"Jesus Christ Superstar, Do You Think You're Who They Say You Are?"

[jeanniemac]

Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I discovered it my parent's record collection at age 5 and became addicted to it almost immediately. And the recording I'm talking about is the original recording with Murry Head and Ian Gillan, not one of the cast recordings from later on. It was, along with the Beatles, my very first exposure to rock music and has shaped my tastes in many ways. Musically, its hard driving and sometimes violent. Vocally, its brutal to sing. If you don't have the chopps, don't even try. It is an opera in every sense of the word, just without the classical underpinnings. It is, in my mind, the best thing that Andrew Llyod Webber has ever written. He's been going downhill ever since.

I've seen the show 4 times on stage. I've seen both film versions. Just for the record, I HATE the 1973 film and LOVE the 2000 film. And I believe that it is a completely secular work. It is a commentary on stardom, not god-hood. And it should stay that way.

So you can imagine my horror at the version of the show we saw on Saturday.

To begin with, it starred Ted Neeley as Jesus. Neeley played Jesus in the 1973 film, which would have been a turnoff for me anyway, but he is now too old to play the role. His voice died halfway through the performance and he was screechy and unpleasent in one of the most important solos of the entire show, the Gethsemane scene. He lacked the charisma that a younger man brings to the role. I found myself wondering why anyone would follow this version of Jesus anywhere or find him the least bit attractive.

Then they cast a tenor in the role of Caiaphas, a role that is usually sung by an operatic bass. His voice kept breaking throughout the performance, ruining any interaction with the priests.

There were lyrical changes. I know some of them were made in the transition from concept album to stage and from stage to film (1973) but there were some that stood out as being more recent. This bothered me as well.

But worst of all was the religious message. That's right, the religious message. Tim Rice was quoted as saying "The idea of the whole opera is to have Christ seen through the eyes of Judas, and Christ as a man, not as a God." when the show first premiered on Broadway. Now the show has Jesus performing miracles during the overture and has a resurrection scene at the end, during the instramental "John Nineteen:Fourty-One". Several songs were re-arranged to make them sound more like praise songs and there were random Amens thrown in everywhere! I noticed the change in tone in the first act and commented on it to Brent, but he said he didn't see it. He changed his tune when they raised Jesus from the stage on wires and dropped the Shroud of Turin from the ceiling at the end of the show.

I was horrified and devistated. Webber and Rice's vision of the show has been destroyed in order to make it more comfortable for the Fundementalist Christian Majority. It was artistic rape, pure and simple!! And this is a touring show. Thousands of people are watching this travesty and thinking its message is about Jesus the God, instead of the destructiveness of stardom.

The one bright light in the whole miserable experience was Corey Glover, the lead singer of Living Colour, who was playing Judas. He's also a tenor, so some of the songs had key changes to accomodate his voice, but Goddess, that man can sing! And he completely rocked the role in every way! If he hadn't been so spectacular, I would have walked out after the first act. He litterally saved the entire experience and I hope that he continues to do musical theater in the future (Tommy comes to mind at the momment) because he has real talent for the stage.

Now I need to find my copy of the 2000 film, with its vaguely cyberpunk setting and amazing voices, to clease my mind of this horror!

Comments

[qualistarian.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how much JCS always reminds me of Tommy - originally brilliant show, destroyed by being put on film. I agree about it having been Webber's finest - it's the closest thing to a purely artistic show I can think of him doing (I loved Joseph, but it's unquestionably empty spectacle with minimal substance).

Shame that they re-raped it, though.

[jeanniemac.livejournal.com]

The 2000 film is a good deal closer to Rice and Webber's original concept for the show. Its definately worth seeing, if you can get ahold of it on DVD. The setting is very modern/political and has a slightly cyber-punk feel to it. The voices (with exception of Herod) are really exceptional.

[strixluna.livejournal.com]

Yeouch! Sounds terrible :(

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

I didn't even know there WAS another film version. I've seen the original, and it bored me to tears.

Glad you were impressed with Corey Glover. I've always thought he was a hell of a singer. I actually found his solo album for .99 at a used CD shop, which is more soul than hard rock.

[jeanniemac.livejournal.com]

The 2000 film was only shown on PBS, never in the theaters. And its really worth seeing!!! It was based on a British stage production that never toured in the US and is a VERY different look at the show.

[maugorn.livejournal.com]

Fundamentalist Christian Majority.

I don't think so.

I'd buy that Xtian is a majority religion in the US.
But the two are not congruent, and one of these days someone's gonna have the guts to point it out.
Wait a minute, I have the guts, so I will:

Fundamentalist Christianity is NOT a majority religion. Never was. And even if we keep acting like it is, it won't be.
Most people in the US are nice, reasonably people, and it's really long past time for THAT majority to take their damn county back from the villains, scum, and bullies that would have us believe that artistic rape is not a crime.

[cormac.livejournal.com]

I've always liked the music of JCS. Unfortunately, all of the theatrical productions I've seen have been more musical productions of the Crystal Cathedral's "The Glory of Easter" than a discourse on stardom. Of course, the four I've seen haven't been touring productions, but community theater gigs in Bakersfield, so that probably has a lot to do with it.

In any case, I also loved the 2000 film version, and I'm sorry your theatrical experience was so awful.