(:)(:)(:)(:) for Jesus Christ Superstar original film digitally re-mastered wide-screen – Eerily applicable to our times

Tonight I thought I was going to a lightweight sing-a-long movie with friends, instead I was treated to a cinematic tour de force with a story eerily applicable to our time.

This 2000 year old story brought to Broadway by Webber and Rice and moved to big screen by Norman Jewison in 1973 openly employs the music, costumes and sensibilities of its time to tell the story of the last days of Jesus’s life.  The multi-racial cast, new to its time, with the exception of white Jesus (nonetheless brilliantly played by Ted Neeley—who was appeared live and person tonight with the film) still seems exciting and fresh in our times.

What I didn’t expect was how apposite the story and lyrics seem to our presidential election.  Check out these lyrics from high priests Caiaphas & Annas plotting to overthrow Jesus:

Ah gentlemen, you know why we are here.

We've not much time, and quite a problem here

The man is in town right now to whip up some support.

A rabble rousing mission that I think we must abort.

He is dangerous!

We dare not leave him to his own devices.

His half-witted fans will get out of control.

But how can we stop him?

His glamour increases

By leaps every moment; he's top of the poll.

I see bad things arising.

Our elimination because of one man.

Fools, you have no perception!

The stake we are gambling are frighteningly high!

We must crush him completely,

So like John before him, this Jesus must die.

For the sake of the nation, this Jesus must die.

And then later of course, when Jesus throws the merchants out of the temple and heals the lepers, he’s gone too far and seals his fate. 

Also struck by Judas’s words in “Damned for All Time/Blood Money” – wondering how they’d land with Pete Buttigieg or Kamala Harris right now:

Now if I help you, it matters that you see

These sordid kinda things are coming hard to me.

It's taken me some time to work out what to do.

I weighed the whole thing out before I came to you.

I have no thought at all about my own reward.

I really didn't come here of my own accord.

There's more but I'm off to bed.  That'll do, pig.