Catching up

My friend Troy Heard, who is now living in Las Vegas, and performing with Cirque du Soleil's "KA," has been so encouraging about my blogging. So has Diana Taylor, a former L-E photographer, who's doing gorgeous interior design work in the Tampa area.

I hate to disappoint them when I don't blog. So I'm going to try to do better.

This is just a quickie.

It's a reminder for all you old hippie-types to buy tickets to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the Bill Heard Theatre of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts on either May 14 or May 15. It's going to be Ted Neeley's final tour of the show.

He's been playing Jesus in this show for almost 40 years. Neeley got the role in the 1973 movie version with the late Carl Anderson. Anderson played Judas.

I saw the movie, of course, and I saw the tour twice in Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Both times with Neeley and Anderson.

A few years ago, I'm guessing the producers wanted to try for a younger Jesus and hired rocker Sebastian Bach. I interviewed Anderson and he was very diplomatic. But I'm sure he missed his old friend. By the time the tour reached Atlanta, Bach had been fired. I don't know who replaced him. And a few months later, Anderson had died.

Neeley is now 63 and I guess the years of being on the road have caught up with him and he wants to spend more time relaxing.

I'm hoping to interview him when he gets here next month.

In the meantime, tickets are $40-$50 and can be purchased now. Call 706-256-3612.