My introduction to JCS was in 1970 when my mom brought home the original LP. I was shocked, because it was rock and roll. She was a cellist, instrumental music teacher, sang alto in the church choir, and all of the records we had were symphonies, concertos and Gilbert & Sullivan. This version of JCS is hands down my absolute favorite. I watched it 4 times in 3 days starting on Good Friday, and my emotions were raw for almost a week afterwards. I bought the DVD and watch it over and over again. It's brilliant. Ben is my Jesus.
Dunno what all you guys are hearing. This is brilliant. You do understand people have different ways of showing and letting out emotion. Like when people cry, they sound different.
I took my then-8yo daughter to see this at the O2 in London and had tears rolling down my face watching Ben sing this. I haven't listened to it in about a year until now and it just took me right back and gave me the same reaction. From the comments apparently it's Marmite, but hey I love Marmite and totally love this. :)
Omg I saw it live on the 15th, it was so powerful. I haven't cried at any performance, film or book since the Boy In Striped Pyjamas, but I was nearly in tears at this because it was just so damn beautiful. I love this version so much, even if there is a one note I can't hit, he's all like 'See how I DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE' and I'm like :'( I seriously can't get over how amazing he is at this song and he looked the part and everything he's so perfect and no more characters
All of the songs from this show are incredible but I can't get enough of this song in particular, it's such a powerful song. I'd so love to be able to sing like this. I guess it makes a difference which one you saw first but I think Ben Forster did a fantastic job as Jesus.
Seriously love Ben! I remember watching Superstar he was such a cutie on the show but when he played Jesus he was so powerful and enigmatic and (in his words) amazing! Tim Mel and Ben all work so well together its just amazing their stage presence is seriously amazing just wow I have no words to describe how much Ben amazes me the fact that when he was 12 he was listen to Gethsemane and cried his eyes out and belted out the words just makes me think that we was made for this role and I think that no one could do better even the original versions like back in 1973 and 2000 those ones don't even come close to Ben sure Ted Neeley was good but Ben was better! Ben will always be my Jesus! I could just watch JCS over and over again!Definitely gonna recommend this to my RE teacher to watch in RE.
I first watched the live version on dvd, then saw the same cast when they performed in Melbourne. So much more impressed when I saw it live myself. Ben is amazing.
I like the lyric change "God thy will be done, take your only son" - it really sheds better light on the basis of the story, The Gospels. The original lyric is powerful, but it's cynical, begrudging, and kinda haughty
No. The line change kind of kills the point. The original was SUPPOSED to be cynical. The original story was about a MAN who felt a heavy burden, a man who didn't want to die, but knew he had to in order to help the world (in his eyes). Soon after he's arrested, Jesus himself says that he never said he was "King of the Jews" or that the Kingdom of God was his...that he was a man with a destiny. The point was to show Jesus the MAN, not Jesus the only son of God....so that little line change goes against the entire premise of JCS.
Victoria Wilder good to see people still keeping the original idea intact. The changes they keep making to the lyrics and production just keep pushing the show further away from "jesus as the first rock star" and closer to just another passion play
Victoria Wilder I hardly think that that one line goes against the whole premise. If you've seen Forster's performance, then you know he's already very cynical and jaded in his acting and delivery of every other line. But what this line does is that for a minute, it connects the two. There's also an air of anger and cynicism in the line itself. He's challenging God in a way. He's basically saying, "You know what, fine. If you can take it, I can take it. Go on, take your only son and kill him for these people who might not even believe in you". "Thy will be done" can be heard as submission or rebellion - "Fine, God, have it your way!"
Ok for the people hating u try singing this song. Probably one of the hardest song to sing the reason he got this part was because he had a big singing rang and he can hit the higher notes. Also the over acting thing, I don't hear it. His voice to me is awesome and biggg
so much passion omg its unbelievable i love ben he was awesome! I cnt stop replaying this they picked a good choice oh and ppl hating on him I would like 2 see u try and sing like him yes ik u dnt like him but u dnt have 2 say it to the world I am standing up for ben becuz he is awesome I love u ben! I love his version he makes his own i loved everybody in the tour the 7 ppl who dislike this is just jealous bcuz they dnt have a good voice such a shame this video should have 0 dislikes! and he is acting thts y ppl he is "overacting" cuz hes in the song I would like 2 see all u haters try!
