, and that's too many to list).
I'll tag @solarflicker, @formerdino, @sleepysongbirdsings, @is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer, and @shamedumpster !
*vibrating at a concerning frequency* Hi, hey, hi! Have you seen the IWTV premier? Did you like it? 👀 I've just seen it. Losing my mind.
*vibrating at a similar frequency* YES! oh my goodness gracious. I cannot believe I have to wait another week for the next episode! Louis' speech at the end? When I tell you I CRIED. And I almost never cry at these things!! I'm forcing my friend to watch season 1 with me so I can have a reason to re-watch season 1 for a third time.
But yeah, in conclusion, this show owns my entire ass and ummm yeah I don't know how I'm going to control myself until the next episode! Haha!
Louis' speech a the end fucking broke me!! I was prepared for a lot of emotions, but I didn't think I was going to cry. I was wrong. Several times. When Louis realized Claudia could dream? Where's Jacob's Emmy?! And then Daniel showing him true compassion? The whole episode was amazing scene after amazing scene. I can't wait for next week's episode to see Loumand vs. Daniel, trying to outwit each other to *win* the interview.
*vibrating at a concerning frequency* Hi, hey, hi! Have you seen the IWTV premier? Did you like it? 👀 I've just seen it. Losing my mind.
*vibrating at a similar frequency* YES! oh my goodness gracious. I cannot believe I have to wait another week for the next episode! Louis' speech at the end? When I tell you I CRIED. And I almost never cry at these things!! I'm forcing my friend to watch season 1 with me so I can have a reason to re-watch season 1 for a third time.
But yeah, in conclusion, this show owns my entire ass and ummm yeah I don't know how I'm going to control myself until the next episode! Haha!
over the past month i've been working on a miku cover of gethsemane! it's my first time working with anything audio-related and i'm really proud of it
original idea by a post from @oof-i-did-it-agaaiiin (thank you!)
i also want to credit Charles Alexander Hay for the MIDI file arrangement and to Robb Anagnostis for compiling that along with many other jcs music resources (check it out: http://www.dosguys.com/JCS/MIDI-index.htm)
Thanks so much for the tag @answermywearyquery ! It was such a pleasure to see your username in my notifications- I've been away from tumblr for far too long.
Rules: answer the following questions and tag 9 people you want to get to know better and/or catch up with!
Favorite color: I like a nice maroon, and almost any shade of brown
Last album: I listened to Hadestown, finally! I liked it a lot, especially "Why We Build The Wall." Amazing songwriting.
Last movie: Well, you'll never believe this... Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). Yes yes peep the profile pic. Going on one full year of hyperfixation now 😀 I was showing it to a friend though, I promise!
Currently reading: I don't read books for fun anymore 😭 just reading a lot for my creative writing class, and in terms of fanfic, that can be answered by the next question...
Currently watching: INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. THE TRAILERS FOR SEASON 2 HAVE BROKEN ME INTO ONE THOUSAND PIECES AND I FEAR THE NEXT SEASON WILL CHANGE ME AS A PERSON.
Currently craving: (Don't say Louis don't say Lestat don't say Armand) uhhhh sleep!
Coffee or tea: loooove making coffee, hate drinking it! And tea, eh, I don't drink it a lot. I'm more of a water gal
As to why I've been MIA for a bit- I'm in college now, and life is busy! My hyperfixations have been flip flopping around a lot with all this new stimulus, and they're hard to put too much focus on. But just know I'm still here! And I still love this community 🥰
this easter It Is Time. using my years of fixation and research i present to you The Best Version of every song from jesus christ superstar, plus commentary. obviously subjective opinion so do feel free to discourse in the tags bc as you may have picked up i enjoy talking about the relative merits of jcs productions. also i might not even stand by this in a week bc i find it hard to keep multiple versions in my head at the same time for comparison and there are so so many versions.
please note that acting, vocal quality, music direction, and where available staging have all been taken into account. split into two acts bc of link restrictions.
