Review: Jesus Christ Superstar

By Rachel Jacques

Ted Neeley was brilliant in 1973, as Jesus Christ in the onscreen version of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s collaborative production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Now, 35 years later, I can honestly say Neeley has not only perfected this role, but has possibly taken on the character of Jesus Christ in the most genuine and believable performance since James Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ. Jesus Christ Superstar follows the final seven days in the life of Jesus ending with his ultimate crucifixion.

Amidst the swirling of scarves within the engaging choreography of the people of Jerusalem, Neeley entered the stage with awe-inspiring presence. I felt a lump in my throat as he received a standing ovation and applause from the majority of the audience. I believe there were even a few groupies from the seventies who sat in the front row blowing him kisses and screaming like little girls seeing their favorite boy band. Now that is some serious power. But I suppose after playing the character for 35 years you sort of develop a fan club.

Besides the tear jerking voice of Neeley, Living Colour’s Corey Glover played convincingly the betraying Judas Iscariot. His voice was powerful and certainly filled the entire hall of the Cobb Energy Center. Tiffini Dodson as Mary Magdalene also had a beautiful, strong voice through which she portrayed powerful emotions of sadness and regret as Jesus’ fate becomes more and more prevalent. The voices of the extras combined with the main roles, blended well together and achieved a sound of which Webber and Rice would approve.

The song “Trials and Tribulation” was especially noteworthy, comprised of solos by Jesus and the powerful and moving combination of his disciples’ voices as they gather for the last supper. The song ends with the men posing in the style of the classic painting by da Vinci, The Last Supper. Also, “Superstar,” the title song is exciting and I found myself singing along with Judas and the cast.

The sets and lighting were simple but effective. The lighting matched the emotion of the scene, brighter scenes during the less serious scenes and songs and darker, more condemning lighting throughout the more violent and sad scenes. Costuming was also nothing extraordinary. The cast wore mostly simple clothes similar to what you would think of as “bible clothes,” lots of shawls, sandals and flowing clothing. However, I didn’t understand the costuming of Mary Magdalene. Juxtaposed against the rest of the cast, she wore a white dress that was almost like eveningwear. If there was some sort of symbolism to this I missed it. Jesus also stood out in bright, white robes that often appeared to glow under the lights.

This performance left me excited and a bit emotional. I was ready to pop in the soundtrack for the ride home to quickly re-live the show. I was impressed by the actors that I was not familiar with, enthralled by the moving voices of every lead character, engaged by the choreography and emotional from the story itself. As for this being the farewell tour for Neeley, I can genuinely say that at 65, Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ is a Superstar.