Jesus Christ Superstar in Review

As the audience filters in, eerie blue lighting and gentle wafts of smoke cross the stage. When the lights dim and the first dissonant notes rise from the orchestra pit, the excitement becomes tangible. Heads sway as they inch toward the edge of their seats. The lights warm as you see a man put to death by a Roman guard amidst a crowd of people. As the bystanders gather to morn this man a figure appears in the distance and as he moves forward one single spot light from above comes to life just as he reaches center stage, arms spread out in the classic Jesus pose. He is here. The audience cheers and jumps to their feet almost as if they were one body. And as they settle back down the man seems to take the power given him by the people, and performs his first on stage miracle, giving the dead new life.

At the beginning there are some questions as to whether or not Ted Neeley can fill his own shoes. After all, it had been 35 years since he first portrayed Jesus, and while he looks like the Jesus you remember, will he sound like him? Only the upcoming scenes will tell. The first half flies by as you tap your toes and bob your head to the contagious beats of What's the Buzz, Everything's Alright, and Hosanna. By the time Judas has sealed his fate and taken his fee you are pretty well convinced that yes, this is the same Ted Neely whose voice you have so loved for years. Every time he opens his mouth you are taken back to the hours you have spent listening to this score and personally witnessing his performance in the temple has inspired goose bumps. However, the real test is yet to come.

As the lights go out on the audience after intermission, the air is once again electrified. The big scene is coming. Right around the corner. As Jesus interacts with his disciples in the first scene there is a moment of clever parody when everyone freezes in the exact pose of Divinci's The Last Supper. The audience chuckles and some of the tension is released. But as Jesus and Judas go back and forth over his betrayal and as the music rises to meet that conflict you can't help but anticipate what is coming next. There is a quiet moment as the disciples fall asleep and as Jesus reaches his place of divine communication. But as he wrestles with his fate, battling between the God and Man within him, his voice lets go and every hair on the back of your neck is standing at attention. You listen to the words, absorbing the sound and the meaning of them and the shivers down your spine travel all the way to your feet and back again. That clear strong voice has taken your breath away. As the scene ends, and your regular breathing starts, Jesus is taken away and so are any doubts you may have had in Ted Neely's ability to pull this off again, after all these years.

As you leave the auditorium, you are full of satisfaction. The great lines were there, the snappy choreography was there, the hidden meanings were there, even some crafty staging and creativity that you didn't expect was there. And that voice- oh yes, that voice was there. The only thing not there- disappointment.