Thirty-five years ago, filmgoers walked past angry protestors to see the newest Monty Python flick, Life of Brian, about the hapless fellow born in the stable next to Jesus' who gets mistaken for being the Messiah. The film was banned in Ireland and Norway, as well as in many communities of the United Kingdom.
Among the accused blasphemies was the musical finale, the catchy tune "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life," sung by Eric Idle as he and a chorus of prisoners hang crucified in the desert.
Cut to the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics; Eric Idle sings that same number for 750 million television viewers worldwide as a packed stadium sings along to what has become one of his nation's beloved humorous anthems. Once again, yesterday's edginess had turned into today's delightful family fun.
Idle's classical oratorio based on Life of Brian, titled Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy), may follow a plot that suggests an edgy satire, but the genial humor and sweetness of tone is more in the nature of an off-beat holiday delight.
Composer John Du Prez's luscious score craftily imitates the styles of Handel, Mozart, Shostakovich and Sullivan without spoofing them, allowing musical themes to play straight for a libretto that features singing sheep, a marching bagpipe ensemble, a duet made up of sounds made while having sex, a massive choral praising of a shoe and references to dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks and George W. Bush.
Once dignity has been securely dropped, the music lunges into a grab-bag of styles such as do-wop, gospel, mariachi and a Bob Dylan parody before wrapping up matters with that original optimistic anthem.
Not The Messiah's giddy New York premiere, a two-night engagement at Carnegie Hall, was presented by The Collegiate Chorale, joined by The Orchestra of St. Luke's; both under the baton of Ted Sperling.
Eric Idle, listed in the program as "Baritone-ish," was joined by soloists he introduced as, "the finest talents currently unemployed on Broadway." They're also deft comical actors, including Victoria Clark as Brian's domineering mother, stellarly-sopranoed and slyly sexual Lauren Worsham as Brian's sweetheart and Marc Kudisch, grandly displaying his trademark bombastic basso to multiple roles. Opera tenor William Ferguson proved to be quite the comical find himself as the befuddled and exasperated title character.
Those unfamiliar with the Python oeuvre may not quite see all the humor in the piece, since much of Idle's libretto depends on the audience's awareness of their classic routines. But fans of the troupe will undoubtedly find any future performances of Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) to be a religious experience.
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