heaven on their minds - 2012 broadway revival
obviously in terms of pure vocals carl anderson is unbeatable forever, but the staging of the 2012 broadway revival pips it for me. josh young's voice is still gorgeous and the judas/jesus/mary throuple is everything. i love versions where hotm is sung directly To jesus, and i love that in this version jesus actually listen and takes judas' concerns on board. the love and respect between all three of them is palpable and even though it is a serious disagreement, part of that disagreement comes from the fact that they care about each other so much. that's tragedy baby!
special mention to henrike tönnes on the 2022 rob carroll version, i specifically like the Ending of the song for that one. also the sarcastic clap along w the disciples that judas does in the 2013 hungary version.
what's the buzz/ strange thing mystifying - 2018 tv event
annoyingly this isn't on youtube but tbh the staging is nothing mindblowing. i think what's the buzz is a great song for showcasing the usp of each version and in this one i think being able to hear the real crowd actually cheering for jesus (john legend) really adds to the narrative. i also absolutely love brandon victor dixon and as i have said before he would be one of my favourite judases if judas were straight. sara bareilles does a great 'offended' face when he bitches about her lmao.
honourable mention to the 2012 uk arena tour for again showing off the conceit of 'modern day activists' really well in this song, not forgetting of course WOTS THE BUZZ #buzz tweet
then we are decided - 2013 hungary
(starts at about 9:49) obviously not a huge amount of competition for this one, i wish more versions included it bc it's a great song :( anyway i loveee the staging choice to have everyone else freeze-framed on stage with the priests walking among them, and i freaking love this caiaphas. literally inserting it into what's the buzz also works nicely
i do miss kurt yaghjian from the 1973 film tho, forever obsessed with his voice and facial expressions. extra shout out to the striving artists version for simply existing.
everything's alright - 2006 austria
something about the musical direction in 90% of versions of this song goes right through me, like there is always some weird instrument that makes me Cringe. but this version is Nice :) really enjoy how Pissed this judas is. and i love the way the long notes last into the next section of the song. i will say i prefer the alt melody for 'people who are hungry' but you can't have everything
this is a really nice one on the all-female cast recording as well, obviously it's already the most female-heavy song of the show but shoshana bean's judas is particularly good here i think. also of course carl anderson with tears in his eyes grasping ted neely's hands while the music swells is ingrained on my brain for all time.
this jesus must die - 1994 studio cast
this album as a whole is probably my Least Favourite JCS Ever, but i will admit that this song fucks. the haunting eeriness at the beginning. the way it kicks into a funky little syncopated rhythm. the disembodied hosannas. unexpected delight.
2012 uk arena tour is unfortunately disqualified for having possibly the Most antisemitic portrayal of the priests, which is a shame because it's probably my favourite casting. one of my favourite annas portrayals, but in general all of them are distinct and fully embodied which does make that version very fun to watch. i also really enjoy the 2019 castaway productions version for this song, the way they play instruments while they sing like a lil band, and caiaphas' eye make-up is sick. 1973 film is obviously also iconic with the little scaffolding tippy taps, and the way kurt yaghjian sings 'a trick-or-two with lepers'. i love this song sorry.
hosanna - 2017 striving artists
i kind of don't have justification for this one LOL i just like it. i know there are versions that are sung better and really the staging is quite important for this song but idk i just find this version really calming. i don't know if it's the music direction? i don't know enough about music tbh
admittedly this is another one that works really well for the 2018 tv event, but doesn't quite win for me as the crowd don't cheer in all the right places and john legend doesn't react at all to the 'would you DIE for me?' line which is crucial. for good reaction to that line the 2000 film where it elevates the bitchy gay tension in the love triangle really nails it.
simon zealotes - 2011 austria
EASYYY WIN FOR ME this is actually the song that made me want to pick a best version for each one because this version IS so much better than any other one for me. the guitar!!!!!! rob's energy!! the music design for this one really fucks so severely and then there's just rob jumping around hyping up the crowd (there is a film version from 2008 on youtube, but i wanted to capture the music for this one). iconic.
