He remarks that "for all you care" the wine they are drinking could be his blood and the bread his body. The production received mixed reviews; For the recording, Lloyd Webber and Rice drew personnel from both musical theatre (Murray Head had just left the West End production of Hair) and the British rock scene (Ian Gillan had only recently become the singer of Deep Purple). [45] Eighty prisoners mounted the production, directed by inmate Freddy Battifora, who also played the role of Jesus. A new production of Jesus Christ Superstar was mounted at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Stratford, Ontario, in 2011. [33] Andrew O'Keefe played King Herod in Australia, with Jon Stevens as Pilate. When it is done in a conventional proscenium theatre production it feels shoe-horned in. It depicts political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus that are not present in the Bible. [22], Robert Stigwood launched two road touring companies in 1971 to cover North America, with Robert Corff and Tom Westerman as Jesus, respectively. height: 0; Meanwhile, Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel, assembles the Pharisees and priests. It opened to mixed reviews and ran for 161 performances. ), *sales figures based on certification alone^shipments figures based on certification alone, "... the BBC banned it, they banned this record, because they thought it was sacrilegious." This information is not found on the inner packaging. Jesus arrives at the Temple and finds that it is being used as a marketplace; angered by this, he drives everyone out ("The Temple"). The writers had also included it (as "Those Saladin Days") in an aborted show called Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You. [18] Bora Đorđević and Srđan Marjanović, at the time little known musicians, also participated as members of the choir. Dmitri Shostakovich attended this production in London just before his death. [53] In the U.S. it was released on VHS and DVD in March 2001, and aired on PBS's Great Performances series in April 2001. Receiving no answer, he realises that he cannot defy God's will, and surrenders to God. width: 100%; The story is loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus's life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. Julissa played Mary Magdalen. Skip to main content Skip to footer site map. Tim Rice was quoted as saying "It happens that we don't see Christ as God but simply the right man at the right time at the right place. As Jesus awaits crucifixion, the spirit of Judas returns and questions why Jesus chose to arrive in the manner and time that he did, and if it was all part of a divine plan ("Superstar"). [55] The style of the film is more like the stage version than the location-based 1973 adaptation, and it used many of the ideas from the 1996–1999 UK production. A second adaptation was filmed in 1999, and released around the world on video in 2000 and 2001. Lyricist Rice said he took inspiration from the Bob Dylan song "With God on Our Side".[6].

In April 2003, Bach was replaced by Eric Kunze. "Herod's Song" is a lyrical rewrite of "Try It and See", previously written by Lloyd Webber and Rice as a proposed British entry into the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest to be sung by Lulu, then recorded and released as a single by Rita Pavone. Negra Li was Mary Magdalene. The show closed on 30 June 1973 after 711 performances. In 1996, the musical was revived in London at the Lyceum Theatre and ran for a year and a half. Carter reprised his role as Jesus, with James Fox as Judas. The musical opened on Broadway on 12 October 1971, directed by Tom O'Horgan, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre.

Then Simon the Zealot suggests that Jesus lead his mob in a war against Rome and gain absolute power. It starred Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, Ben Vereen as Judas and Bob Bingham as Caiaphas.
[56] Two years later, on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, the show was re-broadcast on NBC, with many U.S. [27][28] The revival was nominated for two Tonys: Best Revival and, for Young, Best Actor. A film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar was released in 1973 and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. The melody of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" also predates Jesus Christ Superstar; it was rewritten from a 1968 Lloyd Webber/Rice collaboration titled "Kansas Morning".

top: 0; Mary Magdalene sings him to sleep. It was followed by a UK tour.
The remaining apostles fall asleep, and Jesus retreats to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray ("Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)"). [4] On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by Ian Gillan, with Murray Head as Judas, Michael d'Abo as King Herod, Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene, and Barry Dennen as Pilate. [25] In Boston, Gary Cherone portrayed Jesus in productions in 1994, 1996 and 2003 and Judas in 2000. [34][35], In 2016, celebrating 45 years since the musical debuted on Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar returned to London at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre from 15 July to 27 August, directed by Timothy Sheader. A female follower of Jesus who finds herself falling in love with him. While he sleeps, Mary acknowledges that she is in love with him, and it frightens her ("I Don't Know How to Love Him"). position: absolute; [citation needed] In June 1972 the show opened in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in Atelje 212 theatre, in adaptation by Jovan Ćirilov. Judas initially refuses, then accepts when Caiaphas suggests that he can use the money to help the poor ("Damned for All Time/Blood Money"). Judas is horrified at Jesus's harsh treatment. Additional vocals are provided by a choir, a children's choir ("Overture"), and other singers ("Superstar"). Their number increases, and overwhelmed, Jesus rejects them.

[citation needed], In 1981, Emilio de Soto directed an English-language version in Venezuela, with 163 actors. That is why I wanted to do this. Many of the primary musicians — guitarists Neil Hubbard and Henry McCullough, bassist Alan Spenner, and drummer Bruce Rowland — came from Joe Cocker's backing group The Grease Band. On 16 March 1972 an oratorio version was performed at Memorial Drive Park in Adelaide, South Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts. Universal City, California: MCA Records Inc. [USA], ©1993 (released 24 SEP 1996). Fellow priest at the side of Caiaphas who is persuaded by Caiaphas into seeing Jesus as a threat. MCAD2-11542 [2 CDs], UPC 008811154226 Jesus answers that they do not have the resources to end poverty, and that they should be glad for what comforts they have. [32] Lloyd Webber stated, "The funny thing is that Jesus Christ Superstar [as a rock concert] is what we actually intended it to be. All compositions written by Tim Rice (lyrics and book) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (music). "[8][9] Some Christians considered such comments to be blasphemous, the character of Judas too sympathetic and some of his criticisms of Jesus offensive.

[23] Regional productions followed. [40] However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US tour was cancelled from March 2020. The film, directed by Norman Jewison, was shot in Israel[51] and other Middle Eastern locations. Concerts of the show have been mounted in Vienna, Austria, since 1981, including one on Easter of 2015 starring Drew Sarich in the title role.[43].

He tells God his doubts about whether his mission has had any success, and angrily demands to know why he should continue and suffer the horrible death that awaits him. [citation needed] In the same year, Noel Pearson produced the show at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, with Luke Kelly giving a critically acclaimed performance as King Herod.