I am absolutely a die-hard Andrew Lloyd Webber fan~ my all time favorite show and first passion was "Phantom of the Opera." I began listening to the music of "Jesus Christ Superstar" about two years ago~ the first song I ever heard was "Gethsemane," sung by the man who created the role of the Phantom, the great Michael Crawford. I was taken aback by the beautiful melody ALW had created in that song. First I got a "Highlights" CD, then the piano music, then I saw the movie with Ted Neeley, and gradually my fascination with the beautiful melodies and the interesting take on a well-known Bible story grew and grew. Imagine my surprise when I found out that ALW's stunning masterpiece was returning to Broadway! This new production was everything I hoped for and more~ everything was updated and revamped~ the costumes, the orchestrations, the set, and the concepts. The cast of disciples was the most energetic I have seen. From the very first moment they burst onstage, to the showy Las-Vegas cabaret number, "King Herod's Song," they were alive and lighting up the stage. Everything has been reconcieved and employs interesting and original ideas. The corrupted Temple has been reimagined as a cross between Wall-Street, a brothel, and a Las-Vegas casino. The priests' costumes look like something out of The Matrix. And Tony Vincent has brought new depth to the role of Judas, here portrayed as moody rock-star. And of course, what can be said about Paul Kandel's King Herod? The Herod scene was, of course, the typical flashy Broadway show-stopping Fosse-esque top-hat-and-cane dance spectacular~ very cliche and extremely effective. The entire audience was giddy with laughter~ not because the scene was outwardly funny, but out of sheer relief after the tense and dramatic scene that precedes it. The priests were excellent, with an extremely intimidating Caiaphas and a convincingly sinister Annas. The one part I was not particularly impressed with was Judas's death~ the staging was very predictable, anti-climactic, and almost hilariously unrealistic. However, the rest of the show more than makes up for the one staging mistake. The set was of simple design but very effective. Last but certainly not least was Maya Days' stunning performance as Mary Magdalene~ I fell in love with her immediately~ she has a gorgeous voice and an incredible stage presence. Well, JCS has once again brought the house down~ unfortunately it closes on Broadway in four days, so see it soon or miss forever one of the world's most stunning and powerful musicals.



Recommended: Yes