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 Bach Is Jesus Christ Superstar By Frankie Di Vita, On Air Saturday, November 9, 2002 @ 10:18 AM
Bad boy Sebastian Bach, former frontman for the enormously successful group
Skid Row, is Jesus Christ. At least on stage he is.
Sebastian Bach is currently starring as Jesus Christ in the Andrew Lloyd
Webber/Tim Rice musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Yes.....I said SEBASTIAN
BACH is starring as Jesus Christ. The same Sebastian Bach that rocked your
ass off as the front man for Skid Row and still continues to do so as a solo
artist. The same Sebastian Bach that hosted a show called FOREVER WILD on
VH1. And the same Sebastian Bach that you’ve heard many a story about over
the years of altercations with the law.
Well you can set those preconceived notions of what Sebastian Bach, the
person, is like. Bad boy or not, as Jesus Christ he shines.
Last Friday night he began the 9 month run of the McCoy-Rigby production
of Jesus Christ Superstar at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center in La Mirada,
California.
It was a stroke of luck that I attended that performance Saturday night.
While rocking out at a Rush concert about a month ago, it happened that I
was sitting right next to Walter, a promoter for Jesus Christ Superstar.
As the conversation ensued, the subject of KNAC.COM came up, but Jesus Christ
Superstar never did. About two weeks passed when I was shocked and delighted
to read an emailed invitation to interview Sebastian Bach about this current
production. Hell YES I’ll interview Sebastian I replied. Then came an invitation
to the show as a member of the media.
I had seen Jesus Christ Superstar, the movie, as a child but never the stage
production. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Could Sebastian really pull
off playing Jesus Christ? Oh yes he can.
A modern day Jesus Christ walked onstage wearing jeans, tennis shoes and
a white linen shirt. It was hard not to imagine Sebastian breaking out into
Youth Gone Wild at that point. But what he did belt out was absolutely fabulous.
Sebastian Bach has always had a strong unique voice. One of the best in rock
n roll. But in Jesus Christ Superstar I experienced an audible rainbow of
feelings and emotions coming from Sebastian’s pipes.
I know the story of the life of Jesus Christ well. I’ve been surrounded my
entire life by stories of the bible. Sebastian’s portrayal of Christ angered
at vendors for using the temple as a marketplace, or the fear he showed in
Gethsemane as he was praying to his father about his impending fate, captured
my complete and undivided attention. His vocal range reached from raging
screams to soft whisper-like tones. I was into it.
The company of players that were on that stage with Sebastian did not go
unnoticed either. Carl Anderson, the original Judas Iscariot in the motion
picture version of Jesus Christ Superstar, revived his role on the stage.
A true talent in a craft he has honed over the years is obvious.
Natalie Toro, who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the musical, added a deep
emotion to the performance and it was difficult not to feel the magnitude
of the love she felt for Christ.
Powerful scenes filled this performance, especially towards the end of the
show. It definitely left and impression and had me not only thinking about
the performance, but the story, long after the actors took their final bows.
Casting a man like Sebastian Bach in the story of the life of Jesus Christ
can only be good. Although Jesus Christ Superstar originated in the 70’s,
this company of actors with Sebastian Bach at the helm has the potential
to bring a whole new generation into the
theatre.
If the name Sebastian Bach isn’t enough to bring metal heads and rockers
alike to see the show, maybe a few words about the music will.
Being a woman who has always appreciated a good guitar riff I was pleasantly
surprised to hear some great guitar work and some heavy hitting sounds coming
from the pit. (Not the mosh pit. The orchestra pit.) There are some definite
rock n roll elements present.
If you’ve only seen Sebastian Bach on a concert stage, you just may be cheating
yourself. He’s proven he is a multi-dimensional artist. Skid who? There’s alot
more to him than that.
Speaking to Sebastian after the show showed he’s the same Sebastian you would
imagine he is. Easy to talk to and definitely living in the moment. He was
in his element. But our conversation consisted mostly of what was going on
in the world of rock n roll. So don’t be intimidated if you should happen
to speak to Sebastian after a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. He’s
probably not going to bless you and I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear your confession.
Just give him a high five and ask him about his solo stuff.
I mentioned earlier that it was a stroke of luck that I attended the performance
of Jesus Christ Superstar last Saturday......or was it? The more I think
about it.......I think it was divine intervention.
Sebastian Bach will be portraying Jesus Christ for 8 performances a week
for the next 41 weeks at the following theatres:
November 9-17, 2002 La Mirada Performing Arts Center, La Mirada, CA
Also check out www.sebastianbach.com for the latest tour dates and information
on Sebastian Bach.
Keep the Faith and God Bless!!!!!
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