+mat hut People forgot that this is a rock arena tour. Balsamo or Neeley style will not work here. Balsamo is too pop for an arena tour. And he is not really dramatic. Ian Gillan style could work though.
Who played Jesus in this one. Last time I saw this in Arena style was in the 90s, in Melbourne, Australia with John Farnham as Jesus. He was great in that one, This one uses a bit more passion. He is arguing with his father needs a bit more arguing in his tone, otherwise good
The Ben Forster/Tim Minchin version is what got me into the musical itself. I thought Ben was fantastic. Then I watched the movie and watched other stage productions of it. After recently going back to Ben's version of this song, I have to say I'm kind of unimpressed. It's not bad, but compared to people like Sarich/Farnham (And Neely himself) he just doesn't rack up.
It's got nothing on Ian gillan's version. I watched this guy on the show he won to get this part, he was pretty good all round, but I couldn't help but think he looked and sounded a bit like mr bean.
i just think the high notes are to pretty here and that's not what this song and the high falsetto is about (in my opinion). I always see the falsetto as a release of emotion and I don't get that from this. I have to say though this was a million times better than I thought it would be. The guy who plays judas is brilliant as well. Take a listen to my version of heaven on their minds and gethsemane if you get a chance.
Ben screaming again. Not the best version I have heard of this song. John Farnham's version in the 1992 Australian production is the best I have ever heard.
I'm sorry but he has a good voice but to me it doesn't fit this show. He seems to talk during parts of the song that I feel he should be exploding. Ted Neely set a high ceiling for everyone and this just doesn't cut it for me. That song needs true emotion. Just watch Steve Balsamo sing it and you'll understand what I mean!
I agree with the other guy. This is over acted and over wrought. As a fan of the original recording, that cast was so superb. I've wanted a good version of this for years. JCS on my iPod. But they have never put in place a great casting of this again, not recently anyway. And I really wanted to like this to see the tour.
Andrew Lloyd Weber (sp.?) stated in an older article (It was at least 15 years old and I can't remember what it was from.) that Tim Rice and he had never envisioned JCS as a theatrical production. In fact, they were so disappointed with the presentations on stage at the time that the show never went on tour. This is ALW's baby, the COMPOSER'S vision and idea. You're entitled to your opinion of course but realize this version is what he wanted.
This is a rock musical in an arena. If he didn't sing like this, you'll not get the "rock" feeling. And you have to consider many things like the director's directions. How if in the middle of the singing there's command like, "You need to be more expressive?"
Alright. But the falsetto is pretty weak. Compared to Ted Neeley and Ian Gillan, who have very powerful and full-sounding falsetto, this just sounds weak and silly.
Ben is def my least favorite Jesus. his acting range is pretty much squint or act pissed off and his voice is among the weakest of Jesuses that I've heard. the falsetto is even weaker than Glenn Carter in the 2000 version. his bit with the megaphone in Hosanna was so obnoxious. however I came here for Tim Rice's lyric change "God thy will be done, take your only son" I love it
Garrett Gopen Ben is actually my favorite Jesus. I feel like he is showing the human side of Jesus through the imperfections in his singing. Especially when he says "all right, I'll die" towards the climax of the song. But I can where you're coming from, Ben's performance of Jesus isn't for everyone and that's totally fine 😊
TheMsiaddict the mixing involved autotune. Albeit, it's actually much less noticeable when you watch the recording. Sounds amazing without it too, it really does.
If your slate is clean then you can throw stones , If your slate is not then LEAVE HIM ALONE! In other words if you can sing better than him , Then you can say he's a bad singer. Personally I don't like the way he says 'Wanna' it's like 'Whaunna!'
