Here's a voice that's new to the city, but I have a feeling will be around for a heck of a long time.
He plays Simon Zealotes in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. Meet Lee Siegel. Here's his bio from Playbill:
Lee siegel (simon zealotes) broadway debut!! - in 34 years i've done a lot, (trust me). Now is what's important. - thank you: god!!, Mom, dad, nana, chris daniels, talent house, gcp, oce, rcbhs, drayton, stagewest, craig maguire, my family, every friend on facebook (find me there!), Lisa, rick & des. - mom, i made it! Love.
But a Playbill bio only gets you so far, so I had a chat with him. Here's the full version of my story and interview-
If you liked the song that was playing in the background of the story, well then enjoy this video of him performing it at a special event:
If the crucifixion happened in Times Square, I now know what it may have looked like.
Want to know? Go see Jesus Christ Superstar at the the Neil Simon Theater.
Here's my quick review – If you're a traditionalist, you're not going to like the new visuals. If you're open to something new, you should give it a try.
My two word description of the Des McAnuff revival of the show - industrial antiquity.
When they come on stage, Jesus and his disciples seem almost like futuristic refugees.
I admit, I was a little concerned when I saw the modern set a la RENT. But, I decided to go with it. Everything from the sliding steel stairwells to crucifixion on a bed of bright light bulbs grows on you and by the time its done you may even appreciate the electronic ticker. Yes, there really is an electronic ticker on stage.
You're going to have to get used to that ticker right from the beginning. You know, those digital boards that scroll information. Well, the one on the stage is your scene setter – time, place, and eventually it becomes a digital blood display for Jesus' flogging.
I know, you're probably curling your lip, not so sure how this can work, but trust me, it does. While individually some of the pieces seem odd with this story, combined, it was a very creative work of art.
There's a lot of motion in the show. From fight scenes with Roman guards that look like they may have had gotten some clothing tips from Battlestar Galactica to modern dancing scenes that would give a Zumba workout a run for it's money. And pieces of the set are frequently mobile. There are a pair of steel stairwells that shift around the stage in nearly every scene taking on different roles, even the eventual rack where Jesus takes his 39 lashes.
It's not all new though. The music is old, harkening back to the original Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice brown album – a rock opera powerhouse with those soft folk moments and the orchestra recreates it beautifully.
My issue with the show? I did not find myself connecting to Jesus in the first act. This is not saying Paul Nolan didn't do the role justice. During the dramatic moments in the second act, he was excellent, but I didn't like the concept that Jesus was so focused on his mission, the sacrifice to come, that he was almost too calm and distant. I understand the concept, I just didn't like it. I prefer to connect with a character, really let myself become one with what is happening on stage and I didn't feel that connection with Jesus.
There was also a moment at the end when he is preaching. I wanted to hear him but he was drowned out by the music. Perhaps that was the idea, my chance to ponder what he may be saying to me, but I found it a frustrating moment, not a contemplative one.
The cast stand-out was Simon Zealotes played by Lee Siegel.
For the first half of the first act he was ensemble, but got your attention. Call it an aura, a presence, he has that 'it' people talk about. When you see him, you are drawn into him before he even does anything and when he does sing, he delivers the goods.
And the WIOW voice - Marcus Nance and his bass notes as Caiaphas that almost vibrate the theater!
You've seen what happened in the courtroom with the Rutgers webcam verdict. But here's what you didn't see. I had a time-lapse camera set up to show you just what the media does at the courthouse...just outside the courtroom.
The whole video is about three minutes and goes from 8:30 Friday morning until after the verdict. If you want to see us really get moving, that comes at the two minute mark when we find out there's a verdict. I call it 'Flight of the Media'
This blog is for everyone who thinks the job of a reporter is always exciting and glamorous. Here's what it looked like today. Some working on the floor...
Others claiming those VERY uncomfortable courthouse chairs.
That's pretty much what the reporters on the Rutgers Spy Cam case looked like from 9a - 4p. With the exception of this moment, when we were told there was information....
But it was just about what we can expect when there was a verdict.. And yes, those are ALL members of the media there for the trial, and that wasn't everyone...
Ok, we took a break for lunch, although most of us brought lunch right back to the courthouse just in case anything happened. We then waited all day for any word from the jury on their deliberations, trying to come up with new ways to say 'nothing's happening yet' for our respective news outlets.
And the plan for tomorrow? More of the same excitement until the jury comes to a decision.
