Jesus Christ Superstar

From album to Broadway

The UK album cover for the 1970 release of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The musical was first heard as an album before being staged on Broadway and later in London's West End. On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by Ian Gillan, the lead singer of Deep Purple who later also worked with Black Sabbath and others, and that of Judas by Murray Head. The future Gary Glitter had a one-liner as a priest and Michael d'Abo appeared as King Herod. The title song, "Superstar", sung by Judas (Murray Head), and "I Don't Know How to Love Him", sung by Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) about her relationship with Jesus, were both big hits. A cover of the latter song, recorded by singer Helen Reddy, would also reach the top 15 on the U.S. pop singles charts in early 1971. "The Temple" has also been covered by American grunge band Afghan Whigs on its 1992 album Congregation.

The original album has a rock flavor that is very different from Webber's later work. This is in part due to the emotive singing of Murray Head and Ian Gillan and the playing of well-known rock session musicians such as guitarists Neil Hubbard and Chris Spedding, bassist Alan Spenner and drummer Bruce Rowland. The musical arrangements are often multi-layered, featuring rock and classical elements, and contain many abruptly shifting dynamics and time signatures. Many feel that this is the definitive version of this musical.^[5]

Early unauthorized community productions

In June 1971, the "first" U.S. staged version was performed by students at Southold High School in Southold, New York.^[6] However, other unauthorized productions were also going on at the time, eliciting lawsuits by the authors, eventually shutting down several hundred productions before the official premiere (and becoming a benchmark in copyright law).^[7] The show remains a favorite for community and regional theater, sometimes with women taking male roles (particularly Judas).

Original Broadway production

The show opened on Broadway on October 12, 1971, directed by Tom O'Horgan, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The Broadway production received mixed reviews, as reviewers from the New York Times deemed it to be a heartless overhyped production ; Andrew Lloyd Webber has also criticized it harshly.^[8] The show starred Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, Ben Vereen as Judas and Bob Bingham as Caiaphas. Barry Dennen, the original Pilate on the "Brown Album," had been living and working in London when he recorded the LP. He was back in the States in time to play Pilate on Broadway. Yvonne Elliman, the original Mary Magdalene, was also a part of the cast. Kurt Yaghjian sang Annas. Ted Neeley (who was cast as a Christ understudy), Paul Jabara, Samuel E. Wright, and Anita Morris also appeared in the cast. Carl Anderson stepped into the role of Judas when Vereen fell ill, and the two performers later took turns playing the role. The show closed on June 30, 1973 after 711 performances.

Controversy

The Broadway show and subsequent productions were condemned by some religious groups. Tim Rice was quoted as saying "It happens that we don't see Christ as God but simply the right man at the right time at the right place."^[9][10] Some Christians consider these comments, as well as the omission of the resurrection, to be sacrilegious. They also found the character of Judas too sympathetic and some of his criticisms of Jesus offensive.^[11] At the same time, some Jews said that it bolstered the anti-Semitic claim that the Jews are responsible for Jesus' death by showing most of the villains as Jewish (Caiaphas and the other priests, Herod) and showing the crowd in Jerusalem calling for the crucifixion.^[12][13] The musical was banned in South Africa for being "irreligious."^[14]

Other 1970s productions

The first stage performance of Jesus Christ Superstar in Europe was performed on 25 December, Christmas, in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1971. This was while Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union. The performance was banned by Soviet authorities and performers were persecuted by KGB.

Jesus Christ Superstar was performed in 1971 in Hungary. The performance was based on the original studio version, and the band and orchestra parts were transcribed to a five piece rockband. The group, Korong, whose author Tibor Miklós wrote the Hungarian lyrics, had a few enormously successful performances in Budapest's university clubs; however, it was banned afterwards from performing it.

Superstar opened at the Palace Theatre in London in 1972, starring Paul Nicholas as Jesus, Stephen Tate as Judas and Dana Gillespie as Mary. It was directed by Australian, Jim Sharman. This production was much more successful, running for eight years and becoming the United Kingdom's longest-running musical at the time (it was later surpassed by other works but remains the fifth longest-running). During its 20th anniversary, the production featured Paul Nicholas from the original cast as Jesus.

In May 1972 the original Australian production opened at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, later moving to the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.^[15] Directed by Jim Sharman, the cast featured Trevor White (who dubbed Rocky's voice in the Sharman-directed The Rocky Horror Picture Show) as Jesus, Jon English as Judas and Marcia Hines as Mary Magdalene (the first black woman to play this role); other cast members included Reg Livermore, Doug Parkinson, John Paul Young and Stevie Wright. It ran until February 1974.

