“Jesus Christ Superstar,” the Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice musical production, was born more than 30 years ago. Since then, the show has been revived on Broadway three times, toured numerous times across the country, adapted into several different film versions and become a staple of theater companies operating at all levels of professionalism. This weekend, with a new vision and some old talent, the North American national tour will once again resurrect this nearly timeless show at the Overture Center for three performances.
The play officially premiered on Broadway in 1971. Along with “Hair,” which premiered off-Broadway in 1967, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is credited with the popularization of the rock opera, forever changing the musical theater world.
Staying somewhat faithful to the four Gospels found in the New Testament of the Bible, but also rife with intentional anachronisms and social commentary, “Jesus Christ Superstar” details the last week of the marquis character’s life.
The subject matter is, quite obviously, highly Christian. But the play’s treatment of its high profile characters, particularly Judas — who is portrayed as a tragic and conflicted man concerned with preserving Jesus’ early messages but justifiably worried by his recent claims of divinity — carries the play far beyond mere catechism, taking the audience into a world that exams the bonds and limits of friendships, ideologies and love.
“Some people come wanting a spiritual experience … and hopefully what we do, we can give that to them. But some people come just to be entertained, and because they love the theater, and we give them that too. Other people love the music, and other people come because they’ve been fans of the show since it first came out,” said Cristina Sass, co-starring as the prostitute and close friend of Jesus, Mary Magdalene.
This particular production purportedly features a departure from the iconic vision of the show, filled with postmodernist and deconstructionist imagery and style, laid down by the benchmark Oscar nominated 1973 Norman Jewison film by the same name. The producers and directors have taken a slightly more historically accurate approach with a heavy emphasis on much simpler pretense for the setting and production values.
“[This set features] a raked stage, some platforms and levels, a steel bridge. … The majority of our theatrics come from lighting. Our costumes are from the time with added color; we’re not necessarily dressed like hippies living in a commune in the desert. There’s not a whole lot to it. The lighting is the one thing that really stands out on the stage,” Sass explained.
This particular production features Ted Neeley in the title role of Jesus. Playing opposite Sass and James Delisco as Judas, Neeley once again takes up the guise of Jesus, a role he’s been playing for over 30 years. Although he did not originate the part of Jesus (he had a few minor roles in the original production while understudying the lead), he became emblematic of the part after playing Jesus in the 1973 film, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure [working with Neeley]. I’d never done the show before this tour. He is the quintessential Jesus. … He’s wonderful. He is 100 percent that character when he’s on stage every single night,” Sass said.
And while playing next to a legend like Neeley would be daunting under any circumstances, the notoriety of the show and several of its songs, including “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” sung by Mary Magdalene, adds an extra level of expectation for the performers.
“The biggest challenge is to make the audience connect with [Mary], to make her real instead of just singing the song because it is so well known. I mean, I’ve know the song since I was 9 or 10. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of just singing it, because that’s what everybody knows,” Sass explained.
With a list of songs that includes some of the biggest musical theater hits of all time, including the aforementioned “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” as well as “Gethsemane,” “Heaven on Their Minds,” “What’s the Buzz,” “Superstar” and several others, and the timelessness of its subject matter and its star, this production should offer something for the most seasoned theater enthusiasts, or those simply interested in an evening of high energy, high powered pop-rock that investigates faith, friends fear, and love.
Shows are Friday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 14, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29-$71 and can be purchased from www.overturecenter.com or by calling 608-258-4141. Student rush tickets will be available day-of-show. Those tickets will be half priced, cash only with a valid student ID card.
