Jesus Christ Superstar - Broadway

Rating:
Summary: Great Musical, If a Little Dated
Review: This was a wonderful 70's-ish Rock Musical about a man named Jesus Christ, who is the leader of a revolutionary movement which has started attracting all the wrong kind of attention from the Powers That Be. His boyfriend, Judas Iscariot, is warning him that his followers are warping his philosophies, and is also jealous of his relationship with a beautiful lady of the night, Mary Magdalene. What follows this set up is a beautiful, tragic story of what happens when the movement spins wildly out of Jesus's control and he is forced to pay for it's popularity -- perhaps with his life! The panoply of human emotion in this Rock Opera is astounding, from Judas's pain over his betrayal, to Mary's desire to allow love into her time-hardened heart. I would definitely recommend this movie highly for anyone over 14, as many of the scenes at the end are very disturbing -- I know they would have given me nightmares when I was a child, funky singing or no! A beautiful production.

Rating:
Summary: Go for the 70's version...
Review: When I had the opportunity to see the reworked JCS, I was eager to take advantage. I had found the dusty desert with little to no staging from the 70's version a little unnerving. In addition to the background, some of the vocal ranges were, shall we say, unusual - of course, blame Webber and Rice for this, I guess. After time, though, the voices of Jesus and Judas simply won me over. Judas was phenomenal. Anyway, I was anxious to try the new.

I was a little disappointed after seeing the production. I say a "little" because I tried really hard to appreciate the novelty. But after repeated viewings, all I can say is that I personally feel this production is horrible.

The 70's Jesus was so small and frail it was troubling at first. Ultimately his powerful voice and raw emotion won me over. This Jesus never could win me over. He seemed weak and was pushed around - literally (not by the Pharisees or Romans as you'd expect, but by Judas). And speaking of Judas... Poor fellow. Poor, poor Judas. He absolutley cannot reach the notes. I am sure he has a good voice, but most of what is heard here is the poor guy straining for all he's worth. He is emotive, but I think that may be the head rush from clinching every muscle he has to try to hit the notes.

I do believe the pharisees were better in the new production - even if some of their acting was a little disconcerting. The disciples were pretty pathetic in my opinion. Mary was okay.

I had hoped the staging would be a welcome change form the old version, but I just didn't feel it fit the piece. I could never buy in.

Obviously many disagree, but my earnest suggestion is that you stick with the standard edition from the 70's if you want JCS. With the sparse production value, you can focus on the talent of the actors. The new version has nothing to offer - in worthwhile staging or vocal talent.

Rating:
Summary: Judas steals the show
Review: While nowhere near the singer that portrayed Christ, Judas by far stole the show with his emotional acting and lines. In fact if they hadn't been at the last supper and sang the Apostle song you can barely pick out Judas's 11 companions from the mob.

Chaias, Pilate, and Herod sing in a difficult manner to follow; despite this Pilate manages one of the better performances of the show when he asks why Christ must die. Herod simply comes off annoying.

Magdalene sings the nice 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' number and Christ's moment of doubt is very moving. There are a few other good moments through the show but overall I found it disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: I have listened to all the sound tracks and watched the 1973 movie and this one as well. I did not get to watch the original broadway hit from 1971 since I was not born yet, but I consider that version to have the best soundtrack, as I believe Judas, Jesus, and the Priests had a much stronger and more compelling performance than the other versions. I think that the new JCS is great, and would advise anyone who owns the movie version from 1973 to see this one as well as it gives a much more modern look which adds a whole new dimension to the classic. I wish, however, that there was an existing copy of the original broadway play from 1971, as the music of that version just excels the newer versions.

Rating:
Summary: Jesus Christ Superstar-Broadway
Review: I loved this version! Andrew Lloyd Webber made it with his revival of the London cast. Every song was fantasic! I bought both movie versions - this one and the Norman Jewison version (1973) - and this one is definitly the best!I hope you will buy and enjoy it to.