#jon stevens

So... this is something I've wanted to pull the trigger on for a while, but I haven't had the resources lined up to do it. Until now.

Presenting...

Jesus Christ Superstar Holy Week 2025

A series of watch parties of various versions of the beloved rock opera in the lead-up to Easter, in chronological order of release!

WHAT'S SHOWING AND WHEN?

Palm Sunday, April 13: 1973 film

Holy Monday, April 14: 1992 Australian revival cast (live)

Holy Tuesday, April 15: 1995 Indigo Girls Resurrection cast at SXSW (live)

Spy Wednesday, April 16: 2000 film

Maundy Thursday, April 17: 2012 Broadway revival cast (live)

Good Friday, April 18: 2012 arena tour

Holy Saturday, April 19: 2014 Swedish arena tour

Easter Sunday, April 20: 2018 NBC concert

WHERE?

This link, every night.

WHAT TIME?

11:30 PM (or 19:30, if you're on a 24-hour clock) UTC, every night. (To find out what that is in your time zone, go here.)

GROUND RULES

Feel free to invite friends -- the more, the merrier! Just make sure they see this post first so they know what is expected of them.

Some showings will have unique material beforehand, hence the slightly early start. (For example, tonight, '73 will be preceded by newsreel footage from on set, the trailer, and coverage of the UK premiere, to sort of prime the pump and get you in the mindset of somebody seeing the movie for the first time.)

None of these will be piecemeal or in chapters. Whole feature, start to finish, soup to nuts (as they used to say in the olden days). Plan bathroom and snack breaks accordingly. (Also, if you get there late, you see what you see when you see it. We're not rewinding just for you.)

No mics or cameras enabled. The focus will be the film of choice for the evening. If you want to chat or share thoughts, click the little speech bubble icon in the lower right hand corner to open text chat.

I recommend using a computer, whether desktop or laptop, so that no errant taps disrupt the viewing experience for others, which -- in my thick-fingered experience on my smart phone -- is all too easy on a mobile device.

As I have previously said, I like it when productions make Choices, and this version definitely does. I like the fact that they changed the music. I was not a superfan of what the result was all the time, but it was very cool and brave to do, and I think more versions should do something like that. I'm neutral to the costumes, I don't think they added or took something away from me (Except that all the Pharisees look like Vanilla Ice, I found that quite funny).

The main vocal performances are completely insane of course. I like the changes to the melody. I have listened to the album a bit, and I was a little surprised that the supporting performances were so different in the live version. I actually really like King Herod's Song here, but I found both Herod and Pilatus "shout-y" live. Something that almost always bothers me is Kaiaphas. Why do productions insist on casting singers who barely can hit the low notes? And if they are able to make it on pitch, they never enunciate clearly or have a good tone. I understand that it is a hard part, and I'm no singer at all, but you would never cast a Christine Daae in Phantom who could not hit the notes.

I accept the lack of acting and chemistry between the characters because it's a concert version. I find it a little funny that one of the gayest looking Judas' has the least amount of chemistry with Jesus. I like Farnham's and Stevens' non-acting-acting. I even felt a little moved during the crucifixion, just by his vocal choices.

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