AD/BC: A Rock Opera

I was ready to believe that all the singers were dubbed by professionalsingers as they showed some interesting and entertaining vocal rangesyet this was not the case. Also the score was another interestingaspect of the film. There were some real ‘groovey’ sounds there thatsort of made you sit back and think to yourself "man the 70s was socool…Why was I not alive then!"

Although the nature of this work is almost ‘taking the michael!’ I feelthat it could be a professional stage show. Even though it would onlyattract a small group of a particular type of audience I would love tosee this performed live and perhaps even extended with more songs.

My only bad feeling towards this show was that it felt it was missingthat big song which would make it a big success. It needed that ‘Let MeEntertain You’ song to get the audience or viewers I should say, goingwild and dancing in their seats.

In conclusion I would strongly recommend for any other rock opera ormusical theatre fans to watch this just because it is so funny andstill a great piece of music theatre.

2) This extraordinary work, first shown on BBC 3 in 2004, is a dramatisednarrative of a play originally hosted in the 1970s concerning the birthof Christ, from the oft-neglected viewpoint of the Inn Keeper who isstruggling to make a living in the harsh economic climate prevalent atthe time.

Through the medium of rock opera we witness the Inn Keeper’s struggle,, "running an inn is just mumbo and jive" he tells himself, hisstruggle is not only economic in nature as there is rival motel ownerwho has designs on his wife. The motel owner is a devious man consumedwith jealousy, he also wants the inn keeper’s inn, or as he sees it his"slice of the pie". The inn keeper’s wife can not resist the wealth andcharismatic good-looks of the motel owner and leaves the inn keeper.

This struggle takes place against a parallel sub-plot concerning thebirth of the Nazarene, Jesus. His father, Joseph Christ, opines themiraculous nature of his wife’s impregnation in his opening salvo withthe verse: "Christ I swear I never touched her". His confusion isobvious for all to see, however he still manages to escort his wife(who we never see presumably due to issues surrounding iconoclasm) tothe inn where he meets the inn keeper who has just lost his wife.

Although Joe’s wife is heavily pregnant and he is burdened with his owntroubles he still has the emotional breadth to offer sympathy to theinn keeper and his unthankful task "It’s a tuf-fuc-u-pay-shun in thenation". There is then a brief montage sequence detailing the role ofbed-and-breakfast owners throughout time. I felt this lent a connectionwith the present day, it’s all-too-easy to think of this story ashaving happened in another era but this simple technique marries thepast with the present.

In the final act the ensemble gather to witness the birth of Jesus, anevent so profound that it triggers a spontaneous epiphany in theprotagonists. The motel owner tells the inn keeper’s wife to return tothe inn keeper; the inn keeper sees himself for what he is, or was, ahard-drinking and emotionally distant man and the inn keeper’s wiferediscovers her love for the inn keeper.

The cast and chorus, who I must say were magnificent throughout theproduction, end on a very uplifting note singing the praises of "makinglove".

I am quite serious when I say this is one of the greatest things I haveever seen on the BBC. Although the wardrobe and sound quality sometimesmake it feel dated the amazing cast raise the production above theobviously limited budget and present us with a unique angle on thegreatest story ever told. The songs are also good.

In closing I would ask that a DVD release be made available, I am fedup and tired of telling people to see this when there is no actualmeans of doing so.

10/10

3) I watched this Rock Opera tonight and laughed the nervous, embarrassedlaughter that I think the creators intended. AD/BC is clearly a play onJesus Crist Superstar, and mimics that original film's clearly hippy70s feel for maximum crunch power. If you've ever seen Garth Merenghi'sDark Place or IT Crowd (also with Ayoade and Berry), or The MightyBoosh (with Adrian Barratt, Noel Fielding, and Matt Berry), you willprobably like this musical. All of these guys have a certain leaningtoward absurdist comedy with an intentional nostalgic, low-budgetproduction quality, and this is probably one of the bestrepresentational examples.