By Ruth Ross
It’s been four decades since Lloyd Weber and Rice debuted their concept album Jesus Christ Superstar. After that auspicious beginning, the dramatic version became a hit Broadway show, ran in London for over eight years, and lit up movie screens in 1973. It has been staged in over fifteen countries, including Kenya, Mexico and Zimbabwe, and as Japanese kabuki in London in 1992, but Weber and Rice would be blown away by Montclair Operetta Club’s production, which runs through November 13 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield.
The recession and budget cuts may have brought a halt to the Montclair Operetta Club's elaborate productions (like Titanic and Ragtime), but the current production of Jesus Christ Superstar has all the grandeur and polish of the two aforementioned shows, even on a shoestring budget. This time out, Bob Cline flexes his considerable directorial muscle, the musical direction by Gonzalo Valencia does great justice to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics, and a talented young cast sweeps us along the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus and Jesus' subsequent martyrdom.
Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of the last seven days of Jesus’ life as seen through the eyes of his friend Judas Iscariot. Instead of being the dark figure of tradition, this Judas is caught between friendship and responsibility, unable to stand by helplessly as Jesus leads his followers down what he believes is a path of destruction. Unlike the Gospel writers, Weber and Rice present Jesus and Judas as human characters caught in a situation beyond their control, as young men, mixed-up and unaware of what they are and the range of their influence.
And boy, does this company ever tell the tale! Musical director Valencia has assembled a group of young people with wonderful voices, and Dan Schulz has dressed everyone in modern costumes, the more to underscore the connection between the ancient story and the 21st century. Indeed, I found myself thinking about the Occupy Wall Street movement several times, especially when the authorities condemn Jesus as dangerous and worry that they don't know what Jesus and his followers hope to attain. The disciples, dressed in jeans and white tee shirts look a lot like the young people in Zuccotti Park; it is an integrated group of various races and ethnicities. The authorities are dressed in a dapper suit and tie (Pontius Pilate) and black suits and shirts (Caiaphas and his goons). Judas is appropriately clad in black leather pants and black tee shirt to set him apart from Jesus' other followers. And check out the props in the Temple scene; they are deliciously 2011! (Above: Bobby Wolfe as Jesus, Nikki Ashe as Mary Magdalene and Upton Evans as Judas at the Last Supper)
Bobby Wolfe is a wonderful Jesus; with a beautiful voice and wearing ripped jeans, white tee shirt and bandanna, he alternates among tenderness, confusion and anger very effectively. Upton Evans plays Judas as a concerned, scared young man torn between his friendship for Jesus and the nagging feeling that what Jesus has begun has gotten out of hand and could be disastrous for many people. Weber and Rice posit the idea of a love affair between Mary Magdalene and Jesus; Nikki Ashe's beautiful rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” certainly underscores the relationship. Best of all, Ashe acts the song's lyrics instead of just singing them.
As Pharisees Caiaphas and Annas, bass-voiced Danny Egan and Elizabeth Flemming are clearly frightened by the possibility of 50,000 dissenting Jews in their midst, a threat to their authority and a reason for the Roman authorities to tighten their already tight noose around Judea. They are a slick pair of characters. Richard Colonna (right) masterfully sings the role of Pontius Pilate, effectively conveying the idea that he’d rather not have to deal with this nuisance. These principals are ably supported by fresh-faced Chris Frazier as Simon Zealotes, Lionel Ruland as a campy (but not effeminate, as he’s usually played) King Herod and Matt Shafer as a vacillating Peter, along with 16 singers and dancers who make up the talented ensemble.
A simple set constructed of platforms, stairs and ramps is enhanced by Nik Marmo's terrific lighting and ever-changing graphic projections enhance the important events unfolding on stage. Stained glass church windows featuring crosses and Jesus' wearing of a cross at first seem to be anachronistic, but they underscore the play's contention that Jesus engineered his capture and crucifixion as a way to get his message to resonate after his death. The high drama of the crucifixion was accented by strategically-placed and very effective lighting which transformed Wolfe into the familiar church altar statue.
Some people may be put off by this vision of a human Jesus, but Weber and Rice, by eschewing theology and making Jesus and Judas human beings, point up the fickleness of a crowd, the tension between supporting our friends and saving our own necks and the torments suffered by quixotic figures in the face of a corrupt world. Not too shabby a set of lessons for modern audiences from a pair of rock composers.
Jesus Christ Superstar will be performed Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM through November 13. For information and tickets, call the box office at 973.744.3133 or visit ONLINE.
Photos by Carl Schmidt.
