Ted Neely and Carl Anderson Interview on Jesus Christ Superstar (October 14, 1994)

Teddie Joe "Ted" Neeley (born September 20, 1943) is an American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for portraying the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), a role for which he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and has reprised numerous times.

Neeley considers himself a baritone,[1] and is known for his extremely wide vocal range[2][3] and rock screams—notably the G above high C (G5) in "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" from Jesus Christ Superstar.[4]

Early life and career
Neeley was born in Ranger, Texas. He signed his first record deal in 1965, at age 22, with Capitol Records.[5] He and his group, The Teddy Neeley Five, recorded an album titled Teddy Neeley.[5] They played the club circuit for years, and their name (on a marquee) appeared in the pilot episode of Dragnet 1967. In 1968, Neeley starred in the Los Angeles productions of Larry Norman's rock musicals Alison and Birthday for Shakespeare, with Norman and Richard Hatch.[6] Then, in 1969, Neeley played the lead role of Claude in both the New York and Los Angeles productions of Hair. He also appeared on the controversial, unaired episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that prompted CBS to cancel the series.

Neeley's work with Tom O'Horgan, the director of Hair, led to him being called when O'Horgan was hired to stage Jesus Christ Superstar for Broadway. Neeley originally auditioned for the role of Judas, seeing it as a great opportunity to play a character few understand.

However, when Ben Vereen was chosen for the role, Neeley signed on as chorus and also became the understudy for Jesus Christ. This particular opportunity led to his taking on the title role in the Los Angeles stage version (which played at the Universal Amphitheatre) after receiving a standing ovation during a performance earlier in the tour. Castmate and close friend Carl Anderson was touring also as an understudy for Judas.

After performing the title role in the stage production of Tommy at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood in 1973,[7] Neeley was led to reprise the title role in the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Norman Jewison, alongside Anderson as Judas.

Carlton Earl "Carl" Anderson (February 27, 1945 – February 23, 2004) was an American singer, film and theater actor best known for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot in the Broadway and film versions of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.[1] Anderson and singer-actress Gloria Loring performed the duet "Friends and Lovers", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986.

Life and career
Early life
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Anderson was one of 12 children of James and Alberta Anderson. During his junior year of high school, Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a communications technician for two years. He returned to Lynchburg to complete high school and he graduated in 1965. With his honorable discharge, following high school, Anderson sang at military bases across the United States as part of the World Wide Air Force Talent Contest.

Anderson moved to Washington, D.C., in 1969, where he and some friends formed a group called "The Second Eagle", with Anderson handling the vocals. Among the many jazz and rock tunes that the Second Eagle covered were some from the album Jesus Christ Superstar, which had been released long before there were ever any definitive plans for a stage production.

In 1971, a talent agent from the William Morris Agency saw Anderson perform some songs from the show at St. Stephen's Church and recognized his potential as a solo performer.

Early career
Anderson played the role of Judas in the pre-Broadway touring company's production of Jesus Christ Superstar but was passed over for the initial 1971 Broadway production when producers opted for the more well-known Ben Vereen for the part, and was cast as an understudy. One of his most significant opportunities came when he took over the role from Vereen and performed it on Broadway and in Los Angeles when Vereen fell ill. After Vereen recovered, both actors took turns playing the role. Castmate and close friend Ted Neeley was performing in the tour as well, but – like Anderson – was cast in the chorus and a Jesus understudy. Yvonne Elliman was also in the tour as Mary Magdalene. While performing in Los Angeles, Anderson was flown to London for a screen test for the film adaptation of the rock opera. Two weeks later, he left that production to begin filming in Israel alongside Neeley and Elliman, who were cast for the main roles as Jesus and Magdalene, respectively. The film, released in 1973 by director Norman Jewison, catapulted Anderson's career with two Golden Globe nominations as "Most Promising Newcomer" and "Best Musical Actor".