Jesus Christ Superstar

From album to Broadway

The musical was first produced 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.

The original album has a rock flavor that is very different from Lloyd 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.

Early unauthorized community productions

On April 4, 1971, the musical, known to aficionados of rock from its original album, was presented for the first time in a live, concert performance by the Ravenswood Rock Group, sponsored by the Bel Canto Opera at New York's Madison Avenue Baptist Church.^[6]

In June 1971, the first U.S. staged version was performed by students at Southold High School in Southold, New York.^[7] 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).^[8] The show remains a favorite for community and regional theater, sometimes with women taking male roles (particularly Judas).

First authorized concert productions

On July 11, 1971, the first authorized American concert took place in front of an audience of 13,000 people at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Civic Arena with Jeff Fenholt singing the role of Jesus, Carl Anderson as Judas, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene.^[9]

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.^[10] The show starred Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, Ben Vereen as Judas and Bob Bingham as Caiaphas. Barry Dennen, the Pilate on the original album had been living and working in London when he recorded the album. 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."^[11][12] Some Christians consider these comments to be blasphemous, the character of Judas too sympathetic and some of his criticisms of Jesus offensive.^[13] 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.^[14][15] The musical was banned in South Africa for being "irreligious".^[16]

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.

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 Sweden, the show began a five-day run at The Scandinavium in Göteborg playing to 74,000 people (a record at the time). Starring as Mary Magdalene was pop star Agnetha Fältskog (in her pre-ABBA days) The première was 18 February 1972. See Jesus Christ Superstar (Swedish version 1972).

In May 1972 the original Australian production opened at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, later moving to the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.^[17] 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 Michelle Fawdon (1972-73) and Marcia Hines (1973-74) as Mary Magdalene (Hines was 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.

In 1973, the show opened in Paris, France, at the Théâtre de Chaillot. It had been adapted to French by Pierre Delanoë, who had already adapted Godspell two years before. The title role was sung by Daniel Beretta (later the French voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Maria Magdalena by Anne-Marie David (winner of the Eurovision song contest the same year). The critics were unimpressed and the production stopped after 30 shows.

In 1974, Jesus Christ Superstar was staged in Peru by a group of fans, who rehearsed throughout the summer of 1974 under the direction of Lalo Lopez Therese, director, and pioneer of rock opera in Peru. Many young people joined the production: actors, dancers, and members of the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Raymond Krammer, Catholic University Choir, plus a live rock band, Tripping Foxter. Peru was the first South American country to present the musical.

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.

In the late 1970s, two regional productions premiered in California, both under the auspices of the California Youth Theatre organization. The first production featured Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, and Yvonne Elliman reprising their respective stage and movie roles of Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene; the second production again featured both Neeley and Anderson.

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 1986 Musical Director Anthony Von Eckstein and Singer/Director Pearl Heart (former Janis Joplin stand in for Kosmic Blues band featuring Sam Andrews and Snooky Flowers formerly of Big Brother and the Holding Company and Kosmic Blues Band respectively.) began collaboration for shows via the Milbrae Theater. But the production would not be fully realized until Von Eckstein finally found the right singers he needed for this formidable production. In the mid-late 80's, Von Eckstein had been working at a San Francisco rock club called The Underground where he and Michael Krishe (Technical Director) had been booking local rock bands. It was at that nightclub in the Summer of 88 that Jesus(Danny Knop), Judas(Freeman Young, Mary(Jennifer Courtney), and Annas (Kevin Mead) would all be discovered. With the a strong trilogy for the core principles of Superstar, Pearl Heart was then able to find investors interested in backing the show for a major theater production. For various reasons after three months the investors withdrew from the project.

With nowhere else to go Von Eckstein who had previously already booked a 'dress rehearsal at the DNA Club followed through with the performance with the cast and orchestra. From there the production mounted on a "in concert" tour of Bay Area clubs and concert halls under the name of "The Superstar Band", starting in the summer of 1989. The final performances were held at the On Broadway Theater in December 1990 and again at the DNA Lounge in 1991.

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 respective 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 15–16, 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.

2000s

A Broadway opened at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in April 2000 and ran for 161 performances.[1]

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 walked out on the cast and was replaced with Broadway star Eric Kunze. Carl Anderson continued on the tour for three more months, but 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. The tour closed shortly after Anderson's departure.

Also in 2002, October, a production of Jesus Christ Superstar was taken to Barbados to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The show starred Steve Balsamo, once again as Jesus, Miles Guerrini as Judas and Yildiz Hussein as Mary Magdalene, as well as several young performers from England. The production took place in the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in St Michael.

