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

[Mister Matt]

* 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.

I didn't feel that way at all.  In fact, musically, it most closely resembled the original concept album (which was not always "rock" sounding, either" than any other production I've seen.  Was Webber directly involved in this production?  The 90s tour that went around for years was painfully overamplified and the leads either screamed or croak-spoke, but it wasn't any more "rock" in its orchestrations.  

* "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.

Oh, King Herod from that 90s tour was WAY WAY WAY worse.  I absolutely LOVED this one and thought it was positively spot on.  The breathtaking costume during his entrance appears to be a nod to the golden eagle he had built at the entrance to the Temple (a symbol of his self-interest in Rome over that of the Jews).  Herod represented the opulent hedonism and psychotic tyranny of the Roman rulers.  He dubbed himself the "King of the Jews", so I loved the change from the subdued regal formality to infantile rant.  Brilliant.  

* 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.

Again, I feel totally opposite.  This was the most emotionally resonant and satisfying production I've encountered.  Almost overwhelmingly so at times.  I didn't find this shallow and it only had "glitz" when the story called for it, which was mostly the Temple scene and King Herod's song.  The Pharisees had special lighting and choreography for their songs as a symbolically BRILLIANT artistic choice that was less about "glitz" and more about "celebrity".

It's pretty much what Judas warns against in the story - style and personality devouring substance.

Judas warns Jesus of garnering too much attention based on his opinion of what he's seeing.  All the while ignoring the fact that everything HAS to happen the way it is because it is predestined and Jesus knows this.  Judas wants Jesus to lie low and back off.  Judas then mockingly questions Jesus (in what is actually the fever-dream of the show) about whether his choices were based on faith or ego.  

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.

More imaginative in what way?  It sounds like you refer to it as being too too polished, but also stripped-down?  Based on the numerous productions I've seen, both professional and amateur, this struck the perfect balance of respecting the score and original concept and being modern with only hints of period (unlike the 96 London revival), without getting heavy-headed with literal political references (the 2001 revival), desperate attempts to be currently relevant (2012 revival), spectacle for the sake of spectacle (UK arena tour) or just being completely grotesque and tacky as an overarching concept and no other thought (90s tour).  It will still be offensive to the highly conservative and closed-minded, but I thought this production really focused on the intent of the original concept of a modern retelling of the story from a more relatable human point of view.  I guess I don't understand what it is you want to see.

Oh, and can we talk about Jo Lampert as Mary Magdalene?  Everything from her look to her voice was perfection.  The most powerful and emotional rendition of I Don't Know How to Love Him I've seen since Yvonne Elliman in the film (I prefer to forget about her meandering Tony performance).

Sadly the tour going out will be Non Equity

I've seen some surprisingly good non-Equity tours, but I do find this news disheartening.  Sounds like there's no plans for Broadway, which is really stupid.