The 'Jesus Christ Superstar' 50th Anniversary Tour Is a Living Legacy Production
It's currently bringing the story you know so well to D.C.'s National Theatre.
The story of Jesus Christ has been told time and time again, from Broadway stages to youth retreat campfires. Luckily, it is, to put it mildly, pretty interesting. There’s a reason why we return to it again and again, why it’s the best-selling book of all time, and why the musical Jesus Christ Superstar is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The North American tour, now playing at D.C.’s National Theatre, is a testament to both the story and the musical’s longevity.
By now, you know the story. Judas (Elvie Ellis) is concerned that Jesus (Jack Hopewell) is letting fame get to his head. Christ has told everyone that he is the son of God and is using this notoriety for progressively unsavory purposes. Judas warns him of hanging out with the prostitute Mary Magdalene (at our performance, Kalei Cotecson), leading his disciples astray, and using his divine abilities to turn water into wine. When offered a chance to get rich quick, Judas rats him out in the ultimate act of betrayal - one so blindsidingly terrible that it’s become the only thing he’s known for. The ending, complete with arrest, torture, and crucifixion, you definitely know, regardless of your faith.
The musical, despite Tim Rice’s occasional elementary-level Lexile lyrics, is also, well, pretty good. As both a dramatization of the story and a humanization of the characters that have become more figurative than actual figures, there’s a reason it’s lasted these five decades. This staging is also satisfying enough. Director Timothy Sheader first crafted this version in London in 2016 and it was rebranded a few years later as a 50th Anniversary celebration of the material. It’s a legacy production that does nothing particularly new but honors the show well. A five-piece band rocks out under the direction of Ryan Edward Wise, masquerading as a full orchestra, blasting out Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic score. When the overture gets turned up, you know you’re in for a familiar staging of that story you know so well. That music is also, unfortunately, practically unsingable. When the voices chime in, you’re reminded that Webber’s music was written more for a studio recording than a live performance. It gets stuck in throats.
Hopewell’s Jesus is the guy who brings his guitar to the party, often seen carrying it around more than he’s seen strumming the basic chords. He’s dressed, as is the entire ensemble, in Tom Scutt’s monochromatic athleisurely costumes. They all seem to have come straight from Orange Theory, oversized hoodies, joggers, sneakers, and all. At one point, in a fit of frustration, Jesus rips off an oversized, white tank top to reveal a slightly less oversized, slightly grayer tank top.
Judas, as played by Ellis, is a complicated thinker, as expressed in Webber’s chaotically screechy monologuing. It’s a tough sing and Ellis has the rock instincts for most of it. When he turns to the leather-clad, combat boot-wearing high priests (Grant Hodges as Caiaphas has an impressive and almost unbelievable vocal range - he’s a sure-fire standout), they scheme and plot and literally get their hands dirty. A lot of Sheader’s staging is literal in that familiar way. At one point during “The Last Supper” they recreate a stage picture of the painting The Last Supper, for example.
But this version is not about unique concepts or individualistic stagings. It’s about giving you the best possible version of the music that many audience members have to stop themselves from singing along to. The show’s energy comes from a hardworking ensemble. Drew McOnie's exercise-inducing choreography is non-stop, frenetic, and a visual metaphor of its own. They run around Scutt’s structural set, bang giant gongs, and never seem to stop busting moves. Their energy is palpable and missed when they are absent. Standout performances include Alex Stone’s Warped Tour-sounding Pontious Pilate, Alec Diem's drag-inspired Kind Herod, and Thomas McFerran’s tender, pleasant, and guitar-crafted Peter.
If you are one of those people inclined to sing along, this is the Jesus Christ Superstar that you already know and want to love. The well-known story is just a part of the musical’s success and all of this production’s elements fill out the rest. There’s a reason the parable has lasted, the musical is celebrating a milestone, and this staging has lasted years, crossed oceans, and been chosen as the one to be the show’s latest living legacy production.