The Swedish cast of the Andrew lloyd webber & Tim Rice's musical (Den svenska originalutgivan av Andrew Lloyd Webber's och Tim Rice rock-opera ) starring as Maria Magdalena, Swedish pop star from ABBA: Agnetha Fältskog .The Première was february 18 at The Scandinavium in Göteborg and the five-day run set an "Untouchable swedish record" playing To 74,000 People. See Jesus Christ Superstar (Swedish version 1972).

In 1976, Jesus Christ Superstar began its first U.S. national tour with a company managed by Laura Shapiro Kramer. The tour continued until 1980. In 1977, the musical was performed at the first annual Illinois High School Theater Festival. Jesus was portrayed, in this rendition, by an African American woman.

1980s productions

Emilio de Soto directed the English-language South American premiere of Jesus Christ Superstar in Venezuela in 1981, with 163 actors, an orchestra of 37 musicians, and a live rock band.

From 1982 to 1984, an Australian production toured both Australia and South-East Asia, this time directed by Trevor White (who was also reprising his role of Jesus). The cast featured Doug Parkinson as Judas, and Marcia Hines (reprising her role as Mary Magdalene); other cast members included Raymond Duparc as Pontius Pilate, and Michael-John Hurney as Peter.

In 1988, an independent production of the musical was planned for the Waterfront Theater in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square. When the investors withdrew from the project, the cast and orchestra mounted an "in concert" tour of Bay Area clubs and concert halls under the name of "The Superstar Band",^[16] opening at the DNA Lounge in the summer of 1989. The final performance was held at the On Broadway Theater in December of 1990.

1990s productions

In 1990, Jesus Christ Superstar was played at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, Norway (in Norwegian).

The North American touring revival of "Superstar" in 1992, titled the AD Anniversary Tour, starred Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson reprising their 1973 film roles as Jesus and Judas and getting rave reviews for their performances. This production also starred both Dennis DeYoung of Styx and James O'Neil (Founding Artistic Director of the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, CA) as Pontius Pilate, and Syreeta, Irene Cara, and Christine Rea as Mary Magdalene. Originally expected to run for three to four months, the tour ended up running for five years.

A 1992 Australian concert cast - starring John Farnham as Jesus, Jon Stevens as Judas, Kate Ceberano as Mary Magdalene and Angry Anderson as King Herod - was created to great critical acclaim. The Australian production was produced by the entrepreneur Harry M. Miller Garry Van Egmond and International Management Group. In 1994, a New Zealand production (also produced by Harry M. Miller Garry Van Egmond and International Management Group) saw changes in production style, such as the rock guitar solo introducing the show played by a guitarist on a spotlighted, elevated platform, and costuming which included a complete lack of sandals. Jesus was played by Darryl Lovegrove; Caiaphas by Frankie Stevens, elder brother of Jon Stevens (the two played together on stage when the production toured Australia, with Jon in his previous role as Judas); and Judas by the stage, television and cinema star Jay Laga'aia. Red laser was used to represent the whip during the scourging; similarly lasers were used for the wounds of the crucifixion. The show closed with an expanding cone of green laser, centered on Jesus' crucified corpse, shining through mist to eventually envelop the whole audience.

Also in 1994, a stage version titled Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection was produced and performed in Atlanta, Austin and Seattle. This version featured many musicians from the Atlanta alternative scene, including the Indigo Girls members Amy Ray as Jesus and Emily Saliers as Mary Magdalene, and fellow guitarist Michael Lorant as Judas.

In 1996, Superstar was revived in London. Directed by Gale Edwards, this version of Superstar was updated to appeal to a new generation of fans. It starred Steve Balsamo and Zubin Varla as Jesus and Judas. Referred to as the "Lyceum Production," it was relatively successful. This eventually led Gale Edwards to restage the show for a UK tour, followed by a video starring Glenn Carter as Jesus and Jerome Pradon as Judas. This "new" interpretation of the show was revived on Broadway in 2000 again starring Carter, but a last minute change made Tony Vincent, who had played Simon in the video, step into the role of Judas. It opened to mixed reviews and closed quickly. It was more popular in its UK/European run; it opened in November 1996 and closed in March 1998.

A concert version was performed on November 15 and 16, 1998 to launch the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California. Three performances were given, starring Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson and the company from the AD Anniversary Tour. All three shows were sold out, and RTC is now in its 9th Season as a theatre company in Ventura, CA.

