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Are you really going to eat the entire Easter ham on your own?
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Today’s newsletter was almost going to be about leprosy because the history of the disease is fascinating. Then the thought crossed my mind that nobody actually wants to read about leprosy at this precise moment in time. So I’m not going to regale you with facts such as that lepers weren’t allowed to vote in the U.S. until 1946 and that there’s still kinda-sorta a leper colony in Louisiana, and instead I will focus my energies on an entirely different topic: Musical theater.
To be entirely honest, I’m not really a fan of musicals. (My better half thinks I’m nuts and has spent numerous hours trying to change my opinion. She demanded that I include a statement from her saying that musicals “are one of the most special art forms.”) There’s always something a little odd watching people snap from dialogue into a song-and-dance routine, and the way fans start to sing along is even odder. And while I have to confess that I saw Cats like on Broadway and actually really enjoyed it, I think that’s probably because it’s such a strange and nonsensical story to begin with that the singing and dancing feels like the most normal part of the experience. The only musicals I really enjoy are Jesus Christ Superstar (discussion below), My Fair Lady, because it’s a George Bernard Shaw play about class and patterns of speech—which makes the singing at least somewhat appropriate—and The Phantom of the Opera, because it’s a melodrama about the opera, so of course they’re going to belt it out. With those exceptions, though, musical theater hasn’t ever really been my jam. I mean who just drops what they’re doing and starts singing on the street? Has anybody actually decided to compliment their gang rumble with a snappy chorus? The answer is a resounding “no!”
Right?
Well. As with many things in life, COVID-19 is forcing me to reevaluate my stance on musicals. It started in Italy—of course it did—where people went out on their balconies every day to sing songs. I guess they thought it was fun and communal or some other BS like that. Now I find out that apparently we’re supposed to be doing that at 7 p.m. every day here in New York! And with piano bars closed, thousands of people are logging onto sing-a-long live streams. It’s enough to make a curmudgeon like me want to shut the door, except that doesn’t work anymore because I live with a starlet who would love nothing more than to star in SUPER-CORONA, THE MUSICAL!
Aw, what the hell. Let’s all just break into song already. Nobody’s had a haircut in weeks, so we all look like a bunch of bohemians anyway. Might as well got the rest of the way, throw caution to the wind, a commit to a life of silliness and dreams of the Great White Way. ¡Bravo!
Today’s Film: Jesus Christ Superstar Live (2018)
The biggest exception to my “musicals are silly” rule is Jesus Christ Superstar. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1970 at the height of the counterculture movement, JCS is a slick, vicious, compelling and thought-provoking rock opera about religious zealots, love, betrayal and redemption. It centers Judas as the main character and uses his internal conflict over rendering Jesus Christ to the Romans to examine the cleavages inherent in all social movements. The musical takes on inherently political and social questions: Should short-term gains win out over long-term strategy? Is money best spent on the people or the movement? Who owns a movement, its leaders or its followers? Is it worth sowing social disruption in an attempt to find utopia?
In a political moment when the Democratic party is riven with infighting between the far left, progressives and moderates, and the Republican party has been fractured by the rise of Trumpism, when populism runs rampant and entrenched financial and political interests lower the portcullis, and when disease and poverty run unchecked, the questions asked and answers sought in 1970 feel undeniably contemporary. Yet the most compelling ingredient in the JCS cocktail is the profound conflict Judas suffers. He wrestles with his decision and never feels at peace with it. It soon becomes clear that there simply was no “correct” decision for him, only a personal one. If anything is worthy of the melodrama inherent in the musical format, it’s this story.
There have been many versions of Jesus Christ Superstar since its premier 50 years ago, both on stage and screen. Stage is out right now, for obvious reasons, but the best contemporary screen staging of the musical will return to NBC on Sunday. Originally taped live in 2018, the NBC version of JCS stars John Legend as Jesus Christ, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, Hamilton star Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas and shock rocker Alice Cooper as King Herod. And while many of the recent TV adaptations of stage musicals have felt almost dirge-like, this staging is propulsive, thanks in large part to the outsized talent of the cast. The interaction between the cast, live audience members and choreography grants this version a vividness and energy that almost approximates the live experience.
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert will be available April 20 on NBC and also on streaming services that offer live TV such as Hulu+ Live and YouTube Live.
Care for a drink?
This weekend’s cocktail, the Woodsman Sour, comes from Bridget McGinley, co-owner of Albany, NY bistro and pub Lost & Found (they’re doing takeout and delivery right now if you’re in the Capital Region). She says the Woodsman Sour is a great pairing for an Easter ham, particularly since it’s maple syrup season.
1.5 oz. Bourbon (add an extra splash)
0.5 oz. Lemon juice
0.5 oz. Maple syrup
Shake and serve over ice with a lemon garnish.
Reading List:
I wrote an Op-Ed over at Talking Points Memo looking at the historical difficulty democracies have in rolling back emergency powers after crises. I argue that Congress must get in front of this issue now, rather than wait to define what constitutes a return to normalcy.
For those you who don’t live in New York—and all you shut-ins who haven’t opened a window recently—The Times had a nice multimedia feature about what the City sounds like every evening at 7 p.m. Enjoy.
One of the best books I read last year was New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson. It’s an intricate tome imagining the ways the City will thrive and grow and evolve after a climate disaster, and it’s intriguing, suspenseful and ultimately uplifting. Available at the Greenlight Bookstore.
Benjamin Reeves is an award-winning screenwriter, journalist and media consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. Follow him on Twitter @bpreeves or write to him at breeves.writer@gmail.com.