Jesus Christ Superstar: Chicago Lyric Opera

[Mister Matt]

Juts saw the Chicago Lyric transfer of the Olivier-winning revival of Jesus Christ Superstar today.  In 30 years of seeing numerous productions and tours, THIS is the one that should be on Broadway.  It is breathtaking.  The costumes and staging are modern, but without being over-conceptualized with heavy-handed political and literal references.  A multi-level unit set that is immediately interesting, but the staging, direction and choreography are brilliant and effective enough not to demand a gimmicky overblown design.  The lighting is perfection and every member of this mammoth cast gives 100% dedication for the entire show, which is bursting with energy and stunning choreography.  I loved the vocals from all the leads.  No weak links.  They do use hand-held mics, which never felt intrusive, and at times, were brilliantly incorporated into the props and choreography for some characters.  There were a few moments of uneven sound mixing from the mics, which isn't uncommon for any show using hand-held mics, but for me, it was a minor quibble.  Though this production originated at an outdoor thrust stage, its premiere for the proscenium worked beautifully.  I know they've announced a tour staring Fall of 2019, but  do hope it gets a shot at Broadway because this one truly deserves it and personally, I feel it is a Tony-worthy production. 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Thank you for this. I am eagerly awaiting the towns/dates for the tour to be announced. Hope that San Francisco is on the list.

[Mister Matt]

I'm going to try and see it again before this run ends.  I want this burned into my brain and I don't want to wait over a year (at least) to see it again.

[Call_me_jorge]

Does the lyric opera offer a rush of some kind?

[AEA AGMA SM]

I know I've gotten student tickets in the past. I think I paid around $30 for Tales of Hoffman (back in 2011). The seats were pretty high up, but the acoustics were great.

[adamgreer]

Wait, is this the production that’s touring? I thought the tour was completely independent of this production.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

It may not necessarily have the same cast or orchestra, but it will be essentially the same production, based on the Regent's Park staging from 2016/17. The tour website listing the same creative team is a big clue.

[markypoo]

There are tickets available at Hottix.

[markypoo]

Use code SPRING for 25% off Friday thru Sunday; 50% off weekdays.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

My two cents:

* It's got that slick polish that Webber needlessly sticks on most revivals of this show -- clean, more "pop"-sounding than "rock," kind of like most new-wave JCS in that respect.

* The orchestra has a very full sound because, for once, it is a very full orchestra (only an opera house has the kind of funding to pull that off).

* Singing-wise, this blows the NBC special out of the damn water. I like that they cast performers who can actually sing the score and aren't afraid to riff if they feel like it. Heath Saunders in particular turns in an excellent performance as Jesus, all in all; he brings an interesting swagger and refreshing R&B vibe to the role, while not skimping on the rock screams. Not afraid to really loosen the hinges on the ad-libbing, too. Ryan Shaw as Judas is a little low-energy in his movement and demeanor, but the voice more than makes up for it. Absolutely unreal. Sings the score with ease, and adds some unique and exciting flare in a way other performers in recent productions didn't. Mykal Kilgore's interpretation of Simon was also a surprising stand-out; the show is already worth seeing twice, but he would be the reason I buy another ticket. It took me a long time to return my full attention to the show after his number. I wasn't surprised to hear that he had played Judas in the recent all-black production in Aurora; if he takes over the role on tour, Carl Anderson (may he rest) and Ben Vereen have finally met their damn match.

* "King Herod's Song," though... what in blue hell was that? I was scared. I was confused. It felt like a fever dream; I can honestly say I've never seen that onstage before. If I had to pinpoint one thing to fix before this hits the road, it would be to redo the costuming and portrayal of that character entirely. It is jarringly out of place.

* As for the staging and design... meh. I liked some artistic decisions they made, but nothing to write home about. I just... didn't really feel anything. A lot of newer productions of JCS suffer from this; I think they're so shallow and glitzy that at times the show itself has ceased to mean anything. It's pretty much what Judas warns against in the story - style and personality devouring substance. I'm open to new interpretations, but this is a Disney-fied, stripped down version of the show. It will never be the offensive, boundary-pushing thing it was because the times are different, but it should be more imaginative than this. This is like Wicked-levels of empty spectacle. (And that's not just JCS, it's a general problem; lately people have too often conflated density of spectacle with quality. This is across the board, from Hollywood to Broadway.) As Mr. Rogers once said, "Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex." A "less is more" JCS is not particularly innovative, but that's still what I would really like to see in the future.

[darquegk]

Interesting that Heath Saunders is Jesus; perhaps he's more of a chameleon than I thought. I saw the show he and his family created at NYMF 2016, and Saunders was uncannily reminiscent of a younger, multiethnic Anthony Rapp.

I'll never forget the first time I encountered him: I was on the phone with my friends during a NYMF in the Park promo event, and he was singing one of his ballads during soundcheck. My friend immediately said "Is that Anthony Rapp? Is he in your show?" I ran to check, and it was Heath. And now he's a swaggering R&B Jesus... dude's got range.

[wssinsider]

Sadly the tour going out will be Non Equity