...Artistic Director of Marble Stage Theatre and the fella who has kept me supplied with recordings of Jesus Christ Superstar this Lent. Here are the fruits of an email interview I did with him about this project.
How did you first come up with the idea of sending me forty different versions of Jesus Christ Superstar?
The sad truth on this is ...you asked for it. I remember last Easter, sitting there watching the movie, and I brought up how many cast recordings of Godspell I had. (Before you ask, I already checked--there aren't anywhere near 40 recordings out there.) And you said, "You know what would be fun?" At first I thought, "Yeah, that would be fun." Then the challenge began.
(Angela's note: let the record show I have no memory of this conversation...I had assumed that this was originally Greg's idea.)
How long did it take you to find all the different versions? Were you looking for any in particular, and if so, were any challenging to find?
First I had to even find out if there were 40 recordings out there. I went to the internet and got scared right away. I could find ONLY 40 official recordings out there, many out of print. I thought, "This is going to be a bust." Some of these recordings where so rare that there were blogs of people trying to find them. But I figured, hey, I have a year. If it doesnt happen I am sure Angela would forgive me. So I started sending out requests to friends ....then friends of friends.....then plain ol' strangers. To be honest I didn't have all 40 when I sent you the first recordings....Luckily, though, over the last year I found out there are much much more our there than just the original 40 that I found. I knew my mission could be completed. As far as finding any particular one: Yes and no. I knew a couple out there would be nice to have. But to be honest and fair I was just trying to find 40 recordings.
What was your opinion of the rock opera before this experiment began? What do you think of it now?
...I say that I have come to look forward to when we watch it together and having our talks about the show, movie, and yes, even the religious parts. However, now as I listen to each one I can't help but think to myself, "Man I would like to direct this show and use elements of some of these productions." It really is a show you can have fun with. It gives directors a chance to think outside of the box. I hate when people have no vision and just put on a show the same way it has been done 10,000 times. With these recordings, it is clear that theatres have stretched their artist minds and creativity [in good and bad ways].
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