The comparative analysis of semiotic codes in any sort of text presupposes the description of those communicative acts where these codes are used. And the latter demands at least preliminary classification of these acts. Each version of the JCS includes communicative acts of two types. One of them is the so-called inner monologue. In this type of communicative act the character expresses his thoughts and emotions, and the real addressee of these acts is the audience. The analysis of literary texts shows that the inner monologue usually underlines the most important fragments of the text or the text as a whole (cf. the monologues of Hamlet, the monologues of characters of the Russian literature). In literary texts the inner monologues are often regarded as dialogs in which the speaker and the addressee are the same person or, in other types of literary works, the speaker may address God, and this is also considered a monologue.

In JCS the situation with inner monologue is different. It is only of the first sort I have mentioned above (i. e. when the character speaks to himself/herself), e. g. the monologue of Judas in the beginning of the song “Heaven on their minds”, Mary Magdalene’s song “I don’t know how to love him” and the monologue of Jesus starting with the words My time is almost through.

 

Another type of the communicative act pertain to JCS is the dialog. There are two subtypes of dialogs in JCS; the first one is face-to-face dialog and the second one is dialog with an imaginary or real but remote partner, cf. the episodes “Gethsemane” and “Judas’ death”, when Jesus and Judas address their words to God.

The types of gestures that are characteristic for each type of communicative acts are different. In the inner monologue the gestures, particularly the illustrators, are very few. The character usually walks around (cf. the monologue of Judas My mind is clear now <…> you can see where we all soon will be in JCS-2000) or sits in a thoughtful posture (cf. the same monologue in JCS-1973). In the dialog with an imaginary or a real remote partner the personage mimes many remarks using the illustrative theatrical gestures (cf. “Gethsemane” in JCS-2000); the units of the everyday body language may also occur. The gestures of this type of a dialog bear an esthetical function and impress the audience. The face-to-face dialog in JCS has the same features as a usual live dialog does.

Apart from the nature of a communicative act and the repertoire of nonverbal sign units that take place in this act there is one more significant factor that influences the character of the body language in the play. It is the genre of a musical drama, which can be a classical opera, an operetta, a rock-opera, etc.

 

When describing the peculiarities of gestures of any character in JCS, one should pay attention to his psychological, mental, physical and social features. The role and function of the character in a plot as well as the extent to which this character reveals the depth of his emotions are also important. The most “revealed” characters, or heroes, in JCS are Jesus and Judas. The fact that they are heroes reflects not only in their words but also in gestures and modes of their behavior. If we compare their nonverbal language with that of, for example, Mary Magdelene, we may see the clear difference not only in quantity of the gestures performed but also in their variety and expressiveness. Jerome Pradon, who was interviewed after he had played the role of Judas in JCS-2000, remarked that his hero sometimes behaved like a child and sometime acted like a mature person. This difference can be traced distinctly in the aspects of bodily behavior of Judas. When he is childish, he is very active and mobile; he may perform deliberately provocative gestures and actions (e. g. snatching the bottle of ointment from Mary’s hands to express his anger). When the hero is mature, his bodily behavior is restrained; his movements are scarce and not so expressive as before. Now the main channels and signs for expressing feelings and ideas are not gestures proper but facial expressions and tones of voice. King Herod, a “child who wants a toy”, as he was described by the producers of JCS, depicts every word of his song.