First, a few clips from the film Jesus Christ Superstar:
And now, Jeepers Creepers, Semi-Star:
What I love about this parody is that the point isn't to lampoon Superstar or the pomposity of Broadway/movie musicals. Instead Mr. Show used Superstar as a way of making points about Generation X malaise. Seeing how a few of the people at Mr. Show were from The Ben Stiller Show, a celebration of the spirit of Generation X, I think that's a big deal.
Does that still make this parody of Superstar? I like to think so. Reading the Mr. Show book I know how much those guys worked to make their sketches look just right. Here it's obvious they paid close attention to the film. I love how the introduction to David Cross's character is the same as Carl Anderson's, with the multiple cameras zooms. Superstar itself was a critique of baby boomer culture, Mr. Show just updated it. Such a great understanding of the original material is what it means to make a great parody. It show the satirists know just what to tweak.
Jack Black would actually play King Herod in a production of Superstar in L.A. that included Ted Neely, Yvonne Elliman and Ben Vereen. You can see video of the curtain call on YouTube but not his performance. Permanent Link: 2:47 PM |
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