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, with British pop singer James Fox as Judas, and 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 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 Agape Choir. The performance benefitted YouTHeatre-America! and The Ricardo Montalban Theatre.

In 2006, a tour (originally billed as "The Ted Neeley Farewell Tour", but was renamed as the new "A.D. Tour") starring Ted Neeley, reprising his role as Jesus, began in September and played almost five years to date. 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, the lead vocalist of rock band Living Colour, made his national stage debut as Judas. Glover left the show in December 2008 to rejoin Living Colour. Actor James Delisco replaced Glover as Judas through 2009, and John Twiford replaced Delisco for the fourth leg of the tour.

Since 2004, a selection of chilean heavy metal musicians have delopeved the first heavy metal version of the full opus, named Jesucristo Metalstar (Jesuchrist Metalstar). Annually they perform this version in Santiago under the leading of Rodrigo Galaz as Jesus and Ives Gulle as Judas. The show has received excellent critics from the local press.^[18]

In Boston, frontman Gary Cherone of the bands Extreme, Van Halen and Tribe of Judah portrayed Jesus in productions in 1994, 1996 and 2003. He also portrayed Judas in 2000.

On March 25–27, 2010, the Canadian-born electronic musician Peaches performed a one-woman version of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hebbel am Ufer Theater in Berlin. Pianist and rapper Chilly Gonzales accompanied her on piano. She also performed at the Kampnagel Theater in Berlin on May 4, and at the Hebbel Theater from May 31 to June 2.^[19] 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.”^[20]

A new production of Jesus Christ Superstar was mounted at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Stratford, Ontario, as part of its 2011 season. Performances began on May 16, 2011 and ran until November 6. The show is directed by Des McAnuff, director of the original Broadway productions of Jersey Boys and Big River and of the 1993 Broadway production of Tommy. Jesus is played/sung by Paul Nolan, Judas by Josh Young, Mary Magdalene by Chilina Kennedy, Pontius Pilate by Brent Carver, and King Herod by Bruce Dow. On July 18, 2011, it was announced that the production will move to La Jolla Playhouse and play from November 18 until December 31. On October 4, 2011 it was announced that this production would transfer to the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway, with previews beginning March 1, 2012 and an official opening on March 22, 2012.^[21]

Other international productions

The musical has been produced in Ireland, Brazil, 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), Portugal and many more. Two notable Jesuses were Takeshi Kaga of Iron Chef fame in the 1976 Japanese version, and the singer Camilo Sesto in the 1975 Spanish version called Jesucristo Súperstar with Ángela Carrasco as Mary Magdalene. Another notable Mary Magdalene was the Mexican singer Rocío Banquells in a 1981 production in Mexico.

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.

In 2010, Australian audiences were treated to two versions featuring the same actor portraying the title role; The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA, Inc. (South Australia) presented a modernized version at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia from October through early November. Featuring former "Ten Tenors" star Luke Kennedy as Jesus, Danny Lopresto as Judas, Sarah Lloyde as Mary, Joel Valenti as Pilate, and Kent Green as Herod the show was directed by director David Lampard with Musical Director Ross Curtis and Associate Director Sharon Angrove.

A successful 2010 production in Brisbane, Australia was presented by Harvest Rain Theatre Company and directed by Tim O'Connor and featuring Luke Kennedy as Jesus, Naomi Price as Mary, Tod Strike as Judas, Lionel Theunissen as Pilate and Steven Tandy in a special guest appearance as Herod. The production returned to QPAC in February 2011 with Paul Watson (ex Jersey Boys Australia Original Cast member) taking over the role of Judas.

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 The Who's 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.

On 1 January 2000, an Italian performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Arturo Villone, was broadcast on Rai Radio 2. 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 2003 OmOm Music released a mostly instrumental surf-rock version entiled "Jesus Christ Surferstar".

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.^[22]

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. Several members of the film's cast, including Carter, later went on to the Broadway production after shooting the film.

A third film adaptation will be released in 2014. Marc Webb is set to direct.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

1996 London revival

2000 Broadway revival

References

External links

• Jesus Christ Superstar at the Internet Broadway Database
• Original Album Cover Artwork by Ernie Cefalu
• JCS Database and Online Communities 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
• "Jesus Christ Superstar, Orchestral Score". Theatre & Performance. Victoria and Albert Museum. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/theatre_performance/features/manuscripts/jesuschristsuperstar/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24.