My introduction to JCS was in 1970 when my mom brought home the original LP. I was shocked, because it was rock and roll. She was a cellist, instrumental music teacher, sang alto in the church choir, and all of the records we had were symphonies, concertos and Gilbert & Sullivan. This version of JCS is hands down my absolute favorite. I watched it 4 times in 3 days starting on Good Friday, and my emotions were raw for almost a week afterwards. I bought the DVD and watch it over and over again. It's brilliant. Ben is my Jesus.
Ben is mine too!
3:03-3:13 is my fav. The amount of emotion he puts into that bit, it’s amazing. The way he says ‘just watch’ is wow. Ben is my Jesus.
Ben Forster sings this perfectly ! He received a Standing Ovation in Australia!
I think he's sung it 100 times better than anyone else has..
Emily Appleby you should listen the camilo sesto’s version
Dunno what all you guys are hearing. This is brilliant.
You do understand people have different ways of showing and letting out emotion. Like when people cry, they sound different.
I agree. It’s theatre. Emotions are expressed. Ben is my favourite.
I took my then-8yo daughter to see this at the O2 in London and had tears rolling down my face watching Ben sing this. I haven't listened to it in about a year until now and it just took me right back and gave me the same reaction. From the comments apparently it's Marmite, but hey I love Marmite and totally love this. :)
Omg I saw it live on the 15th, it was so powerful. I haven't cried at any performance, film or book since the Boy In Striped Pyjamas, but I was nearly in tears at this because it was just so damn beautiful. I love this version so much, even if there is a one note I can't hit, he's all like 'See how I DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE' and I'm like :'( I seriously can't get over how amazing he is at this song and he looked the part and everything he's so perfect and no more characters
My personal favourite song from the show. I wish they would release the arena tour cast recording. Ben Forster does an absolutely superb job!
Oh Me too
All of the songs from this show are incredible but I can't get enough of this song in particular, it's such a powerful song. I'd so love to be able to sing like this. I guess it makes a difference which one you saw first but I think Ben Forster did a fantastic job as Jesus.
I’m a girl, and I sing. I know nearly all the lyrics, and it’s soo high. Very hard, I’ll get their someday!
I love Ben's version of this song so much.
As far as I'm concerned, it's the only version.
Me also
@@Cloudychanceofgrey I agree, This Version should be on Spotify
I love how ben sings "i will drink your cup of poison" lol
Seriously love Ben! I remember watching Superstar he was such a cutie on the show but when he played Jesus he was so powerful and enigmatic and (in his words) amazing! Tim Mel and Ben all work so well together its just amazing their stage presence is seriously amazing just wow I have no words to describe how much Ben amazes me the fact that when he was 12 he was listen to Gethsemane and cried his eyes out and belted out the words just makes me think that we was made for this role and I think that no one could do better even the original versions like back in 1973 and 2000 those ones don't even come close to Ben sure Ted Neeley was good but Ben was better! Ben will always be my Jesus! I could just watch JCS over and over again!Definitely gonna recommend this to my RE teacher to watch in RE.
Such a talented voice
I first watched the live version on dvd, then saw the same cast when they performed in Melbourne. So much more impressed when I saw it live myself. Ben is amazing.
Love Ben. Loved the whole show. Wish I could have seen it live.
I've had to sing this......Stellar job by Forster...Bravo.
I like the lyric change "God thy will be done, take your only son" - it really sheds better light on the basis of the story, The Gospels. The original lyric is powerful, but it's cynical, begrudging, and kinda haughty
No. The line change kind of kills the point. The original was SUPPOSED to be cynical. The original story was about a MAN who felt a heavy burden, a man who didn't want to die, but knew he had to in order to help the world (in his eyes). Soon after he's arrested, Jesus himself says that he never said he was "King of the Jews" or that the Kingdom of God was his...that he was a man with a destiny. The point was to show Jesus the MAN, not Jesus the only son of God....so that little line change goes against the entire premise of JCS.
