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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1995)
A The Battalion Friday October 27, 1995 C J H E S R I 3 vas*' PAS brings Webber's lassie musical to A&M Ajny as ! I ie Battalion Jf||^[he story of Jesus Christ’s final days may be one of the most famous tales ever told. In Je sus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber iftells the events through the eyes of Judas Iscari- Christ’s betrayer. The Opera and Performing Arts Society is bring- g Webber’s classic musical to A&M Sunday in dder Auditorium at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Jeffrey Cranor, an OPAS member and junior jour- lism major, said he hopes people will not be of- ded by the musical. He said Webber is not mak- an excuse for Judas’ actions. “Superstar is simply a retelling of the story,” Cra- •r said. “Some people feel it challenges Christian liefs. If they keep in mind that it’s from Judas’ ■wpoint, they won’t find it offensive.” Despite past controversy, OPAS members said ey feel the show will attract a large audience of students. Changes have been made in the musical for the rrent tour. The dated aspects that embodied the late 'SOs and early TOs are no longer in the musical. Karen Allen, OPAS student chair and a senior omedical science major, said the changes will ap- al to a modern audience. “Superstar was first released in the late ’60s,” en said. “The sound really dated it. Now, it’s re* mped. They use more computers.” Cranor said that out of this season’s shows, Su~ rstar will have the widest appeal. “This is the one show we think the A&M students igtothe l jl] enjoy,” Cranor said. “This is my favorite show After over 1,312 performances, Jesus star stays focused rated. Mrts Cd Led fel nself ti seven! ie ates buildm a fired nginre ty Pofc Collect mt. on bird fa is entera; >780A,i three re h were;!! Tile iiu'l By Michael Landauer The Battalion W’ lurser iund bed in a te l WS is bringing. This is a proven tour.” lether he is in full costume, sporting a full beard or completely bald, people are al ways coming up to Ted Neeley saying, “Hey, you’re that guy.” “That guy” is Jesus, and Neeley has been syn onymous with the symbol of the Christian faith since he first played the role in Jesus Christ Super- star on Broadway over 20 years ago. “It’s nice to be associated with something — better this than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” he said. Since first playing the part on Broadway, Nee ley has played Jesus in several variations of the musical — including the tour stopping in College Station for two shows Sunday in Rudder Theater. Neeley, who also played Jesus in the film ver sion of the musical, has been touring nonstop for over three years — a total of 1,312 performances. “I’ve been told all my life that I’m too Texan, I sound too much like a Texan,” he said, “and even tually, I realized that that’s a crock.” Neeley said there are few things that can com pare to playing Jesus. “It’s like being the quarterback in the Super bowl, a pitcher in the World Series or a center in a championship basketball game,” he said. Playing Jesus in front of an audience can be a nerve-racking challenge, he said. “Every person in the audience is a critic because everyone knows who Jesus is,” he said. “Everyone has their own opinion about who Jesus is supposed to be, how he’s supposed to walk, talk, look, act and everything. You’re under a microscope.” He said that he sometimes feels like the crowd is looking too hard for errors in his performance. “Maybe I should say it’s like being on the field of the A&M-Texas game and being a Longhorn fan,” he said. “Everyone’s watching every move you make — everyone wants you to fail. And when you don’t, it’s pretty remarkable.” Neeley said some people may find reasons for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar why he is wrong for the part but his experience has overshadowed any doubts he has in his perfor mance. He said it is the positive energy he gets from the audience that makes performing Super- star such a unique experience as an actor. “The major support from the audience is just so amazing,” he said. “The applause will blow you away.” Given Superstar’s content, Neeley said the silent moments in the theater are just as powerful as moments filled with cheers. “When it’s dead silent, that’s amazing be cause you know they’re right there with you,” he said. “They’re experiencing exactly what you’re experiencing.” Although he has experienced the perfor mance more times than he can remember, Nee ley said each performance brings out something new in him. “I love every second of it,” he said. “It’s so over whelming and fulfilling for me to get to do this part over and over again.” Neeley, who lives in Spring, said he