Projects
In August 2006, once again under the auspices of the California Youth Theatre group (now renamed YouTHeatre - America or YTA), Neeley took on the familiar title role in Jesus Christ Superstar live in concert for a one-night-only benefit at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. This production reunited him with several of his former co-stars from the original Broadway cast and 1973 film (Ben Vereen, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen) and also paired him with current celebrities (Clint Holmes, Jack Black). National touring cast member Ethan Wilcox was also a part of the production.
In 2006, Neeley began headlining another production of Jesus Christ Superstar. It was originally billed by some as his national "farewell" tour, but Neeley disavowed the claim and the tour is now known as the new "A.D. Tour". The new production was a stripped-down version with staging and set limited to a few risers. The tour was supposed to last through 2007, but audience and critical reception for the show was so great that it was extended into 2010. Carl Anderson, who was originally slated to reprise his role as Judas, died in 2004 of leukemia. Corey Glover, lead singer of the rock band Living Colour, co-starred as Judas early in the tour. Glover left the show to rejoin Living Colour in June 2008, and actor James Delisco took over the Judas role, along with several new cast members for the third (2009) leg of the tour. On the fourth and final leg (2009–2010), Judas was played by John Twiford. Several other cast members returned for the fourth leg including Darrel R. Whitney (Caiaphas), Matthew G. Myers (Simon/Judas Understudy), Rasmiyyah Feliciano (Soul Sister/Mary Understudy), Ethan Wilcox (Apostle/Guard) and Adam Scott Campbell (Peter). The tour ended in Boston, MA on May 9, 2010.
Read more about this topic: Ted Neeley
Famous quotes containing the word projects:
“But look what we have built ... low-income projects that become worse centers of delinquency, vandalism and general social hopelessness than the slums they were supposed to replace.... Cultural centers that are unable to support a good bookstore. Civic centers that are avoided by everyone but bums.... Promenades that go from no place to nowhere and have no promenaders. Expressways that eviscerate great cities. This is not the rebuilding of cities. This is the sacking of cities.”
—Jane Jacobs (b. 1916)
“One of the things that is most striking about the young generation is that they never talk about their own futures, there are no futures for this generation, not any of them and so naturally they never think of them. It is very striking, they do not live in the present they just live, as well as they can, and they do not plan. It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for a future, none at all.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)