Andrew Robinson
On Easter Sunday, NBC put on a production of the classic musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, with well-known singer John Legend (“All of Me,” “Love Me Now,” You & I”) playing the titular role, and The Exorcist‘s (the TV show; not the movie – here’s my shameless recommendation in an inappropriate setting: The Exorcist is must-see TV) Ben Daniels playing Pontius Pilate. Singer Sara Bareilles (“Brave,” I Choose You,” “Gravity”) plays Mary Magdalene, Brandon Victor Dixon (Power, and the play Hamilton) portrays Judas, and Alice Cooper makes a brief (but memorable) appearance as King Herod. Notable supporting cast members include Norm Lewis (Les Miserables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary) as Caiaphas, Erik Gronwell, the 2009 winner of Sweden’s Idol, as Simon, Jin Ha as Annas, and Jason Tam (One Life to Live) as Peter. Directed by two-time Emmy winner Alex Rudzinski and David Leveraux, and executive produced by the legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar Live pulls out all the stops for what amounts to an incredible rendition of the classic play.
*Spoilers will follow
Analysis
My father has talked about Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) for as long as I can remember (he can even quote the songs) but I, admittedly, had never seen any rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar before last night. I was blown away.
John Legend has always been one of my favorite singers. As technically sound as they come, Legend never sounds like he needs a tune-up; he is one of the few singers who sounds virtually the same live or otherwise. He does not disappoint in JCS. Playing Jesus (on Easter Sunday, nonetheless!) must be nerve-wracking, even for a seasoned performer like Legend, but he absolutely blew me away every time he opened his mouth. I mean, just listen to his performance at Gethsemane. Some commenters seem to be saying that he didn’t show enough of a rock side, but I whole-heartedly disagree. I think Legend is the absolute perfect casting for JCS; he provides a soft-spoken nature to Jesus, but also belts out the notes when necessary. He made the show legendary (okay, even I cringed at that one. Sorry.)
Dixon brings his all as Judas. He may have even stole a bit of the thunder from Legend! His performance of “Heaven on Their Minds,” began the musical with a bang. I imagine he is incredible in Hamilton – his voice is just so beautiful. The choreography here is also very well-done, which doesn’t always occur in live performances.
In fact, the choreography of the entire show is very well-done. While I was mostly focused on the musical performances, I very much enjoyed the choreography, and it didn’t seem as if anyone was out-of-step or overdoing it.
Going hand-in-hand with the choreography, as always, are the costumes. I commend the decision to go contemporary with the attire; I think it allowed the audience to connect with the characters and story much more so than it would have otherwise.
Sara Bareilles did an adequate job, I thought. I wasn’t blown away by any of her solos but, then again, she’s never been famous for her ability to belt out the loud, high notes – she’s made a living off the soft, intimate music that is so amazing to hear. I enjoyed her solos, and her performance as a whole, but I do think that Legend and Dixon brought more to the table.
Alice Cooper’s entrance is… something. I think his acting is on-point (which, to be honest, cannot be said about all of the performances, but musicals are more about the music, anyway) and he has a great amount of sarcasm and life in his voice. However, the vocals, in my opinion, do not quite add up to the high bar set by Dixon and Legend. Regardless, his performance is quite entertaining.
The trial scene before Pilate is, unquestionably, the best scene in the entire play. While Daniels’ voice isn’t as seasoned as Legend’s, Bareilles’, or Dixon’s, the amount of emotion that he puts in each word is incredible. Pilate’s inner-grappling with what to do with Jesus is so difficult to portray – in a musical, nonetheless – and Daniels does a great job. His facial expressions and mannerisms show just how much he wants to save Jesus, but the crowd is so intent on crucifying him – and Jesus knows that he must undergo the unthinkable pain – that Pilate decides that nothing he can do will save the King of the Jews. It was very smart of the musical to cast Daniels, perhaps the most seasoned actor in the show, as that single scene needs an actor who could sing, not a singer who can act. While his vocals aren’t perfect, Daniels delivers where it matters most.
Chrissy Teigen, John Legend’s wife (they are one of the cutest couples ever, by the way), was live-tweeting JCS, and I was dying. In chronological order, here are her most must-see live-tweets. One (Luna is their young daughter) Two (He did have quite the attire) Three (This was in reference to the Gethsemane song) Four (In reference to after Jesus’ capture; I thought the same thing) and Five (TRUE)
Verdict
All in all, NBC’s Easter night rendition of JCS was great, family-oriented programming. I can now say that I have seen Jesus Christ Superstar, and I may actually know what songs my dad is singing all the time. Legend and Dixon carry the show, Bareilles is solid, Daniels provides some acting chops, and Cooper has… quite the entrance! The choreography is great, the sets are great, and the supporting cast does a commendable job. Nothing went horribly wrong, which is always a plus when something is performed live on television.
The only real reason that this is getting a half-point off is the microphones could have been turned up a little bit. Other than that, great show!
9.5/10