big love also to hungary 2013 for having a simon who's in a wheelchair, particularly notable when it's really the highest energy role in the show. i do enjoy.
poor jerusalem - 2022 rob carroll
i cannot find any information about this album other than what's on spotify but i do enjoy the slight alt melodies in this version and i like his voice.
not a lot to go into for this song really. i like the ben forster version a lot as well, and the 1996 london cast version. 'close your eyes' is a better lyric than 'live a lie'. moving on.
pilate's dream - 2022 all-female cast
may be biased bc I LOVE ORFEH but i just think this version is so gorgeous. i love the little vocal drifts without going too overboard and distracting from the song. the music composition is especially pleasing as well.
there's a lot of honourable mentions i could give here bc i think pilate has so much potential for power and gravitas, but 1973 film, 2012 uk arena tour, 2013 hungary, and east end theatrical ensemble. are also big favs. in terms of staging i love the fact that 2019 castaway productions has jesus himself on stage playing the backing piano like he actually is haunting pilate.
the temple - 1992 australia
australia 1992 habitually has some of the most interesting and creative music direction and this is one of the songs where it particularly pays off. love the whistles. i also like that the second 'get out' is spoken, not screamed. the second half is appropriately creepy with the sustained 'chriiiist'. pretty boring staging but at least the costumes are fun.
i don't know how to love him - east end theatrical ensemble
possibly controversial choice but ugh i love this version i even love how low the sound quality is. like listening to a vinyl. i think her voice is so gorgeous and i love her accent. deeply soothing to listen to. i feel like im in the 70s rn.
i'm also a huge fan of the 1996 london cast recording, joanna ampil has such a sweet voice and the way she emotes so that you can really Hear it works well for this song. special shout out to 2012 uk arena tour which i don't think is a particularly amazing version but we get the absolute gunshow from mel c at the end so we love it.
damned for all time/blood money - 1973 film
CARL!! I feel like 1973 film and 1996 london album are at a disadvantage in this bc they're what i grew up with so i kind of take them for granted but this is undeniably iconic. no one can commit to the tortured soul but belief he's doing the right thing like him. the way he can scream but it still sounds Good. i prefer versions that have annas suggest 'a fee' rather than caiaphas just repeating himself so that's here too. the weird keening way he sings 'on thursday night'. annas dropping the coins just as he reaches for them. UGH so good. a lot less brassy than other versions as well.
this is another song that kinda fucks in every version, but the original 1970 album and the 2018 tv event are particularly good i think. also that one bit in 2012 uk arena tour where annas is like '...... get up off the floor.'
the apostles are extra calming in this version which makes the argument even more jarring. the slightly ominous shift when jesus starts singing. but most importantly. drew sarich as judas is craaazyyy in this version, literally BEGGING jesus to listen to him. 'jesus please.' unreal.
for the disciples section, i also really like the chimes in australia 1992, and the all-female cast recording gives me chills. for the argument, obviously 1973 crushes it, and i love the lighting use and Feral Energy of 2000 film. drew is also great as jesus in the 2006 austria album. i love you drew.
gethsemane - 2011 austria
SPEAKING OF DREW. this is theeee gethsemane for me i'm sorry. there are some versions where even though the notes are Hit it still feels uncomfortable to listen to, which maybe it should. but this one is solid and sweet and melancholy throughout. the amount of emotion and character conveyed in just the pacing choices alone. gorgeous.
i really like ben forster's Angry version in 2012 uk arena tour as well, and morgan james on the all-female cast recording is a solid female cover that still feels powerful and impressive
the arrest - 2000 film
THEY WERE CRAZYYYY FOR THIS ONE. the most insane kiss of any version this is better than the sweden version and i will die on this hill. nothing else about the way this song is sung or performed even matters because that tearful clinging dragged away betrayal is what easter is all about amen.
