The show was so good, the crowd stood up. The crowd was so good the star spoke up.

Ted Neeley, the iconic star of the of the Rock Opera "Jesus Christ Superstar", took a microphone in hand after the curtain calls Monday night at the Pikes Peak Center. He thanked the audience for its enthusiasm as his newly re-worked version of "Superstar" made its full debut. There were a couple of previews in New Mexico, but this was, in a sense, opening night.

Neeley starred in the film version way back in 1973. He's toured in the title role many times in the three-and-a-half decades since. He says there are a lot of first-timers in the new cast, and that helps him renew his energy to repeat the role he's brought to life so many times, for so many people.

Once again a highlight of the show was Neeley's explosive rendition of "Gethsemane". It's the power and pressure of Jesus' final realization that he will die, even though he doesn't want to drink "that cup of poison." Neeley's voice soared even as his body shook. The high notes expected by anyone familiar with the score were there. So was the raw emotion of a seasoned performer in the role of his life. Neeley can go from subtle and breathy to a howl of anguish in the space of a measure or two. He says he sticks to the melody as written out of respect for Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber (lyricist and composer), but his occasional variations always enhance the meaning of what he's singing. His version of this song set the standard 35 years ago, and seems to serve as a template for other performers to this day.

Monday afternoon Neeley and James Delisco, who's making his debut as Judas, were guests live on KKTV 11 news at 4:00 p.m. After the newscast, they both agreed to sit down for an extended interview. I wanted to get their insight into the new tour, but also go a little deeper. Ted opened up about his thoughts on the piece itself. He talked about his own background, even his unusual entrance into the world of theatre, through an all-but-accidental audition for the musical "Hair."

Delisco talked about the thrill of performing one of his dream roles, and performing opposite a legend.

The actors gave me about 10 minutes of their valuable time. I'm a fan, so I asked questions I think fans would want to ask.