Here's the situation. You're on trial. You're facing 15 criminal counts. You could be locked up for 10 years or more if found guilty. It's the last time you're going to see the jury before they decide your fate. The judge is giving out his final instructions to them before they head to the jury room and you're....struggling to stay awake? This was defendant Dharun Ravi as the jury was getting instructions in the Rutgers webcam spying case. He's accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with another man. Roommate Tyler Clementi commited suicide just days later.
It didn't take long until the struggle was over and it seemed the sleep won.
Yes, there was even a head bob this time. You know, the head bob you get when you start to fall asleep sitting up, your head starts to fall, and your jerk awake. So, what do you do then?...
Use your hand as a prop...
Now, to keep this in context, he didn't nod off for long periods of time. They were little short moments. There was no snoring. But if it were me, and there was a group of people across the room looking at me and the judge, about to decide my fate. I would sure as heck be awake and acting like I cared what was going on.
I found myself thinking 'C'mon man! Pretend you care! Even if you're faking it, you should at least pretend you care!"
I did talk to one attorney who thinks the jury will be understanding that Ravi has been through a lot in the past few weeks and is likely stressed and tired, but if I was on the jury and asked to pay close attention to everything as I decide the case and see he doesn't seem to care about what's going on, I have to wonder if that wouldn't somewhat impact my image of him and possibly influence my decisions.
You're stressed? You should be? You're not sleeping well? I'm not surprised. But hit a Starbucks. Get a triple shot. Get a 5 Hour Energy drink. Just stay awake until the jury leaves to deliberate!!!
Covering the Dharun Ravi trial, the guy who set up the webcam in his dorm room to watch (and share) a feed of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, having sex with a man, I doubt he expected the outcome of his actions.
As the trial wraps up, there are a lot of things to think about here.
First, my view of the facts. I think Ravi probably was uncomfortable with having Tyler as a roommate. I think he didn't like having a gay roommate. Lots of people are uncomfortable with lots of things. Such is life. I do not think that is a crime.
I do think he set up a spy cam as his way to watch Tyler and possibly pick on Tyler for having sex with a man in their dorm room. I think he thought catching Tyler and his male friend having sex in their dorm room, and telling others how they could watch it, was something he thought would be funny. Perhaps a way to make fun of Tyler, probably with no intention of Tyler ever finding out.
Now, was it specifically because Tyler was gay? Maybe. Or maybe that the two just didn't get along, or one of many other reasons. Or maybe Ravi just likes to pick on people and Tyler became a victim because he was in the dorm room with him. Probably, we'll never know. But what we do know is what the outcome was.
A few days after Tyler found out that people were being told they could watch a video of him and his sexual partner, he killed himself. I am NOT saying the web cam incident caused him to kill himself. I am sure this was just one piece of a number of other issues he was already dealing with, and an emotional instability he'd probably been suffering with for years that culminated in his deciding to take his own life.
What do I think should happen in the case? My opinion really doesn't matter. After all, I'm not the jury. That's for them to figure out. But here's what it made me think about... unintended consequences.
I don't think Dharun had any intention of Tyler killing himself and having any part of that possibly attached to the webcam he set up. I have a feeling, even if he doesn't show a lot of emotion in the courtroom, the realization that his prank may have had something to do with Tyler killing himself had to punch him in the gut at some point. So, it makes me wonder about the unintended consequences of things I do.
We all pick on people. For some reason, we seem to generally put people down and pick on people as a society. It's a game. We always one up one another. But, what if? What if that person who may have even laughed when you picked on them, really is getting cut, even if slightly, by your words? One tiny scar might not be a lot, but if there are lots and lots and lots of tiny scars adding up, what kind of long-term damage is being done? I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a part of that.
I know I've made more than my fair share of putdowns. Not saying I would do something like Ravi did. I am not going to attack someone for their race, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental limitations, etc. I actually tend to be the one who will stand up for the underdog and stop others from beating them down. But I still have picked on plenty of people in my day. And I know now there're things that I've sometimes said or done that it hurt people far more than I intended. Thankfully none of mine had extreme endings to their stories like this case.
I started making that realization a few months back, but this case made me revisit it. I've put a lot more time and effort into complimenting people more and picking on them less. And while I know I will not always be a perfectly kind and gentle person, and yes, I will most likely still do my fair share of picking from time to time, I do notice the same victorious feeling you can get from being able to one-up someone in a 'pick on' game can be felt when you lift someone up and see them react to your positive words. The only difference... with the positive words, you don't have to worry if you stepped over the line.