i really like that in the 2019 castaway productions version, jesus' 'must you betray me with a kiss?' is BEFORE the kiss actually takes place. literally encapsulated doomed by the narrative. 1973 film has the best delivery of 'stick to fishing from now on' and honestly john legend does surprisingly better than average at jesus' resigned energy in 2018 tv event, that version has cool musical direction on the ensemble section as well.
peter's denial - 2002 germany
i love a Funky version of this song. i know it's a dramatic moment and everything but i want it to be Fun to listen to. and this version is funky!! it's also the only version i've ever heard where 'i don't know him!!' doesn't sound awkward well done peter. very melancholy for mary's part also.
the original 1973 australian cast version also has Great musical design but alas there isn't really a high quality audio to fully recommend on that basis. once again 2011 austria smashes this song.
pilate and christ - 1973 film
every choice barry dennen makes in this is so excellent and also he is giving severe Carry On film energy. this is also i think the only version where jesus says 'your words, not mine' rather than 'that's what you say' which is soooo much better to me, but i guess it's too close to an outright denial. anyway costuming performance music all excellent mwah
i also absolutely adore the staging of 2012 uk arena tour w pilate just casually doing his workout. striving artists has a really nice musical intro, and i really like rob fowler's pilate as well.
king herod's song - 2012 uk arena tour
(proshot not on youtube) HARK WITH HEROD! imo this is the biggest payoff of the contemporary stylisation of this production, the talkshow element is so excellent. you can tell that chris moyles is having the time of his fucking life and i always feel weirdly proud of him?? just incredibly fun and flashy as this song should be
runner up for me is rik mayall 2000 film which makes my opinions on this song deeply british. i do like alice cooper's version, which is slightly better on the 1996 london cast recording over the 2018 version imo. for smaller productions that can't do the big stunt cast, the 2014 new musical orchestra album is weirdly good. 2014 centerstage ver is also very fun.
could we start again, please? - 2012 broadway revival
i will confess i think this song fucking sucks. it's so boring and it just halts the momentum entirely. that said, the choice to swap peter's second verse for judas is possibly the single greatest creative decision any production has ever made. the way it highlights judas' regret and re-emphasises the love between the three of them just as it goes into judas' death is so inspired to the thesis of the show
i know the 2017 paramount theatre production did the same thing so shout out to them!!
judas' death - 2000 film
the gayest and angstiest judas song MUST go to the gayest and angstiest judas. oh to lie on a stage and wail like a dying cat bc you sentenced your ex boyfriend to death in a fit of pique. great music choices too, the coins rattling like an instrument, and the music disappearing and swelling with his voice.
the 'i don't know how to love him' section is incredibly moving both in the original 1973 film and in the 1996 london cast recording. love the staging of 2012 uk arena tour bc i am insane about the fraught little interaction between annas and caiaphas after caiaphas gets punched in the face.
trial before pilate - 2013 hungary
(starts about 1hr19) the whipping section of this song is always so long and uncomfortable and i think this version does a really good job of at least making it dynamic and interesting to watch. i love the way the crowd carries him to pilate in the crucifixion pose at the start, and as already noted i think this is such a great pilate. very real emotional tension. it does the thing i like where pilate is clearly being Interrupted for this.
again barry dennen nails this in every version, and i think the 1996 london cast recording is pretty good as well
superstar - 2005 austria
By many requests.
rounding off w my boy drew once again. another confession i prefer versions of this song where judas is in hell rather than heaven LOL i love his bitchy little revival. the energy of this version and all the little adlibs and actions are just so so good and fun.
carl is obviously incredible in the 1973 film for the more genuine 'i wanted to help you i want to understand' angle which i do also enjoy as a judas apologist. 2000 film is another great take on 'hell judas mocks jesus as he is crucified'. really i am just glad the first and last Songs are judas. thank you judas the musical.
gummygunk
izzy806
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
2087