2000s

In 2002, a national tour was begun with ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach as Jesus, and Carl Anderson once again as Judas. Bach received mixed reviews, while Anderson was again praised. In April 2003, following a disagreement with the director, Bach was fired and replaced with the Broadway star Eric Kunze. Carl Anderson eventually left the show after being diagnosed with leukemia and died in 2004. He was replaced by Lawrence Clayton, who had appeared as Simon and understudied the part of Judas in the previous national tour.

In August 2004 a new national UK tour began, directed by Bill Kenwright. Originally scheduled to end in December, the tour's success resulted in a longer run, and it continued through August 2005. Glenn Carter reprised his role as Jesus and British pop singer James Fox played Judas, with Emma Dears as Mary Magdalene.

Later that same year, a London production with an international cast performed sell-out tours of Scandinavia. Most of the ensemble cast was made up of performers from the 2001 film directed by Gale Edwards. Principal roles were played by Australian singer Peter Murphy (Jesus), American actress Kristen Cummings (Mary), English actor Jon Boydon ;nee Stokes (Judas), and French actor and singer Jerome Pradon (King Herod) who had previously played Judas in the Gale Edwards film. The production almost didn't happen, as a prominent West End star had to withdraw from the production unexpectedly. A last minute replacement was found in veteran Australian actor Michael-John Hurney (Pontius Pilate).

A live-in-concert, one-night only, performance of JCS took place at The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on August 13, 2006, reuniting Ted Neeley, Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen from the 1973 film, Broadway and Los Angeles productions of the show, as well as Ben Vereen (the original Judas on Broadway), Clint Holmes as Simon and Jack Black as Herod. The performance also featured Larry Friedman as Annas, Chris Carey as Caiaphas, and Chuck DiMaria as one of the priests (all three were featured performers in the AD Anniversary Tour between 1993 and 1997), as well as the world-famous Agape Choir. The performance benefitted YouTHeatre-America!, and The Ricardo Montalban Theatre.

Also in 2006, a tour (originally billed as "The Ted Neeley Farewell Tour", now billed as the new "A.D. Tour") starring Ted Neeley reprising his role as Jesus began in September and has played almost 5 years to date. This production offers an instructive contrast with the earliest productions: the hip attitudes and radical posturing having been replaced by 'biblical' stylings combined with costuming and sets which owe more to Catholicism than Carnaby Street. The tour was slated to run through 2007, but audience and critical reception for the show was so great that it booked through early May 2010. Corey Glover, famous for being the lead vocalist of rock band Living Colour, made his national stage debut in the role of Judas. Glover left the show on December 2008 to rejoin Living Colour. Actor James Delisco replaced Corey as the tour's Judas through 2009, and John Twiford replaced Delisco for the fourth leg of the tour. Carl Anderson was set to reprise the role before his death.

In Boston, popular frontman Gary Cherone of the bands Extreme, Van Halen and Tribe of Judah portrayed Jesus in '94, '96 and '03. He also portrayed Judas in '00.

In 2010, from March 25th to March 27th, the Canadian-born electronic musician Peaches performed a one-woman version of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hebbel am Ufer Theater in Berlin, Germany. Pianist and rapper Chilly Gonzales accompanied her on piano. She also performed her rendition of JCSS on May 4th, 2010 at the Kampnagel Theater in Berlin, and plans a 3 day performance at the Hebbel Theater from May 31st to June 2nd. ^[17] Artforum stated in their review, “Not only did Peaches set it off, she managed to surprise us all by showing off an expansive vocal range, a musician’s natural sensitivity to the dynamics of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score, and an emotive prowess that is rarely if ever displayed in her own, less holy, music.” ^[18]

Other international productions

The musical has been produced in Ireland, Hungary, India, New Zealand, Italy, France, Mexico, Chile, Bulgaria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece, Australia, The Philippines, South Africa, Panama, Colombia (Misi Group), Croatia (Theater Komedija), Bolivia (where it was also released as a TV movie) and many more. Two notable Jesuses were Takeshi Kaga of Iron Chef fame in the 1976 Japanese version, and the singer Camilo Blanes Cortés aka Camilo Sesto in the 1975 Spanish one. One notable Marie Magdalene was the Mexican singer Rocío Banquells in Mexican version of 1981. In Germany, the show can be seen every year in productions by a number of the country's repertory theaters.

Recent international productions included a 2007-2009 Spanish production (Stage Entertainment) starring Miquel Fernández as Jesus (later replaced by Gerónimo Rauch), Ignasi Vidal as Judas and Lorena Calero as Mary Magdalene; a 2007–2008 Italian touring production (Compagnia della Rancia) in Italian; a 2008-2009 Swedish-language production featured Ola Salo of The Ark at the Malmö Opera in Malmö, Sweden; and a 2009-2010 Norwegian production featuring rock singer Hans Erik Dyvik Husby at the Det Norske Teatret in Oslo.

