Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Theater Review: Jesus Christ Superstar

Super Superstar for a New Generation
By Lauren Yarger
It's big and glitzy and pulses like a rock concert more than a reverent telling of the story of the last days of Jesus on earth. What's more, Director Des McAnuff's revision of Jesus Christ Superstar, the Andrew Lloyd-Weber/Tim Rice classic heading to Broadway from an acclaimed run at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, reportedly focused on a love triangle between Jesus, Judas and Mary Magdalene. I was prepared to not like it much.

So imagine my surprise when that triangle didn't seem nearly as sharply angled as had been described and I found myself profoundly moved by a passionate Christ played by a terrific high-belting, rock singing Paul Nolan. Not only that, but having grown up singing the songs along with all the other friends of my generation -- despite the fact that I was an atheist back then -- I really enjoyed these new arrangements which give the score a modern sound and bring the music out of the 70s (Music Direction by Rick Fox). It's much more interesting, say, than the 2000 Broadway revival which I thought was a tired re staging.

In fact, with Robert Brill's metallic, scaffolded set and Paul Tazewell's fabulous costumes that blend biblical fashion with what you might see at a modern dance club, this Superstar should appeal to a new generation. No longer an athesist, and happy to see Jesus on a Broadway stage, I think that's a great thing.

Rice's libretto isn't perfect. It focuses more on Jesus' more human aspects. He spends a lot of time being angry, scared, tired and questioning God's plan. There really isn't any of his teaching included in the story which is told more from the point of view of Judas (Josh Young, who appeared to be suffering from voice strain early on the night I attended, but held on to give a fine performance). The disciple is conflicted between his love for Jesus and his jealousy of him. Here, there's a hint that he might also not like the constant attention he receives from Mary Magdalene (Chilina Kennedy), who does seem attached to the Messiah's hip.

I really didn't see much more than that hint of a triangle, however. There isn't any real indication of a romantic attachment between Mary and Jesus and there definitely isn't any chemistry or sparks between them. In fact Kennedy herself is without much animation period, though I did enjoy "I Don't Know How to Love Him" because it sounded very much like the Helen Reddy version I know so well. We get the feeling that maybe Mary is interested in something more, but Jesus seems unaware. And beyond that hint that Judas might be a little jealous, there's nothing between him and Mary either. (So if you have been avoiding this version because it sounded like Dan Brown ("The DaVinci Code") might have helped revise this show's book, feel free to buy a ticket).

Nolan's carrying of the cross is really moving. It brought to mind Christ's suffering in a real way. McAnuff's vision (given personality with lighting, sound and video design by Howell Binkley, Steve Canyon Kennedy and Sean Nieuwenhuis) also creates a hard-to-watch scourging of Jesus, where there stripes appear one by one (all 39) in red on the set until it is all washed in blood.

Lisa Shriver choreographs modern dance movements -- it looks like "Simon Zealotes" might be performed by your local gospel choir here -- and together all of the elements reinforce the theme that what took place in ancient times has real meaning for today.

McAnuff's vision also takes us to a temple that looks like a dance club, a Jerusalem that reminds us of Times Square with a news ticker announcing the latest scene and an ethereal Calvary where Christ appear to float while on the cross. It might be technical glitz, but it also shows a more-than-human element of Jesus which I liked, especially for a show that often ends with the death of the Messiah on the cross without resurrection. Jesus walks out from the cross out to take his bow with the words "To the Ends of the Earth" emblazoned on the set. I liked it a lot.

Also giving notable performances in the vocally strong cast are Tom Hewitt as Pontius Pilate, Marcus Nance as Caiaphas and Bruce Dow, whose humorous depiction of Herod provides one of the show's few laughs.
Jesus Christ Superstar plays at the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd St., NYC. Tickets; 800-745-3000, 877-250-2929.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Not exactly the gospel version
-- Sexual moves
-- Suicide

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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