Two angels are bowed reverently on the red curtain. The curtain almost looks like a tapestry, or a mural on a wall.
I haven’t seen Jesus Christ Superstar since junior high at a birthday party, where we watched the movie version. (I remember that we also watched Mean Girls, which is way funnier to me as an adult. I remember hating it as a teenager.) My family, as well as some friends from the cities, attended this rock opera that was big in the 70s. Andrew Loyd Webber did the music; he’s a fantastic composer.
Jesus Christ Superstar tells the Biblical story of Jesus, the Son of God who came to Earth to help people in a dire time. What’s interesting is that Jesus and Judas–the man who betrays him for a sum of money–have arguments and talk about the political atmosphere of the time. While this isn’t in the Bible, but it’s adds context and emotional flair.
I’m not extremely well-versed in the Bible, but I do go to church. I’m actually a practicing Lutheran.
At first, it took me a while to realize who was playing Jesus, because I was expecting someone with long hair. Instead, in this modernized version, the guy who portrays Jesus has a man-bun, with his hair pulled back tight across his scalp.
While I overall enjoyed the rock opera, it’s not one of my favorites. It doesn’t end with Jesus’ resurrection, instead, it ends shortly after Jesus is crucified. Like I’ve mentioned earlier, I haven’t seen the movie version in a long time. So, I forgot where the story ends.
I did feel bad for Judas, though, because it felt like he struggled to form a connection with Jesus. Towards the end, up until he kills himself, he questions why Jesus picked him, especially if he was going to betray Him.
The actors and actresses did a really good job. The music is both complicated and beautiful. Overall, the story can be confusing if you don’t have a background of faith, which only makes the narrative more confusing. There wasn’t really much of an explanation as to why Jesus disciples followed Him. If you know the story, then you can fill in the blanks. But from an outsider’s perspective, the story can feel rushed and confusing.
There are some unanswered questions that the play version of the rock opera presents. If Jesus is going around and healing people, why do the Pharisees hate him? Why do they want him killed? If you’re on the outs, this are questions that aren’t fully answered. There’s a reason why the Pharisees didn’t like Jesus, one of the reasons being was that they thought he was preaching the gospel the wrong way. They also didn’t like what Jesus was doing, either. They didn’t like that he was going around and healing the sick and hanging out with the poor.
Overall, this was a pretty good production of Jesus Christ Superstar. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t one of my all-time favorites.
The Nerdy Nook 