Easter's NBC live show Jesus Christ Superstar. Will Evangelicals freak that this Jesus is black?

[bobbieinok]

Being played by John Legend. NBC 8-10ET

[milestogo]

1. They freak out that Jesus is Jewish.

[HAB911]

20. And "Swarthy"

not lily white

[TlalocW]

2. Yes.

All right. Next really easy question.

TlalocW

[Glamrock]

3. Well, his description in the Bible says

His skin was liked bronze fired in a furnace (dark brown). And he had hair like wool....

So yeah, they'll freak out. Who actually expects an evangelical to know what's in the Bible?

[EffieBlack]

5. THAT part of the Bible can't be taken literally because, you know, white Jesus

[Glamrock]

6. But of course.

Obviously, there were hordes of blonde, blue eyed men in ancient Israel, right?

[Atman]

15. With name like Peter, David, Thomas, and Matthew.

[Achilleaze]

18. "You rang?" - JC Hybrid

[Blue_true]

36. The Crusaders brought an image of a White Jesus to the Middleeast. nt

[Aristus]

39. Um...chapter and verse, please?

As I recall, there are no physical descriptions of Jesus in the Bible.

[Glamrock]

41. Revlatione 1:15

Daniel 7
Ezekial 40:3

[Aristus]

43. Those are prophetic visions.

Not descriptions of the man by those who knew him.

Conventional wisdom stands, then: no descriptions of Jesus in the Gospels.

Still, that doesn't mitigate my disdain for those who insist Jesus was a blond, blue-eyed white man.

[LeftInTX]

58. I think it would have been against

the Jewish faith to give a physical description of Jesus.

Sure we know that Noah lived 900 years and Moses was at the end of his life, so they are depicted as old with beards. David was young, got the women, so presumed to be handsome. About the only one that has a physical appearance in the bible is Samson. The rest are inferred by Christians based on their behavior.

[flibbitygiblets]

4. Jesus IS black...just ask Ben Carson

[VOX]

10. That image will always be completely psychotic.

Macho-heroic-Jesus appears to be wearing a terry spa robe for good measure.

[Lochloosa]

11. I didn't realize they had hair straightener back then.

[Soxfan58]

35. Also Klingon

[Dave Starsky]

50. And an aikido champion.

Must be those giant hands of his.

[ProudLib72]

51. Looks like Ben operated on Jesus' head. It doesn't look right.

[Coventina]

7. They already consider the whole musical to be blasphemous.

Having a black Jesus won't add all that much to their ire.

[Blue_Adept]

13. Exactly

And I love the fact that as an atheist myself, this film is just hugely meaningful to me. I had seen it as a child and listened to it on 8-track repeatedly, but had no love of religion even at a young age (I was a SF buff). But this film ~moves~ me in so many ways. It's the power of a story told in a compelling way and every year when I watch the 70's film version I take something different away from it because of my own changes and growth of knowledge.

I'm excited to see how this live performance plays out.

[Atman]

16. Still one of my favorites.

I’m an atheist, too, but I love this album (original cast recording only) on so many levels.

[Blue_Adept]

19. I've seen a few interpretations over the years

But most fall flat in some way. The original cast nailed it.

The one that really threw me was one that re-interpreted it as a 9/11 tale.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2015/04/25/wrongheaded-jesus-christ-superstar-fiddlehead/cj27kQ4ukuV401f0aBltXL/story.html

Did not care for this interpretation at all.

[watrwefitinfor]

25. I saw a live performance by a traveling troupe.

Neely and Anderson reprised their original roles on stage in the '90s. I took my young teenage granddaughters.

They had never seen the movie, so had no idea what to expect. Their reactions - from the opening scene ("Help Me-e-e-e-e" in the completely dark theater) - were similar to mine when I first saw it twenty years earlier on screen. Wow. It was an outstanding stage production. And surprisingly lost little in the transition from the screen.

I'm an athiest, too. And I loved so much about this movie. Incredible performances by so many. Especially Ted Neely and Carl Anderson.

(If Jesus is going to be black in the new production, is Judas going to be white? I can see Legend as Jesus. Who would do Judas justice? Maybe Neil Patrick Harris?)

And such powerful scenes. The choreography at the temple and at Herod's place. Judas' whole scene in the desert and the tanks coming over the dunes. Most of all when everyone - actors, camera men, everone - lined up, got on the bus, and drove off leaving the Jesus hanging there.

I knew when I first saw it in the '70s that most "Christians" would hate it and consider it blasphemous. Some would understand it. But the ones who needed this "message" most would hate the movie and completely ignore anything they might learn from it about Christianity and/or the human condition.

I watched the movie with my granddaughter's children a few years ago when they were about 9-10. I think it's time for us all to see it again.

Wat

[mountain grammy]

33. Agree..

this atheist appreciates great theater, and JCS is great theater.

[Iggo]

34. I don't know why it moves me, either.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. Yes, and isnt that

Delicious 😋.

[Achilleaze]

9. Judas is a republican

appropriately enough...so the KGOP does have something to celebrate.

[underpants]

12. Yeah but I think Alice Cooper will help bring them back into accepting it

Wow John Legend, the first time I ever saw him was when he was the DJ on Ellen's show. I think he was the DJ when her syndicated show started. Just a few months later he had his first big hit.

