Many people get the wrong idea about Jesus Christ Superstar. It is NOT a Christian work. It is NOT a rah-rah Jesus piece. It is NOT in any way attempting to be a simple retelling of the biblical story. If that's what you're looking for, you're looking in the wrong place.
What it is, really, is a very agnostic piece. Not atheist, but agnostic. It is asking questions, not providing answers. And the questions are those of a modern person looking back on the Jesus story and wondering "What happened here?"
The whole question of the divinity of Jesus is kept delicately ambivalent throughout. On the one hand, those closest to him, those who know him best-- Mary Magdalene and Judas-- repeatedly assert that he's "just a man". Herod is completely willing to be won over to Jesus if he'll merely perform a miracle or two, but Jesus' only reply is seemingly impotent silence. Similarly, he refuses to perform any miracles to help the beggars ("The Temple"). Indeed, we don't see him perform a single miracle throughout the show.
On the other hand, many are firmly convinced that he *can* perform miracles; where did they get that idea from? And no explanation is offered for the way that Jesus accurately foretells Peter's triple denial. Most interesting is the song "Gethsemane", where it certainly *feels* like Jesus is talking to God (or is it just a delusion?).
But if Jesus *is* divine, does the story make sense? I think this is hard for believers to see, but to those who aren't believing Christians, the Jesus story is... shall we say, curious. And so we have Jesus Christ Superstar, a work from the perspective not of a believer, not of a *dis*believer, but from a questioner. From someone looking at it all and trying to make sense of it.
And so, at the very climax of the story, when Jesus is sentenced to death, the whole story freezes, and the authors step out from behind the curtain to speak directly to us, through the voice of Judas, speaking to us from beyond the grave, speaking to us today, in the modern present. Speaking to us to ask the questions at the root of this opera, as if to say "Ok, here was the story, what do you make of it?" And so he sings the key lyrics, those that embody the entire meaning and message of the production:
Every time I look at you, I don't understand why you let the things you did get so out of hand. You'd've managed better if you'd had it planned; why'd you choose such a backwards time and such a strange land? If you'd come today you would have reached a whole nation. Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication. I only want to know: Jesus Christ, who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you're what they say you are?
This is it. This is the core. THIS is what the show is about. Not a glorification of Jesus but an inquiry into him. If you're a person of faith, there is enough there for you, yes. But if you are an unbeliever (as am I), there's something there for you too. And this is a big reason that Jesus Christ Superstar has always been a personal favorite.
And oh yeah, about the movie itself... :)
Well, I wrote an extensive review of the film itself, but sadly this thing is complaining about a 1000 word limit, so I just deleted it all. So in a nutshell, there are weak points and strong points. Weak points: Neely looks the part of Jesus but can't sing at all, Caiaphas on the album has a much better bass voice, the instrumental tracks are mixed way too soft relative to the vocals, and the lyrics have been changed in places to water down the ambivalence and avoid offending Christians ("HEAL YOURSELVES!"). Strong points: some added verses and two extra songs that aren't on the original album ("Oh this is new! Respect for Caesar!"), the visuals, the mixing in of modern markers to help tell the ancient story. And I leave my original final paragraph:
And finally, there's the closing shot, of Carl Anderson (now no longer Judas), looking back at the set that they are leaving, and peering at the still-standing cross. His searching, questioning expression seems to ask "What happened there?" and beautifully summarizes the whole opera. Because Jesus Christ Superstar is about questions, not answers.
What it is, really, is a very agnostic piece. Not atheist, but agnostic. It is asking questions, not providing answers. And the questions are those of a modern person looking back on the Jesus story and wondering "What happened here?"
The whole question of the divinity of Jesus is kept delicately ambivalent throughout. On the one hand, those closest to him, those who know him best-- Mary Magdalene and Judas-- repeatedly assert that he's "just a man". Herod is completely willing to be won over to Jesus if he'll merely perform a miracle or two, but Jesus' only reply is seemingly impotent silence. Similarly, he refuses to perform any miracles to help the beggars ("The Temple"). Indeed, we don't see him perform a single miracle throughout the show.
On the other hand, many are firmly convinced that he *can* perform miracles; where did they get that idea from? And no explanation is offered for the way that Jesus accurately foretells Peter's triple denial. Most interesting is the song "Gethsemane", where it certainly *feels* like Jesus is talking to God (or is it just a delusion?).
But if Jesus *is* divine, does the story make sense? I think this is hard for believers to see, but to those who aren't believing Christians, the Jesus story is... shall we say, curious. And so we have Jesus Christ Superstar, a work from the perspective not of a believer, not of a *dis*believer, but from a questioner. From someone looking at it all and trying to make sense of it.
And so, at the very climax of the story, when Jesus is sentenced to death, the whole story freezes, and the authors step out from behind the curtain to speak directly to us, through the voice of Judas, speaking to us from beyond the grave, speaking to us today, in the modern present. Speaking to us to ask the questions at the root of this opera, as if to say "Ok, here was the story, what do you make of it?" And so he sings the key lyrics, those that embody the entire meaning and message of the production:
Every time I look at you, I don't understand why you let the things you did get so out of hand. You'd've managed better if you'd had it planned; why'd you choose such a backwards time and such a strange land? If you'd come today you would have reached a whole nation. Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication. I only want to know: Jesus Christ, who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you're what they say you are?
This is it. This is the core. THIS is what the show is about. Not a glorification of Jesus but an inquiry into him. If you're a person of faith, there is enough there for you, yes. But if you are an unbeliever (as am I), there's something there for you too. And this is a big reason that Jesus Christ Superstar has always been a personal favorite.
And oh yeah, about the movie itself... :)
Well, I wrote an extensive review of the film itself, but sadly this thing is complaining about a 1000 word limit, so I just deleted it all. So in a nutshell, there are weak points and strong points. Weak points: Neely looks the part of Jesus but can't sing at all, Caiaphas on the album has a much better bass voice, the instrumental tracks are mixed way too soft relative to the vocals, and the lyrics have been changed in places to water down the ambivalence and avoid offending Christians ("HEAL YOURSELVES!"). Strong points: some added verses and two extra songs that aren't on the original album ("Oh this is new! Respect for Caesar!"), the visuals, the mixing in of modern markers to help tell the ancient story. And I leave my original final paragraph:
And finally, there's the closing shot, of Carl Anderson (now no longer Judas), looking back at the set that they are leaving, and peering at the still-standing cross. His searching, questioning expression seems to ask "What happened there?" and beautifully summarizes the whole opera. Because Jesus Christ Superstar is about questions, not answers.