Victoria Wilder good to see people still keeping the original idea intact. The changes they keep making to the lyrics and production just keep pushing the show further away from "jesus as the first rock star" and closer to just another passion play
Victoria Wilder I hardly think that that one line goes against the whole premise. If you've seen Forster's performance, then you know he's already very cynical and jaded in his acting and delivery of every other line. But what this line does is that for a minute, it connects the two. There's also an air of anger and cynicism in the line itself. He's challenging God in a way. He's basically saying, "You know what, fine. If you can take it, I can take it. Go on, take your only son and kill him for these people who might not even believe in you". "Thy will be done" can be heard as submission or rebellion - "Fine, God, have it your way!"
Ok for the people hating u try singing this song. Probably one of the hardest song to sing the reason he got this part was because he had a big singing rang and he can hit the higher notes. Also the over acting thing, I don't hear it. His voice to me is awesome and biggg
Me too I agree
Such a difficult song and yet done so well!! Amazing range from Mr Forster and just a great delivery! :D
I love this so much, I love musicals, but this is by far my favorite in existence. Especially this one
I do like Jesus Christ Superstar as well
2:28 is probably my favorite part of this entire play
+Juan Brown same :3
I love this line!! 4:50 the way he sings it is amazing!
on of my favorite songs of the show, my favorite version!
One of my favourite songs in the show as well
He is my second favorite. The first one is Steve Balsamo!
Brings me to tears
I loved the 2000's version when I was a baby, now I love this version too
Even the great Andrew Lloyd Webber himself stated that Ben's (ie this) version of this song was the best he had ever heard. Enough said.
Lloyd webber said that CAMILO SESTO made the best version.
Mau Narváez. That was decades ago before he even heard Ben. Andrew Lloyd Webber said that Ben's version was the best SINCE then.
Pen Name anyway, camilo sesto did it so much better
Beautiful!
so much passion omg its unbelievable i love ben he was awesome! I cnt stop replaying this they picked a good choice oh and ppl hating on him I would like 2 see u try and sing like him yes ik u dnt like him but u dnt have 2 say it to the world I am standing up for ben becuz he is awesome I love u ben! I love his version he makes his own i loved everybody in the tour the 7 ppl who dislike this is just jealous bcuz they dnt have a good voice such a shame this video should have 0 dislikes! and he is acting thts y ppl he is "overacting" cuz hes in the song I would like 2 see all u haters try!
Maybe they disliked it because they didn't like it?
mat hut Makes sense!
+mat hut
People forgot that this is a rock arena tour. Balsamo or Neeley style will not work here. Balsamo is too pop for an arena tour. And he is not really dramatic. Ian Gillan style could work though.
Ben is amazing
the sound track doesn't compare to the whole show. Its brilliant in every way.
Daaaaaaaaaamn dat falsetto!!!!
It's the best!
Maravilloso!!!!!
Oh mein Gott!!! Wunderschön
들을수록 매력있당~ 좋당♡
that high pitch voice tho 2:27
omg a lucario
The best Jesus next to Ted Neely
Ted did a good job too
THE EMOTION!!!! *dies*
Who played Jesus in this one. Last time I saw this in Arena style was in the 90s, in Melbourne, Australia with John Farnham as Jesus. He was great in that one, This one uses a bit more passion. He is arguing with his father needs a bit more arguing in his tone, otherwise good
This is Ben Forster
janieyayaye Thanks
Where can I download the arena tour soundtrack?
The Ben Forster/Tim Minchin version is what got me into the musical itself. I thought Ben was fantastic. Then I watched the movie and watched other stage productions of it. After recently going back to Ben's version of this song, I have to say I'm kind of unimpressed. It's not bad, but compared to people like Sarich/Farnham (And Neely himself) he just doesn't rack up.
It's the first arena tour.
Check Hugh Panaro, Michael Crawford and Colm Wilkinson. Seems like some Phantoms are Jesus too.