Other recordings and broadcasts

In 1994, a studio recording under the name of "Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection" was released and starred various artists including the Indigo Girls. A video recording of their performance at SXSW in Austin was released as well but went out of print after only a few months. Bootleg copies still remain.

In a 1996 radio production for BBC Radio 2, Jesus was played by Tony Hadley, Judas by Roger Daltrey and Mary Magdalene by Frances Ruffelle.

In 1997, the band Bigtop released a cover of "Pilate and Christ" (under the title "The 39 Lashes") on their album "On the Rise." The track also included some sampled dialog by Samuel L. Jackson from the film Pulp Fiction.

Around 1999/2000, an Italian performance of Jesus Christ Superstar was broadcast on radio. The cast starred Paride Acacia as Jesus, Egidio La Gioia as Judas and Olivia Cinquemani as Mary. Carl Anderson appeared on this recording as well, singing the song "Superstar". In 2000 a national tour began which was directed by Carl Anderson and starred many of the same cast members from the radio broadcast.

In 2005 the first Dutch national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar began in The Netherlands. Produced by Joop van den Ende the production starred Dieter Troubleyn as Jesus, Martin van der Starre as Judas and Casey Francisco as Mary. Jamai Loman who previously won the Dutch version of Idols played Simon. The tour ran from October 21, 2005 through July 9, 2006.

In February 2006, progressive metal band Vanden Plas covered "Gethsemane" as a bonus track on their album "Christ 0"

In summer 2007 Anastacia opened the medley section of the Concert for Diana with a rendition of Superstar, backed by a gospel chorus.

In November 2007 the band Queensrÿche released "Heaven on Their Minds" on the album Take Cover. Queensrÿche guitarist Mike Stone states in the liner notes "It's getting hot in the kitchen, and Judas can't take the heat. This is one of my favorite songs from J.C. Superstar. I have always wanted to hear a rocked-up version of this tune...and now I can!"

On 22 April 2008, the song "Superstar" was performed on American Idol by contestant Carly Smithson, before getting eliminated the following day.

Films

A film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar was released in 1973, and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. The film, directed by Norman Jewison, was shot in Israel and other Middle Eastern locations. Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson were both nominated for 1974 Golden Globe Awards for their portrayals of Jesus and Judas. Bob Bingham reprised the role of Caiaphas, having played the part in the original Broadway production. Barry Dennen (Pontius Pilate) and Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene) were the only performers who remained from both the original recording and Broadway cast. Though it attracted criticism from some religious groups, the film was generally well received.

A second film adaptation was released in 2000, starring Glenn Carter as Jesus, Jérôme Pradon as Judas, Renee Castle as Mary Magdalene and Rik Mayall as Herod. The film was directed by Gale Edwards and Nick Morris, and won an Emmy in 2001 for Best Performing Arts film. The style of the film is more like the stage version than the location-based 1973 adaptation, and used many of the ideas from the tour from around that time. Most of the film's cast later went on tour on Broadway after shooting the film.

Awards

1972 Tony Award Nominations

• Tony Award for Best Original Score - Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Tim Rice
• Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Ben Vereen
• Tony Award for Best Scenic Design - Scenic Design by Robin Wagner
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design - Costume Design by Randy Barcelo
• Tony Award for Best Lighting Design - Lighting Design by Jules Fisher

1972 Theatre World Award

• Theatre World Award—Ben Vereen (WINNER)

1972 Drama Desk Awards

• Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Composer—Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (WINNER)

1972 Golden Globe Nomination

• Best Performance By An Actor in a Musical or Comedy - Ted Neeley

2000 Tony Award nomination

• Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical - Produced by The Really Useful Superstar Company, Inc., Nederlander Producing Company of America, Inc.; Produced in association with Terry Allen Kramer

References

External links

• Jesus Christ Superstar at the Internet Broadway Database
• JCS Database and Online Community JesusChristSuperstarZone.com
• Ted Neeley's personal website Neeley On The Road.
• Cindi's Ted Neeley and Joseph Fuqua Page
• SuKaDe's Ted Neeley website. Teddie Neeley Three - TNT
• The Official Andrew Lloyd Webber Site
• JCS at www.timrice.co.uk
• Suffolk Times article on the original Southold High School production.
• Farewell Tour Website The Official Site of Ted Neeley's Farewell Tour.
• Song Lyrics Lyrics from the musical