‘It’s a celebration of humanity, even for those that are not biblically dedicated’
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Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Eric Harvie Theatre
Thursday, December 13 - Friday, December 14 Friday, December 7 - Friday, December 7
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To say that playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar is the role of a lifetime would be a vast understatement for anyone. But it seems to be a particular underestimation for someone who admits he’d probably still be auditioning for bar gigs in Albuquerque if not for the role.
Ted Neeley (a.k.a. Jesus) has had a long relationship with the character, first appearing in the original Broadway show and then staring in the title role in Norman Jewison’s film adaptation of the rock opera in 1971, for which he received Golden Globe Award nominations for best actor and best newcomer. There was a small school production in 1976 and then roles in Tommy and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road and copious film and music gigs, but it wasn’t until 1992 that Neeley reprised the role of Jesus, turning what was initially to be a three-month tour into a five-year stint.
“We had no idea that the support was so strong, and that people would come back again and again and again,” says Neeley. “I know people by their first names in every city in America and Canada that come to see this show. They seemingly never get tired of seeing it.”
Part of the magic that brings people back is the dynamic relationship between Jesus and Judas and the actors who portray them. The character of Judas and American singer Carl Anderson were synonymous, thanks to Anderson’s Golden Globe-nominated performance in the Jewison film. It was virtually impossible to think of anyone else embodying the role more perfectly, and when Anderson passed away after a long bout with leukemia in 2004, Neeley thought maybe that was it. The “powers that be” stepped in and gave the production a modern Judas in the incarnation of lead singer and one-fourth of the pioneering, Grammy-winning, platinum-selling band Living Colour, Corey Glover.
“Corey has really stepped into the role as if he was born to play it,” says Neeley. “When he and I first got together to do this, he told me that he became a singer because of seeing the movie and what Carl Anderson and myself did. When he was a little boy, his grandmother took him, and he dreamed of one day performing in the piece. Here he is doing it. It’s amazing.”
Besides the change in cast, little has been altered in terms of the production itself, but according to Neeley, it’s not from lack of trying. Apparently audiences are so dedicated to the film, any attempt to change the blueprint of the rock opera has failed miserably. “The thing that you have to remember is that if you change anything in the production the audience won’t come,” says Neeley. “There have been productions in the past where people have tried to update it and make it more modern and it’s tanked. The blueprint that Tim Rice pulled out of the bible and the wonderful melodies that Andrew Lloyd Webber placed underneath those lyrics, everyone wants to hear. If you don’t give them visually what they saw in connection with the lyrics and the music, they don’t like it. It’s not that everyone is copying what was originally done, but more so that we must remain true to the spiritual message in this piece.”
It’s a message that anyone can relate to regardless of spiritual leanings and religious backgrounds and, in fact, Neeley is adamant that the piece is not about religion at all. “It focuses on the last seven days of a man called Jesus as seen through the eyes of his friends. If I may pull out of Tim Rice’s amazing lyrics, ‘trials and tribulations’ is the key here and that’s not just Jesus’s either. It’s about every character in the piece.”
Though many modern-day fans see Jesus Christ Superstar as a religious experience, when the show first appeared on Broadway, it was met with rabid protestors and religious zealots adamant that the show was the ultimate blasphemy. Though things have changed, Neeley admits he still gets it from people in certain areas of the country — certainly in the deep South Bible belt where “pretending to be Jesus” is considered sacrilege.
“Frankly, the reason that the protests happened, originally, was that every single religious group that was represented in New York City was absolutely certain that our show was going to destroy the religious fibre of the community. (It was) based upon the fact that there were hit singles that were played on the radio constantly from the original album,” remembers Neeley. “They took issue primarily with the song that Mary Magdalene sings, ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him.’ Everybody read into those lyrics their own relationship with their own spiritual content and assumed that there were all kinds of things that were going to go on, onstage, suggesting elements between Jesus and Mary that they just did not want anyone to be talking about. The good side of that, of course, was that it sold all the tickets.”
“It’s a celebration of humanity,” adds Neeley. “Even for those that are not biblically dedicated, it’s a wonderful story of passion.”
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