A revival of Jesus Christ Superstar has just opened at the Royal Theatre. To those of a certain age, it may bring back nostalgic memories of when gospel-pop was all the rage.
Remember Oh Happy Day, a surprise hit for the Edwin Hawkins singers in 1969? And of course it was almost impossible back then to turn on the radio without hearing Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky.
In 1970 the “JC-is-super-groovy” fad shifted into high gear with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Their idea was to create a musical that turbo-charged the biblical account of the Passion with dollops of rock-gospel grit. Webber and Rice wisely focussed on the fractious Jesus and Judas relationship, and sprinkling in some soulful balladeering from Mary.
Back then the notion of using such subject matter for a rock opera would have seemed both radical and weird. Yet it worked wonderfully well, achieving success of biblical proportions. Jesus Christ Superstar not only made the radio charts, it became a smash stage musical and movie. By 1980 it had earned more than $200 million internationally. Since then the perennially popular musical never really left the stage.
Broadway in Victoria has imported a bus-and-truck production of Jesus Christ Superstar now playing the Royal Theatre. Billed by New Jersey’s Work Light Productions as the “50th anniversary tour,” it’s an energetic outing with bouncy dancing, a razor-sharp band and worthwhile singing from a young cast.
Directed by Timothy Sheader with choreography by Drew McOnie, the 95-minute production aims to do two things. It returns Jesus Christ Superstar to its concept-album roots (it was a recording before funding was raised for the stage musical). And it tries to freshen things up with a contemporary urban look.
There’s no attempt to disguise the inner workings of this musical machine. A skilled five-piece band is featured as part of the set; the musicians are lit-up and clearly visible in the windows of a city building. Performers sing into microphones, some equipped with flashy bright-red cables like stadium rockers use.
As far as the inner-city vibe goes, Jesus sports a little man-bun and a hoodie. Indeed, the entire cast appears to have just exited a yoga class — the look is very much baggy leisurewear.
Also keeping with the big-city theme, this sung-through musical maintains a fast pace. On Tuesday night such familiar favourites as Jesus Christ Superstar, Herod’s Song and I Don’t Know How to Love Him were dispatched with no-nonsense briskness. Energy is the aim — and with this in mind, there’s lots of jerky, choppy dancing.
The pacing is sprightly, perhaps too much so at times. There was a sense of “done this one, now onto the next,” with the nuances of Judas’s inner turmoil, Christ’s torment and Mary’s beatific love sometimes getting lost in the mix. The choreography — often unison dancing — is stylized in a way that, while entertaining, can seem rigid.
Some singers — notably understudy Joshua Bess filling in as Jesus for an ailing Jack Hopewell — opted for a stand-and-deliver style. Such a static approach took away from the musical’s drama and humanity. Given the circumstances, Bess, a rather reedy tenor, did pretty well. To make character flame fully to life he needed to imbue his performance with more passion. Often Jesus seemed not so much angry as slightly peeved. The show’s finale, featuring a bloodied Jesus struggling with a giant lit-up crucifix, was indeed a striking image.
There’s much to enjoy and admire in the show, which earned a standing ovation. My favourite scene was Alec Diem’s campy, charismatic turn as Herod. He strutted on stage in a voluminous gold cape to belt out Herod’s Song, a cheeky and rollicking ragtime number with such lyrics as: “Prove to me that you’re divine/Change my water into wine.”
The really juicy role is Judas — everyone loves a bad boy. Elvie Ellis had many fine moments, notably the title song during which Judas lacerates his former pal with “Every time I look at you I don’t understand/Why you let the things you did get so out of hand.” Other highlights: Mary’s I Don’t Know How to Love Him, mellifluously sung by understudy Aja Simone Baitey, and Sherrod Brown, who as Simon delivered a seriously rocking rendition of Simon Zealotes.
Jesus Christ Superstar continues at the Royal Theatre to Jan. 7.
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