♥
It's got nothing on Ian gillan's version. I watched this guy on the show he won to get this part, he was pretty good all round, but I couldn't help but think he looked and sounded a bit like mr bean.
I working on it, I'm just downloading these videos and cutting out the jingles at the end. If you want I can email them to you?
I think Ben's version better than John Farnham though he is a legend in his own music.
😘
i just think the high notes are to pretty here and that's not what this song and the high falsetto is about (in my opinion). I always see the falsetto as a release of emotion and I don't get that from this. I have to say though this was a million times better than I thought it would be. The guy who plays judas is brilliant as well. Take a listen to my version of heaven on their minds and gethsemane if you get a chance.
да
Good singing voice, but way too much over emphasis on key words. also a bit generalised when it came to "emotion".
That's his accent from Sunderland, North East of England.
It's like listening to what crap would sound like if it could sing.
Ben screaming again. Not the best version I have heard of this song. John Farnham's version in the 1992 Australian production is the best I have ever heard.
I'm sorry but he has a good voice but to me it doesn't fit this show. He seems to talk during parts of the song that I feel he should be exploding. Ted Neely set a high ceiling for everyone and this just doesn't cut it for me. That song needs true emotion. Just watch Steve Balsamo sing it and you'll understand what I mean!
John Borgesi I just commented, that Steve Balsamo's version is my favorite!
Why ?......Why?.......The most pathetic WHY? in music history......
I agree with the other guy. This is over acted and over wrought. As a fan of the original recording, that cast was so superb. I've wanted a good version of this for years. JCS on my iPod. But they have never put in place a great casting of this again, not recently anyway. And I really wanted to like this to see the tour.
Andrew Lloyd Weber (sp.?) stated in an older article (It was at least 15 years old and I can't remember what it was from.) that Tim Rice and he had never envisioned JCS as a theatrical production. In fact, they were so disappointed with the presentations on stage at the time that the show never went on tour. This is ALW's baby, the COMPOSER'S vision and idea. You're entitled to your opinion of course but realize this version is what he wanted.
This is a rock musical in an arena. If he didn't sing like this, you'll not get the "rock" feeling. And you have to consider many things like the director's directions. How if in the middle of the singing there's command like, "You need to be more expressive?"
Alright. But the falsetto is pretty weak. Compared to Ted Neeley and Ian Gillan, who have very powerful and full-sounding falsetto, this just sounds weak and silly.
John legend did horribly compared to this
Its my opinion but my computer agrees .. he sucks meteorically
Ben is def my least favorite Jesus. his acting range is pretty much squint or act pissed off and his voice is among the weakest of Jesuses that I've heard. the falsetto is even weaker than Glenn Carter in the 2000 version. his bit with the megaphone in Hosanna was so obnoxious.
however I came here for Tim Rice's lyric change "God thy will be done, take your only son"
I love it
Garrett Gopen Ben is actually my favorite Jesus. I feel like he is showing the human side of Jesus through the imperfections in his singing. Especially when he says "all right, I'll die" towards the climax of the song. But I can where you're coming from, Ben's performance of Jesus isn't for everyone and that's totally fine 😊
Weak high notes.
wanna see you do better...
afonso baptista A person doesn't have to be able to do better to notice the weaknesses of a performance.
Universal killed his scream.
TheMsiaddict the mixing involved autotune. Albeit, it's actually much less noticeable when you watch the recording. Sounds amazing without it too, it really does.
His falsetto is pretty weak. It's pretty, but it's boring.
It was recorded live from an arena tour. It's not bad if you compare it to a rock band concert.
This sucks, over acting and horrible voice, the whole package
I don't know how your computer let you type that
If your slate is clean then you can throw stones , If your slate is not then LEAVE HIM ALONE! In other words if you can sing better than him , Then you can say he's a bad singer. Personally I don't like the way he says 'Wanna' it's like 'Whaunna!'
IAmSekto I can sing better than him so I guess my comment stands.
Hmm , I guess so.
LOL post a video of you singing this, and let the world decide.