[Vinca]

14. Well . . . duh. Everyone knows Jesus was hot, blonde and a white guy.

[Atman]

17. What role does Ted Nugent play?

[superpatriotman]

21. Who is Judas?

He has the best songs, and the whole musical revolves around him.

[OliverQ]

44. Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Aaron Burr

in Hamilton at one point is playing Judas.

Alice Cooper is King Herod and Sara Bareilles is Mary Magdalene.

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Of course they will.

[HipChick]

23. Newsflash!! Jesus is not a white, blonde blue-eyed Aryan...

[FakeNoose]

24. John Legend is a very talented man

I don't know how religious he is, but I suspect it won't matter. Rightwing politics is about to take over and ruin his life.

[John Fante]

52. Great meme.

[heaven05]

26. will they?

HELL YES and the white supremacist crowd will shit a collective brick.

[sheshe2]

46. Weren't they the same ones...

That threw a 'fizzy hit' when they did an all black version of Wizard of Oz...using all black actors??? Who cares what those assholes thinks. I will enjoy watch heads explode. Can ya just imagine if they portrayed Jesus as a woman as well..

To cool...I have it on record.

[heaven05]

47. I know but our world/planet

finally would be able to access and have available all minds, wisdoms and advice, all linked to mutual human and animal survival. This planet is all we have. I think about and hope people are dedicated to saving 'Mother Earth and can...comets and asteroids notwithstanding....

[sheshe2]

48. I fully agree.

[ProudLib72]

54. Jesus was a woman?!

tRump will never take communion again! All that blood....

[Guilded Lilly]

27. Im sure they will try to ignore it or mock it but I am totally

excited about the happening!!
The music is riveting and powerful.
Legend will be amazing!

[tonyt53]

28. It is just a TV show. Everybody knows that Jesus was a blond haired Anglo. Paintings everywhere

Surely those can't be wrong. On a side note, I did get to see JCS after it had been playing for a couple of months. A girl I was dating (we were in college) got two tickets from her parents as a Christmas gift and we went during Christmas break. It was at some place called Hellfinger (or something like that) Theater. There was a black guy that played Judas, but I have no idea who it was. Jesus was most definitely white, but did have dark hair.

[kwassa]

59. Carl Anderson, I think.

[dlk]

29. Probably Only the Ones Who Worship a Light-Skinned, Blue-Eyed Jesus

[WhiskeyGrinder]

30. They don't care.

[dembotoz]

31. just tell em its a lynching and they will be ok with it

[Iggo]

32. If they do, I hope they freak in public. I could use a laugh. (n/t)

[MineralMan]

37. Oh, probably. But, who really cares?

After seeing Ted Neely play the role both in the film and on-stage, it's hard for me to imagine anyone else in that role. I actually saw his last live performance of it in the Twin Cities a few years ago. He could no longer hit the high notes, so they were fed into the play from a recording and he lip-synced them. Sad.

A lot of evangelicals hated the play from the very beginning. That hatred has died off, pretty much, due to time, but I'm sure it will be revived by a black man playing Jesus.

[Roland99]

38. What an amazing soundtrack from that original

[Corgigal]

40. My favorite musical

Seen it on Broadway, then traveling in Tampa, North Charleston twice. Seen the original Jesus 3 times.

Can't wait to see John Legends take. Will be doing a sing a long here at the house. Feel free to stop by to munch on Jelly Beans and sing.

[csziggy]

42. Cast of the 2018 version

Cast
Ben Daniels ... Pontius Pilate
Alice Cooper ... King Herod
John Legend ... Jesus
Brandon Victor Dixon ... Judas
Sara Bareilles ... Mary Magdalene
Norm Lewis ... Caiaphas
Erik Grönwall ... Simon Zealotes
Abby Corrigan ... Ensemble Soloist
Jason Tam ... Peter
Vince Oddo ... Apostle / Soloist
Jin Ha ... Annas
Syndee Winters ... Ensemble Soloist
Justin Gregory Lopez ... Ensemble Soloist
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6874964/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

[bobbieinok]

45. Bdandon Dixon as Judas, Alice Cooper as Herod. Both AL Weber and T Rice are 'overseeing' this produc

There are preview clips and interviews with principals and backstage discussions on internet. Thought Brandon's view of Judas v interesting.

[FakeNoose]

49. K&R Do not miss! Set your DVR

[Sneederbunk]

53. Nonbelievers will freak that it is being shown period.

[FakeNoose]

55. I disagree - it's the religious right who are going to freak

Nonbelievers won't care one way or the other. But showing Jesus as a black man? On national TV?
The Twitterworld is going to explode.

Personally I'm looking forward this production and I'm psyched for it. I love the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Legend will be really good I'm sure.

[nolabear]

56. Im betting they dont for the most part.

I could be wrong. But the play has been around for so long and is an alternative POV anyway. Judas isn’t depicted as a creep and betrayer but someone genuinely worried about the revolution and that “superstar” status. Jesus is really conflicted. The disciples are easily led twits. And yet there’s appeal in making it more “modern” and being in front of audiences at all.

I really like it. But I like stories and songs and their place in the conversation.

[raven mad]

57. Of course they will.

I'm being transported to the TV just for this show.