Misplaced Pages

Jesus Christ Superstar: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 12:42, 13 November 2002 editOlivier (talk | contribs)Administrators98,448 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 20:40, 5 March 2003 edit undoDeb (talk | contribs)Administrators212,299 edits expandingNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Jesus Christ, Superstar''' was a ] ] by ] and ], highlighting the political and interpersonal struggles of ] and ]. '''''Jesus Christ, Superstar''''' is a ] by ] and ]. First heard in ], it highlights the political and interpersonal struggles of ] and ]. The action takes place within the last week of Jesus's life, beginning with the entry into ] and ending with the ].


The opera was first heard as an album before being staged -- in ]'s ] and later on ]. The same pattern would be followed by Rice and Lloyd Webber's second great musical hit, '']''.
The opera has been staged on ] and recorded as an album, as well as made into a movie (filmed entirely on location in ], directed by ]). The title song, sung by ], and the song ''I Don't Know How to Love Him'', sung by the ] character about her relationship with Jesus, were both big hits.

The movie (filmed entirely on location in ], directed by ]) failed to emulate the success of the stage show. The title song, sung by ], and the song ''I Don't Know How to Love Him'', sung by the ] character about her relationship with Jesus, were both big hits.

On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by ] and that of Judas by ]. The future ] had a one-liner as a priest. None of the album's cast appeared in the West End show. Only two of the album cast, ] and ] (]) made it into the film version, which starred Broadway's Jesus, ], in the title role.


The play sparked a great deal of controversy for its rather unorthodox take on the Passion which Christian protesters called sacriligeous. By the turn of the century, the furor over the play had died down so completely that it is now often performed by church groups. The play sparked a great deal of controversy for its rather unorthodox take on the Passion which Christian protesters called sacriligeous. By the turn of the century, the furor over the play had died down so completely that it is now often performed by church groups.

Revision as of 20:40, 5 March 2003

Jesus Christ, Superstar is a rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. First heard in 1969, it highlights the political and interpersonal struggles of Judas and Jesus. The action takes place within the last week of Jesus's life, beginning with the entry into Jerusalem and ending with the Crucifixion.

The opera was first heard as an album before being staged -- in London's West End and later on Broadway. The same pattern would be followed by Rice and Lloyd Webber's second great musical hit, Evita.

The movie (filmed entirely on location in Israel, directed by Norman Jewison) failed to emulate the success of the stage show. The title song, sung by Judas Iscariot, and the song I Don't Know How to Love Him, sung by the Mary Magdalene character about her relationship with Jesus, were both big hits.

On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by Ian Gillan and that of Judas by Murray Head. The future Gary Glitter had a one-liner as a priest. None of the album's cast appeared in the West End show. Only two of the album cast, Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen (Pontius Pilate) made it into the film version, which starred Broadway's Jesus, Ted Neeley, in the title role.

The play sparked a great deal of controversy for its rather unorthodox take on the Passion which Christian protesters called sacriligeous. By the turn of the century, the furor over the play had died down so completely that it is now often performed by church groups.