Rating: 
Summary: Great combination of theater and video!
Review: As the curtain went up in the Mandeville Auditoruim in La Jolla, CA in 1992 on the soon-to-be Tony award winning production of The Who's "Tommy", I got goose bumps and muttered an involuntary "Wow!" I had that same reaction two nights ago when I saw the video of the carter-Praedon-Castle-etc. cast in "Jesus Christ, Superstar". It is theater at its best, and exemplifies that rare transformation of breathtaking staging into a skillfully crafted video. I can't compare it to the 1973 version, for except for the tunes and lyrics, they are apples and oranges. The only disappointment I can register is that the cast and crew have been deprived of the curtain calls and standing ovations that should accompany each and every showing of this video!
Rating: 
Summary: OK for fans; others should try the 1973 version
Review: This production is inferior to the 1973 movie in almost every way. Glenn Carter's portrayal of Jesus is listless...the one exception being the 39 Lashes scene....where no singing is required. Jerome Pradon, while pretty capable, lacks the extra 10% required to do justice to his character. Pilate (Fred Johanson) deserves jail time for his criminal overacting. Mary does a good job with her part, as does Simon Zealotes as Peter. Annas is good, Caiaphas is not. Finally, let me say that I found myself drifting off to sleep a couple of times....that never happens during the 1973 version!
Rating:
Summary: SUPERSTAR!!!!
Review: I watched the PBS special of this movie and was so moved by both the songs and performances! Glenn Carter pulls off the title role amazingly well, and Renee Castle is a fantastic Mary Magdalene. Jerome Pradon is pretty sad in the singing department (I saw him in Whistle Down the Wind and felt the same) but a phenomenal actor who brings a depth and humanity to Judas. However, the ABSOLUTE BEST cast performance comes from TONY VINCENT as Simon Zealotes! He was Judas in the Broadway revival, and really should have gotten a larger part in this, but has plenty of camera time. (The cameramen must have realized he is the best looking guy in the show!) Fred Johaneson is a great Pilate- I just wish I could have seen him as Frollo in Notre Dame de Paris in London instead of Daniel Lavoie! Definitely a worthwhile film!!
Rating:
Summary: Best ever!!
Review: I have been a fan of Superstar since its inception in 1972. As one old hippie watching a bunch of other hippies of their time, I stongly related to the message and the themes. This latest version is terrific. I watched transfixed, crying and singing throughout the movie. Judas is wonderful. Such a great meanie to hate and love. A wonderful production. I hightly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Could Jesus have lived a little longer with better planning?
Review: The gospel story comes to life in a new way when gifted artists look at the last six days of Jesus Christ's life. Who is Jesus? Why did He die when He did? Could Jesus have lived a little longer? Why does the musical end on Good Friday?
Rating: 
Summary: Pathetic! Almost blasphemous.
Review: I love the original album. I have seen many stage productions. The 1973 movie wasn't bad. But this version is a waste of plastic. The music is recorded too low, probably out of deference to the performer's egos. They might as well be singing in the shower. "Singing" is a generous word here. Their musical range seems to be from screaming to squeaking. Judas can't finish a verse without his voice breaking into a moose call. I'm just glad that it was broadcast on PBS before I spent good money on this. For future reference folks, new does not necessarily mean good.
Rating:
Summary: Getting it right and wrong on Golgotha
Review: Every time I sit down to view the 1973 version of Webber and Rice's classic (which, as a great fan of the musical is quite often), I do so with both excitement and dread. The performances laid down on location in the desert nearly thirty years ago were top-notch but the production numbers were badly dated before the film was even in the can. In particular, the climactic signature "Superstar" number is truly dreadful, despite the incredible performance of Carl Anderson. Those outfits!So when the new version arrived fresh from the London stage, I was naturally excited. And, as promised, the production is refreshingly updated, with set design and tone appropriate for the dark days in which we now live. But something has indeed gone wrong with the Edwards and Morris production. In an effort to paint a grim urban picture, the story has been wedged into a stark good/evil parable that entirely rejects the qualities that made the first production so notable: ambiguity, doubt, and the uncertainty that drive the need for faith. Neely's Jesus in Gethsemane, Anderson's searching confusion in his debates with Christ, Barry Dennen's doubtful Pilate, and Bob Bingham's hesitant Caiaphas, all directed viewers to believe in the weakness and humanity of those figures. These performances drove home the existential loneliness of human life and the idea that faith of any kind requires hard work. Not so the performances of the new production. Jerome Pradon's Judas is furiously angry. Fred Johanson's Pilate is ham-fistedly evil. Frederick Owens' Caiaphas is dull. And Glenn Carter's Christ, though altogether other-worldly, is truly inhuman. Something has been lost in translation here, which is too bad, because so much else is done so well that I will be forced to watch this version too (probably just as often) with both excitement and dread.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I just saw this on PBS's "Great Performances". It is, by far, the best production of Superstar that I've ever seen. The only criticism I have is that the actor who played Caiaphas was not vocally suited to the role; the higher he sang, the weaker his voice. The political tensions of Christ's day are marvelously depicted in the costuming of the Romans as policemen in riot gear. "Pilate's Dream" is the first time I've actually seen Pilate *worried* about having been given the blame for Christ's death. For once, Judas is not depicted as a misunderstood victim of God's plan, but as a creep. For example, in "It seems to me a strange thing mystifying", he not only protests Mary Magdalene, he throws her to the ground. During the song, "Jesus Christ Superstar", he is depicted as a typical, post-modern man, on the one hand searching for the truth of Christ, on the other hand, mocking Christ. If you've wasted your time with the 1973 debacle starring Ted Neeley, you owe it to yourself to watch this.
Rating:
Summary: Just a Medium Star
Review: Think: fusion Rent and JC Superstar, with bits of Cabaret and Les Mis thrown in. This updated version is edgy, techinical, and has moments of wonder. However, the overacting of several cast members and claustrophobic sets shadow this compelling musical and detract from the brilliance of the musical. As a fan of the original movie, I'll stick with that.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Moving, Powerful...but not for children
Review: I am 17, a Broadway fanatic, and a devoted Christian. This DVD production of the greatest musical of all time was by far the best I've ever seen, and I would recommend it to anyone. At the beginning I was a little uncertain; I think it kind of has a slow start, but by the end you are hooked and cannot tear your eyes and ears away from Glenn Carter's amazing portrayal of our Savior. Castle is a phenomenal Mary Magdalene, successfully pulling off every single nuance of her amazing character with convincing dramatics and an awesome voice. But THE MAIN THING I can stress to you is, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES share this with a young child. My sister, also a Broadway and Lloyd-Webber fan, sat down with me to watch this for the first time, and began crying hysterically the minute Jesus was arrested, and did not stop until about three hours after the movie was over. She is nine, and extremely mature for her age, but this movie was defintely too much for even her to handle. The arrest, beatings, and crucifixtion are extremely graphic, and while they are perfect to make viewers see the extent of Christ's sacrifices, they are not meant for weak-stomached,tender-hearted, or easily frightened young children. Defintely by this DVD, but defintely leave your children or younger siblings with a baby-sitter whenever you watch it.
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