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Jesus christ superstar midi11/19/2022 ![]() ![]() Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with much of the plot centered on Judas, who is dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus is steering his disciples. ![]() ![]() Tours ensued as did a highly successful 1973 film version.Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It incited hostility among much of the Christian public. Gone too, was the ringing affirmation of Jesus' place and success of His completed divine mission left in its place is an enigma posed by Judas in the uptempo but anguished closing number and brooding instrumental postlude which closes the work. While the actual New Testament events were all there in place without much tampering, there was the shock of hearing the Gospel acted out in the contemporary vernacular, as well as a more than subtle hint of Mary Magdalene's romantic attraction to Jesus. More sensational however was the treatment of its topic. But overall, the musical required a different type of singing and singer, a hybrid which could produce the more grandiloquent styles of the 40s and 50s and juxtapose this with the more raucous chest-singing and blue-notes of the hard rock idiom. One of these, Mary Magdalene's song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" provided another top-40 hit. Interspersed with outright late 60s- early 70s-style rock numbers were more conventional musical theatre fare. Aided by a hit record of the title song, the 1970 recording quickly made its way to the top of the charts and went gold, paving the way for a 1971 staging of the work.Īlthough designated as a "rock opera," Jesus Christ Superstar was eclectic in its varying styles. This had not been the original intent of the show's creators but, unable to find a producer up to the challenge and risk, the sound recording was the only available avenue to the two men. Also like The Who work, Superstar made its entry onto the world music stage as a double record set. Like Tommy, the work utilized recitative interspersed between songs and ensemble numbers and was designated as "rock opera" (although with the absence of staging, oratorio is a more accurate term). Following the lead of Hair and The Who's Tommy, writer Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, both British, took the bold step of creating a popular stage work based on the last days in the earthly life of Christ. The evolution of Jesus Christ Superstar into full-blown musical theatre is as unusual as the work itself is (was) controversial. ![]()
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