Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert aired on NBC on April 1, 2018, which was Easter Sunday. It was one in a line of live musical, one night performances that aired on NBC: The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live!, The Wiz Live!, and Hairspray Live!. In a time of streaming, it is an attempt at recapturing the magic of television when everyone would watch the same program at the same time because there was no other way to watch it. I think that NBC tries to market these musicals as wholesome entertainment suitable for the whole family. I did not watch it when it aired, but I did watch it with my mom with a double feature when we spontaneously decided to watch the original movie afterwards.
Full disclaimer: I’m really into the rock opera so if on principle, you hate Andrew Lloyd Webber, I’m not trying to convince you to feel otherwise. When you’re brought up fundamentalist, if entertainment has a Jesus angle, it gets past the bouncer whether or not it should otherwise you’re stuck listening to a bunch of Christian musical artists doing a watered down version of what is actually popular on the radio or blander, but sincere fare. It is all worship music all day so anything that isn’t that sounds exciting in comparison so Jesus Christ Superstar is like a blast of fresh air without the sneaking around to listen to FM radio. I own the soundtracks to the original motion picture and the British theatrical production. I’m not going to be critical of the actual musical. I love it. If you want an objective opinion, go back in time and read someone else’s review because you won’t get one from me.
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert has amazing production values: the costumes, the hair and the sets are phenomenal. They really bring the musical up to today’s aesthetic standards. I loved the Pharisees black quilted hooded cloaks, and Norm Lewis’ salt and pepper braids were everything. If Olivia Pope met Edison Davis, his character in Scandal, when he looked like Caiaphas, she would be saying, “Fitz who?” It would not be a contest. Were the Pharisees wearing contacts?
I know that when the original motion picture was cast, the filmmakers were (probably) not trying to make any negative connotation by making the only black cast member play Judas, but I liked that Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert had black men play Judas and Jesus. It makes them just people in conflict without subliminally enforcing any negative stereotypes. Remember I loved the movie and wasn’t woke, but even as a child, the traditional American image of a blond blue eyed Jesus versus a 1970s black man (both with amazing and distinct voices) was a little hard to overcome.
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert is distinguished by the fact that many of the major roles are played by famous musical artists who perform their work in concerts in which the production is geared to make them the star, not people accustomed to being part of an ensemble, acting and singing in a theatrical production. The quality of the performances of these famous musical artists varied: Sara Bareilles who played Mary Magdalene, Alice Cooper who played King Herod and John Legend who played Jesus. Everyone did an excellent job, but if there was weakness, it showed. Rest assured: there were no Peter Pan Live! disasters, but Legend’s vocals did not pack the same oomph as his predecessors. There is one song when the singer traditionally really belts out the line, “When I’m gone,” which is the first time that Jesus really throws down his vocal prowess in the musical, but Legends played it soft so he couldn’t do it. Overall he gave a solid performance, but it was hard to ignore the creative choices that felt more like an effort to hide his shortcomings, not to make a stronger impression for the character. I’m completely unfamiliar with Cooper as a performer, but he gave a really great hammy performance that was brief and memorable. Cooper did a great physical interpretation of his character by using one hand to express false humility and the other to show that he loves the adulation and was lapping it up. Bareilles was solid. I never compared her to her predecessors and honestly never recognized her until I looked up who played Mary Magdalene on IMDb.
I already love Ben Daniels, but I was completely unaware that he could sing until I saw him as Pontius Pilate. Even on big screen in silent roles, he captures attention so when he appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert in a major role, I expected to be blown away and was not disappointed. I did not know Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Judas before this production, and I thought that he held his own even in comparison to his predecessors, but if I had to complain about something, I would say that the director needed to tell the extras that they were not there to drown him out and try to upstage him. It felt as if he had to fight with his cast, not collaborate with them, but that wasn’t Dixon’s fault or the extras just trying to get their share of the spotlight. The director should have spotted that problem and nipped it in the bud during rehearsal. I also don’t know Jin Ha who played Annas, another Pharisee, but damn, he could sing and had stage presence.
While I was really into Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, I did get the overall impression that while it technically hit all the right notes, the actual meaning and context behind the words was actually missing. I don’t think that it emotionally resonated and haunted viewers in the same way that the original movie did or found a new way to make it connect with our sociopolitical landscape today. On one hand, it doesn’t have to, but a powerful work of art should seep into your pores and last long after it is done, but there isn’t one moment that does it. I think that is a missed opportunity and one of the only reasons to resurrect a work for audiences from another time. I don’t think that the people behind the scenes had something urgent that they were trying to say by retelling this story even if it is as simple as answering the question posed by the musical: who was Jesus-phenomenon or ??
Did Mom and I have a good time? Yes! Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert was one of the stronger NBC musicals, but to be fair, I’ve only seen three. In comparison to other Jesus Christ Superstar productions, it is the best in some ways, but the weakest in terms of its most crucial elements, which is still high praise compared to the average musical. I highly recommend it, but if time is limited, check out the original.