Ted Neeley (1973 Film) / Ben Forster (2012 Arena Tour) / Paul Nolan (2012 Broadway Revival) / Glenn Carter (2000 Film) / John Legend (2018 Live In Concert) / Ola Salo (2014 Swedish Tour) / Jeff Fenholt (1971 Broadway) / Steve Balsamo (1996 London)
so one of my favoritest things about musical theatre is how sometimes someone will play a role MANY times and each time that character is portrayed differently because of different directors AS WELL AS that actor growing to understand the character more
that being said, barry dennen played pilate like THREE TIMES! as any of you would guess from my pfp, i LOVE that guy! so! for funsies! im going to analyze (ramble about) his second pilate portrayal, which was in the 1971 broadway musical! im mostly going to break down his character in trial before pilate because pilate’s dream doesn’t offer anything much different from the 1973 movie version… trial before pilate however…
in case youre wondering how differently he plays the same character… this photo should be a good summary for what this analysis will contain… (hint: he is so angry)
here is the song so u may listen along while i break it down:
okay! so! first off, yeah he is literally so much angrier. and i mean as soon as the questions begin he is already shouting!
he is throwing everything out fast! he is pissed! babygirl drink some water! and also, he has a lot of silly sounding voice cracky moments? not voice crack but like sudden and unnecessary shifts in pitch that make me take him less seriously (ex. when he goes like “respect for caesAAA” bro it just sounds goofy what are u trying to do)
then he goes from this HIGH HIGH point of emotions to very low low soft emotions for “talk to me jesus christ” and its like. idk im just thinking bro where is this coming from?!! ur all angry and then u turn around like “jesus literally say smth jesus pls :3” like idk i think its a bad transition.
AND THEN WE GET! im going to put this clip here for those not listening along
this segment. i can literally hear him frothing at the mouth WHO GAVE MY BOY RABIES?!!! WHY IS HE SO FERAL?!!!!
i just. its almost like hes looking for a crime because he actively wants to kill jesus and just needs a reason to pull the trigger. which is like. so not true about his character??? he also sounds like hes insulting jesus here, mocking him. like bros, literally everyone else is already mocking and insulting jesus in this moment. alternatively, if this moment is played more like pilate showing pity on him it provides good contrast! it makes everything more complex and Layered!
i dont have much to say about the flogging except i think girlypop is doing a bit Much(tm) but its acceptable (anythings better than the concept albums robotic counting…. eugh)
OKAY! so when he starts singing the “where are you from jesus” segment, i think this starts out so well! perfect sense of how pilate is just desperate for jesus to speak, to say anything to defend himself. bro also lowkey sounds like hes about to start weeping?? get this man some tissues!
AND THEN he ruins it in the way he emphasizes “dead soon.” YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD! what now?! are you threatening him for answers? and then he goes back to that previous tone like that was nothing! HUH? AND THEN! by the end of “i dont believe you understand” hes just kinda suddenly shifted back into that anger we are so familiar with. dude get a nap or something. chill out my guy good lordt
and the way hes like “youre a foOOL jesus christ” is just such a weird delivery (like that caesar thing from earlier, odd changes in pitch) and it just! i cant take him as seriously! i do like his “how can i help you?” right after, though, it just sounds deliciously horrified and like desperate and sick. acceptable!
and then the climax of the song! the part where he SHOULD show some kind of anger and SHOULD outright yell! “DOOOONT LET ME STOP YOUR GREAT SELF DESTRUCTION!” it just doesnt stand out as much when you have set the precedent of “oh well hes just kinda. feral and angry like that for the entire time” NO! GIVE ME CONTRAST OR GIVE ME DEATH! and even in this final part, hes still just too angry! theres not much else to it! hes yelling the words but hes not comprehending them!
i think when it comes to pilate as a character, it is very easy to lean into “angry, intimidating, angry, intimidating” and that’s just kinda… no! yes, he needs to have presence and be at least a little intimidating but not because hes yelling at you all the time! hes also terrified, full of guilt, and he has sympathy for jesus! he doesnt want to kill him, but he eventually realizes that he has no choice in the matter and THAT is what leads to him snapping and finally yelling at the end! because everything is fixed and YOU CANT CHANGE IT! AND HE CANT!
and yeah! thats my thoughts and breakdown about this specific performance! lmao! i think a lot of things about pilate, also they shouldve hired me to direct the 1971 bway production… i woulda given good notes… and also barry dennen was still developing his interpretation of the character and it IS better than the concept album (and concept album pilate has like… 0 presence… he sounds like a little nerd dork… i COULD break down that performance but its not asssssss juicy.)
BONUS if you got to down here, this is another picture of jesus choking out pilate, which means this was literally in the shows blocking AHAJSJDJF
oh btw if you dont want to read my ramblings here is just the clip of 1971 barry dennen pilate probably literally frothing at the mouth
who gave him rabies. bbg drink some water. go see a therapist. go to anger management. lets move the trial to tomorrow so you can get some sleep and feel better.
