Superstar Revisited

I went back to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" again. What I wrote about it earlier was much too brief to do it justice. Let's try this again.

"Superstar" is a unique work. It has no spoken dialogue, so it's much more an opera than a musical. It's music is contemporary, rather than classical, so I suppose the epithet "rock opera" fits. It is religious in theme; indeed, it's almost a Mass.

I think that the way you see it depends on the point of view you bring with you to the theater.

I remember when the album appeared in record stores in the very early 70s. People either loved it or hated it, and, when it was produced on stage...well! The excrement hit the oscillator! The humanizing and "contemporizing" (if you will) of the characters in the familiar New Testament story was an anathema to some. People who never heard or saw it, vilified it as sacrilegious. The very combination of "Jesus" and "rock opera" in the same sentence was enough to send preachers scurrying to their typewriters to prepare Sunday's sermon.

My, my, my...how times have changed. I knew that this production at the Palace had a minister in it, but I heard someone in the audience tonight say that there were three or four!

Having attended a few rehearsals, while I was sewing the dresses for a production number, I got a very clear sense that, for some members of the cast, performing "Superstar" was a religious experience.

The music ranges from lilting pop to soaring anthem to chaotic jazz. The voices of the cast rise to the occasion...Cliff Butler, Dale Schultz, Joe Penrod, Sarah Burke, Chris Mixon...just to name a few.

When you first see the stage, you will notice that it has stuff scattered all over the set. Garments, mostly...it's a mess out there. The Overture starts, and people pour in down the aisles, each choosing a piece from the selection scattered about, and freezing. One by one, they unfreeze and don whatever they have picked up. By the time Cliff gets there, there are only two things lying on the stage--a rope and a crown of thorns. Cliff vacillates between the two, eventually choosing the rope. Chris is the last, and is not happy to be stuck with the crown of thorns.

The soloists are electric! I know some of these folks, and I had no idea they had this in them. None. Each brings his or her character to vibrant life. Humanizing...? Hell, for a minute there, I understood them all! Maybe I'll have to go back and see it again. The chorus is tight and the words clipped and understandable. The dancing is excellent, as well. The Palace is attracting beautifully trained dancers these days, as well as training their own. Kudos to Lisa Watson and the Summer Workshops. Cathie Sheridan has done a terrific job with her singers.

Another problem folks had with the show, back in those antediluvian days, was that it ended with the crucifixion, and didn't include the resurrection. Some people still have a problem with that, today.

I can see it, myself. The story is really about the people involved. Judas the man, not the demon. Christ the man, not the god. The resurrection was really the start of the story of Christ the god.

The crucifixion music is chaotic, with a piano solo vaguely reminiscent of Chick Corea. While you are still recovering from that, the actors get up, take off their costumes, and walk out the same way they came in, but so changed.

Mary Ellen, my hat is off to you!

It runs for two more weekends. It is a Must See!

These photos are from the rehearsals of Hell week. The set was not finished at the time.