Jesus Christ Superstar: a Fresh Modern Take

When NBC decided to take on a live-in-concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar on Easter Sunday, they were taking on a huge task that could easily turn disastrous. The 1970 rock opera album written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice followed by a spectacular movie adaptation by Norman Jewison in 1973 shone a new and controversial light on the days before Jesus' crucifixion. With some disastrous live musicals lurking in the past, Jesus Christ Superstar had a lot to live up too, and ended up being a success in connecting to its audience. A stroke of genius with this task was the decision to perform the musical at the Marcy Avenue Armory in front of a live audience. With a mosh pit at the base of the stage, actors could interact with the audience members through handshakes and high fives. The frenzied energy from the audience buoyed the cast members and sustained vigor and liveliness to the production. This was especially seen with John Legend's first appearance as Jesus Christ. The crowd was encouraged to go wild every time he appeared, thus adding to the idea that Jesus' worshippers were becoming too fanatic. The second part that led to this masterpiece was the casting. In a musical entitled Jesus Christ Superstar, the star of the show was not John Legend, but was Hamilton alum Brandon Victor Dixon starring as a conflicted Judas. John Legend's performance started off slow and his one-note acting held him back during moments that should have carried more emotion. However, he delivered where it most mattered with the beautifully tragic Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say). Dixon, however, captivated the audience throughout the entire production. His performance was powerful in the way that he consistently brought strength and emotion during his character's darkest hours. He finished with a spectacular and stunning rendition of the number Superstar. Dixon's performance proved him to be the real superstar. The other cast members held their own weight. Sara Bareilles lent her gentle strength to her performance of Everything's Alright and I Don't Know How to Love Him. Ben Daniels imbued his role of Pontius Pilate with regality, and later on, with desperation and despair, as he realized he could not save Jesus Christ. A showstopper cameo that added to the nostalgia of this live production was the appearance of Alice Cooper in a gaudy and extravagant orange suit as King Herod. Again, the live audience came into play here as they fell in adoration at King Herod's Song. The set was simple, but largely effective. Scaffolding loomed in the background with the stage clear for the cast's large dance numbers. In one instance, this lack of the set fails. Instead of the traditional temple scene where Jesus destroys the vendors' stalls, Superstar's version is a wooden cross covered in glitter that the cast members writhe upon. This version failed to capture the destruction, the sacrilege committed, and Jesus's true anger at this blasphemy. On the other hand, Jesus' crucifixion was a brilliant feat. He was lifted up in the air, as the walls behind him disappeared in a shape of the cross, and a heavenly light shone down. The creative artistry in this scene was stunning and left the audience with one last divine impression. Jesus Christ Superstar pulled off the miracle of being a successful televised live musical. The musical had a lot to live to up to following the widely popular 1973 movie, and yet, it channeled the nostalgia of the past while connecting to a new audience. With an energetic, multicultural cast littered with pop legends and Broadway stars, the vocal power was spectacular and mesmerizing. The interaction from the live audience lifted the performance to a new level and a new form of art. The resurrection of Jesus Christ Superstar was a superb achievement.

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