is looking forward to this weekend’s performances because of what he knows about Aggies. “There’s no question that the spirit of that col lege is going to make this show incredible,” he said. “The people who choose to come see this show are gonna carry that spirit into the theater, and, there fore, it’s going to be like going to a big pep rally.” Besides the show’s energy, Neeley said the pro duction has held appeal over the years because of its simple, catchy songs. “Anybody can come in and listen to this piece and walk out singing something from it,” he said. “And it happens to be the greatest story ever told.” RMY aims to rally support for athletic teams, events Katharine Deaton Ije Battalion Ihe “ARMY” on the maroon shirts they wear may seem to promote the U.S. Army, but they actually represent Aggies Ready to Itivate You, a student support organization for |gie athletics. lichael Miller, ARMY president and a senior his- major, said the best way to support Aggie ath- |cs and motivate other Aggies is through example. ;“We try to go to all sports events,” Miller said, [e get a bunch of Aggies together, wear our ts and go to games. Our purpose is to try to Itivate other Aggies for sports.” lARMY was started in Spring 1992 by Martin Ircasson, Class of ’94. Carcasson organized it to pease student interest in all athletic events, not It football. Miller said. lAaron Metcalf, a junior biomedical science ma- |, said ARMY still has the same goal. I “We’re there to provide support for all athletic teams and show them we’re there,” Metcalf said. “It’s even more important to show support at G. Rollie [White Coliseum] because a group of 2,000 Aggies can make a difference, where at Kyle Field, 2,000 people might not make an impact.” "Every sport deserves the spirit of the 12th man." — Aaron Metcalf junior biomedical science major Miller said ARMY has made an impact in sever al A&M games. “In a game against Rice in ’93, we got so riled up, the team said ARMY and other Aggies changed the outcome of the game,” he said. Miller said other teams also notice the support. He said the spirit the students show makes the Ag gie teams better and intimidates the other teams. In a game against Baylor in 1993, the Baylor women’s head volleyball and basketball coach asked of the Aggies, “Could you please shut them up? They’re intimidating us.” Miller said most of the appeal and fun for stu dents in ARMY is going in large groups to games. “It’s more fun in a big group, all wearing the same shirts,” he said. “People are more likely to yell loud.” Although during this time of year, people may notice slumps in spirit. Miller said the interest in games and events has increased. “The attendance has increased,” Miller said. “There’s been a lot of effort by student organiza tions to promote the games and athletics, espe cially where it was hurting, like in women’s sports. As the teams get better and games get more exciting, people get the word out more, and people show up.” Miller said a lot of the time, instead of a lack of spirit, there is a lack of information. “If people know when and where a game is, they are more likely to go to it,” Miller said. “We also pass out schedules and work with the sports de partment to promote the games. For some, ‘moti vate’ may just mean knowing about it. A lot of the time, Aggies just don’t know about it. That’s why they don’t come.” ARMY shows its support in bigger ways such as road trips once a month and challenge nights, Miller said. “In the past, we’ve held RHA (Residence Hall Association) challenge night and Fish Camp chal lenge night,” Miller said. “We challenge dorms and individual fish camps to be the group with the most students at a game. The winner gets pizza.” ARMY also holds a spring banquet to honor the Aggies who go to the most games. Miller said they use a point system to determine the winners, who are honored with different awards. Metcalf said students should try to attend ath letic events out of respect for the teams. “Each of the teams deserves the same spirit,” Metcalf said. “Every sport deserves the spirit of the 12th man.” 726 ipe i ■rJDrtf* es Eote® vlftt'sE 11111 ' -ielifeB 115 ts Editoi> r , Hea^ p nliotlia" 1 ' ifhel Baft sa Nan® 1 ' ison, te 1 .n Bf<f p & Lyd'a toonisk- .bynCa^' State , Estes * 1 use prs, Mil* niversfy'' :X<': jkNP'L ii v* r ,, :C the .n 5 (e '< classr Texas APIAN f^KAPLAN ^KAPLAN ^KAPLAN .PTTT=I '-Fml !lwi “ ^ W A ' ALL-IN-ONE (es: vfi; INSIDfft AOVICf IlSTS INCUSOEO ALL-IN-ONE mCNW TECMWQUIS WMN WMtAi. HOW TO APflY TO AUSMUSS SCHOOl C0MPU1EA AN0 PAPW 1LL - I N O NE nowmuES COMFUTOIAHD WHEN. WMK. MOW TO J#PUr Test prep plus admissions ■ Available at Your Local Bookstore 2 0° I on one of the following Kaplan ALL-IN-ONE BOOKS ! 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