"Gethsemane" — and a 63-year-old Ted Neeley

Yesterday, I posted this clip of “Hosanna” from the 1973 movie version of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”  If that had you feeling nostalgic, you have to check out  the clip below: the star of that movie, Ted Neeley, performing the heart-rending “Gethsemane” over 30 years later, in a “Farewell Tour” of the stage musical.  When I stumbled on this on YouTube, the prospect of watching a 60-something aging rock star perform a role created for someone half his age did not fill my heart with glee.  A geriatric Jesus?  But, to my amazement, I was unexpectedly moved.   The years have given a ragged and weary quality to Neeley’s performance, which only makes the agony even more real.   He’s clearly giving his all — just like the man he’s portraying.  Watch and feel the goosebumps.