How I Met Jesus

We lived in a really warm house with big, comfy, maroon paisley couches. Very '70's. Grass wallpaper, the whole nine yards. There was usually a fire crackling in the fireplace and there was always music playing. One of my most vivid and pleasant childhood memories takes place in our living room on Willowcrest Drive - My sister, my dad and I were all laying around with the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar blasting in the background. We knew all the words and could dance every choreographed step. So while my sister and I were singing and dancing, my dad was prone on one of the paisley couches smoking really good pot (I tell this story because I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has run by now). Anyway, the music to Jesus Christ Superstar really moved me and stayed with me for all these years, and I still listen to it regularly and watch the dvd from time to time. It was something we experienced (and continue to share) with our dad, and truth be told, being the nice Jewish girl that I am, all that I know about Jesus, I learned from that movie. JCSS has been performed on stage since around 1972 and Ted Neely has been playing Jesus the whole time. The show came to town last week, and I bought three tickets; one for me, one for my sister and one for E (the older one didn't get to go because she is, well, 14 and was, well, grounded as usual). Thursday night, after feasting on Thanksgiving turkey, prime rib, roasted potatoes and greenbean casserole, the three of us rolled to the Kravis Center to watch the performance of a lifetime.

I really wanted to get backstage to meet Jesus and get his autograph for my dad. I was all dolled up and lookin' pretty Milfy because I thought for sure we were going to have to sweet talk our way in. Not so much. The stage door was behind the theater. We walked back there and told the security guard we were there to see Jesus. After he stopped laughing, he looked at his watch and told us to have a seat, that the actors would be coming off the bus in about 10 minutes. He even brought us a playbill so Jesus would have something to sign. Not 10 minutes later, in walks Jesus, not two steps from us. I stood up, put out my hand, made the introductions and began to tell him just how much the JCSS Experience had meant to us. He got a kick out of the fact that E was a third generation fan. Ted Neely (a/k/a Jesus) was kind, gracious, patient and genuinely happy to hear our story. He looked me straight in the eyes when he spoke to me, hugged all of us tightly and invited us back after the show to talk more. Now I know the guy is an actor, but seriously, he's been playing Jesus Christ for darn near 30 years. The man IS Jesus. I was touched. My sister was ready to convert.

The show was AMAZING. Ted Neely's voice is still strong, and the entire production was flawless. E loved it. I loved it. My sister loved it. My only regret is that we had tickets to the closing night or I would have gone back to see it again. Had E not been with us, we would have taken Jesus up on his offer to meet after the show. I had about a million questions I wanted to ask him. For those of you who have never seen/heard JCSS, I highly recommend it!