Round two with Andrew Lloyd-Webber! Jesus Christ Superstar was only his third musical and the appropriate thematic follow-up to his second, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. A relatively minor figure from the Old Testament is one thing though, Jesus Christ himself is a hell of an ambitious subject for such an inexperienced artist. Like that earlier Biblical show, it was co-written with Tim Rice and initially conceived and released as a rock opera, only to be adapted into musical form in fairly short order just a year later, premiering on Broadway in 1971.
As its’ title might suggest, it’s not the purely faithful adaptation of the Gospel story your Christian grandmother might prefer. The sung-through musical depicts the last week of Jesus’ life accurately enough, though with a fondness for deliberate anachronisms in aesthetic and lyrics that directly equates him and his followers with the youth counterculture movement of the era. Certainly Norman Jewisons’ 1973 movie adaptation leans into this, and it’s honestly pretty radical -re-contextualizing a figure most of the authorities in western culture at the time would have claimed to worship as a rebellious hero of the people those authorities looked down upon or oppressed. And it doesn’t take much to draw Jesus like that, as his canonical character is very anti-authority.
The show also does two things that vastly improve typical re-tellings of the life of Jesus not often employed because they require embellishment. One is its’ sympathetic portrait of Judas Iscariot who, as a kid raised in the church, I remember mostly was taught as the unambiguous villain of Jesus’ story. This show gives him a perspective, valid doubts, and redeeming features as someone who genuinely cares about Jesus’ causes but not necessarily his methods. In this, he’s an early example of an archetype that’s become very popular in musicals: the antithesis of the hero or outright nemesis who we’re made to empathize with (other popular examples include Javert in Les Mis, and Aaron Burr in Hamilton). The other important thing is the depiction of Jesus himself, and his own psychological character study: his anxieties and fears about his mission and fate. The fact that he questions these things, that he questions God, certainly would ruffle the feathers of the most religiously devout, but it is an absolute necessity for any version of the story to speak to audiences beyond the Christian faith. And indeed Jesus Christ Superstar may have walked so that Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ could run.
So just from a structural level, I like this show. I think it’s a really good way of re-framing the story of Jesus in a relatable way, and while I don’t think it can ever fully escape the 1970s, it holds up today better than might be thought. And the proof of that is the 2012 London O2 performance that removes all subtlety in the anachronisms by fully bringing the show into the modern age. This means disciples in modern fashions, Pharisees in suits, and the word of Jesus being spread through illustrations of social media and television news -I also particularly liked how King Herod was played by Chris Moyles as a gaudy and obnoxious variety show host. This particular arena tour was the culmination of an ITV talent search show called Superstar purely designed to find and capitalize on finding the lead for this production. As much as I despise Britain’s obsession with competition television (and Canada’s shameless mimicking of it), I can’t deny the winner of this talent show wasn’t great and deserving of the honour. Ben Forster is a terrific Jesus. He’s no kid from some insignificant village just wanting to be famous, he has all the professionalism and singing range needed to be a major star of the stage. And it’s worked out well for him. After Superstar he originated the role of Buddy in the West End production of the Elf musical, played in Lloyd-Webber’s Evita, and for four years had been the Phantom in the West End until it closed apparently for good in light of the pandemic.
Most of the best musical numbers or sequences within musical numbers belong to Jesus, though “Gethsemane” is the big one, and Jesus’ only true solo. It’s high on stakes and emotion, while maintaining the upbeat fervour of the pop rock flavour of the show in general. And is it ever passionate! Jesus is a part that requires a lot of passion and energy, perhaps not surprisingly. Forster is visibly sweating by the end of the performance, he pours so much into it. It’s really effective though and he does well with the subtlety where needed, particularly as pertaining to Jesus’ relationships with Judas and Mary Magdalene.
Tim Minchin plays the Judas to Forsters’ Jesus, which was a bit odd to me at first, given I know Minchin best for his appearances on British comedy shows, but he plays the part very well. I mean he’s already a pretty distinct looking person, it’s no surprise he can draw your attention on stage (he also apparently writes musicals too, or adapts movies to the form as in Matilda and Groundhog Day). Judas has the first solo of the show and remains a focal point for its duration. Minchin plays the part with righteous anger and an uncertainty of action, though his performance of “Judas’ Death” was strained. The other really notable cast member of this production is Melanie C, the former Spice Girl, as Mary. She’s good, though I can’t help but feel her casting was entirely revolved around the opportunity for her to sing one of the shows’ best numbers “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” -which she does incredibly well, granted, it’s a highlight of the show. But sure enough it was also released as a single.
Jesus Christ Superstar though isn’t a musical built on solos or duets but on ensembles, and many of the most recognized staples of the show are performed by a segment of the whole cast. “What’s the Buzz”, “This Jesus Must Die”, “Hosanna”, “Superstar”, and even “Everything’s Alright” rely on the background vocalists as much as the principals. I think that and the minimal set requirements is what sets is apart from a lot of other musicals, makes it feel more like a concert at times -which undoubtedly is in line with its original intent. These are songs that you can “rock out” to in a way that you can’t with a lot of other popular musicals which are more entrenched in the traditions of musical theatre than popular music. Lloyd-Webber and Rice really hit on something there.
That being said, there was little minimalism to this version, which used the arena to its fullest, bringing in the occasional structure for its actors to act around, introducing props to better articulate the modernity of it all, and utilizing its’ big projection screen to great effect. There was special effects and elaborate lighting, and some of it may have been overboard. I can’t imagine this is much approximating what an average production of Jesus Christ Superstar might look like, but it is entertaining. And like the Phantom show the year before, it just had to end with Lloyd-Webber himself coming on stage and giving a speech -and then looking very awkward as the young people reprised an elaborate number all around him. No Tim Rice though. The pair who had worked together on three musicals have had numerous falling-outs, and of course he’s since gone on to be best associated with Disney and Elton John.
There’s a subtext to the creative choice of a modern re-imagining that is impossible to ignore, especially at this time, as Jesus and his followers vividly resemble todays’ protest movements and social challengers, their enemies todays’ government officials and stifling bureaucracies who won’t hesitate to propagandize this Messiah as a danger to order. Given who they represented in the original show, it’s hardly surprising, but it is striking, especially as eight years later, these young people have only gotten more outspoken and critical of establishment hierarchies and institutional evils. Rebellion and revolution is always going to be a popular narrative in any media, and its’ centrality to Jesus Christ Superstar is likely another significant reason the show has endured. In that way, it transcends the typical Jesus narrative and is allowed to be more universal. The O2 Arena performance is a good way to experience it, as blatantly manufactured as elements of it are. It’s a show about Jesus that doesn’t preach at you, and has more to say than any Sunday school class. Rock on Superstar!
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