John Lennon e Paul McCartney
The two ex-Beatles were hypotheses in the head of director Norman Jewison. The role was given (and well) to Ted Neeley.
It was 1973. A musical film based on the 1970 album appeared in cinemas, which in turn led to a play the following year. It portrays the last week of Jesus’ life.
Those responsible for the musical are called Andrew Lloyd Webber e Tim Rice – yes, the same one who wrote the lyrics The Lion Kingfor example. And yes, the duo who created the musical Evita.
The film’s director was Norman Jewison. He got the idea for the film while filming A Violin on the Rooftwo years earlier (1971), when one of the film’s future actors, Barry Dennen, showed him the 1970 album – in which he already participated, being the voice of Pôncio Pilate.
Jesus Cristo Superstar It marked the film debut of almost all the actors who participated in that film. The exceptions were precisely Barry Dennen (Pilate) and Josh Mostel (Herod).
Ted Neeley played – and well – with the role of Jesus. He was the protagonist of the most successful musical that year, in the USA and Canada.
But the one about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals reveals that director Norman Jewison thought of other names, before handing it over to Ted Neeley (an actor who already participated in the Broadway version).
Two of the options were “just”… John Lennon e Paul McCartney. The two former Beatles were on an illustrious list that also had Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), Barry Gibb (Bee Gees), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) e Ian Gillan (Deep Purple).
A luxury cast. But only in the director’s head.
And there was also a rumor at the time (in tabloids) that John Lennon would accept being Jesus Christ…if Yoko Ono were Mary Magdalene. Rumors. The paper was handed over to Yvonne Elliman.
“We’re more popular than Jesus now,” Lennon said in 1966 about The Beatles.
With or without vocalists from the biggest bands of the time, The person who liked the film was… the Pope. Paul VI said at the time: “Mr. Jewison, I not only appreciate your beautiful rock opera film, but I believe you will bring it across the world, than anything else ever has.” It wasn’t quite like that.
During filming breaks, the film’s cast played volleyball: on one side was the “Jesus” team, on the other the “Judas” team.
Jesus Cristo Superstar reached the stage in Portugal in 2007, by Filipe La Féria.
Nuno Teixeira da Silva, ZAP //
