Jesus Christ, Rock Star?

Some argue that Jesus didn’t walk around to a constant driving bassline and spontaneously break into song; those people are morons. Witness “Jesus Christ Superstar,” a musical based on Jesus’ life not as a religious figure, but as a rock star-esque icon. ACT community theatre is staging three runs of the show on November 4th, 5th, and 6th at the Confederation Centre Main Stage.

Whatever your beliefs are, it’s difficult to argue that Jesus wasff influential per- son in history. Because it explores the sprawling influ- ence Jesus had strictly as a his- torical figure, Jesus Christ Superstar should appeal to believ-

ers and non- believers alike. The Apostles

and women that perpetually sur- round the man take on groupie- like roles. Rather than try- ing to preach to its audience, Jesus Christ Superstar shows the life of Jesus as a celebrity, making it about as non secular as a play about Jesus can get.

The musical has a wide appeal for post-secondary students because it can easily prompt an examination of one’s life philosophy. Works such as Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” have sought to emulate this type of provo-

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cation, a trait which is attractive for widespread audiences.

This production has many UPEI con- nections, starring UPEI music gradu- ate Jeremy Hickey as Jesus, current music major Maria Campbell as Mary Magdalene, and Cadre alumnus Marieve MacGregor as a key dancer. The 15-person orchestra also features several UPEI music students.

Jesus Christ Superstar is directed by Crady, choreographed by

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Julia Sauve, and musically directed by Shirley Ann Cameron. ACT communi- ty theatre puts together three produc- tions a year, including the popular “Murder in the Cathedral” that packed

St. Mary’s-Indian River this past sum- .

mer.

Do you remember when you

were a kid and the thought of |

eating non stop junk food appealed to you? Sure, you do, because we’ve all had that fan- tasy at one time or the other— to be able to eat at a restaurant day in and day out— have Egg McMuffin for breakfast, burgers for lunch and whatever you want for supper. For a kid that seems great! Yet, by the time we reached our latter teens/early adult years, the novelty of eat- ing out all the time went down hill pretty fast. That’s what hap- pens in the movie, ‘Super Size Me,’ a documentary by Morgan. Spurlock, which poses the ulti- mate question: what would hap- pen to someone who ate MacDonald's, three times a day, for thirty days? It’s a crazy idea in itself; three doctors, a general practitioner and his girlfriend tell him he’s going to ruin his body; but nonetheless Spurlock goes through with it, charting everything that he eats at Mickey Dees. Certain condi- tions do apply: Spurlock must eat everything on the menu, if he is asked if he wants to super- size his meal, he must say ‘yes’ and over the 30 day period, he can not exercise one iota! As a

‘result, he packs on the pounds,

develops awful chest pains, his cholesterol levels go up sixty- five points, his liver turns to fat, his energy is nonexistent and his sex life goes straight to hell! So why does he do it? Just to prove that North Americans have bad

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eating habits? It would seem so, as he takes his crusade to twen- ty cities across North America, eating at different MacDonald's and talking to people (like Don Gorske, who has eaten over 19,000 Big Macs in his life) who can’t get enough of the Golden Arches.

The movie is filled with inter- esting facts, (46 million people worldwide eat at Mickey-Dees everyday? Whoa!) and _inter- views. While there is an under- lining message of personal responsibility vs. corporate responsibility, it is Spurlock’s transformation from a fit 185 pound guy to a depressed 210 pound food—aholic that keeps the film moving, and makes ‘Super Size Me’ worth checking out. Be sure to watch the DVD extra of Spurlock keeping MacDonald’s fries in a see through container for 10 weeks; it’s not pretty!

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