Jesus Christ Superstar, the ground-breaking rock opera which reinvented musical theatre for the modern age, tells the story of the last week of Christ's life. The zeal with which Christ's followers are hailing him as the Son of God becomes a source of dismay to his disciple Judas Iscariot. Fearing that this tide of religious fervor will provoke brutal repression by the occupying Romans, Judas must make his fateful choice between faith and betrayal.
This production opened at Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival and transferred to the La Jolla Playhouse for a run in 2011.
“Superstar” is a minor and pretty mindless retelling of Jesus’ final days. [...] The heartiest hosanna goes to Jeremy Kushnier (filling in for an ailing Josh Young) as Judas, whose betrayal of Jesus gets major focus. Kushnier is a fierce singer and blessed with full-throttle charisma. It was a stunning turn of events: The understudy shall inherit the role — and walk away with the show.
Kushnier, whose work was formidably intense, rich and complex for the work of an understudy, does not come with the same Goth intensity as Young's more sensual Judas, pushing the disloyal Apostle more toward personal panic than besotted manipulation. Both approaches have their strengths and so does Chilina Kennedy's earnest Mary, even if her work seems less central and layered than it did in Canada. But by eschewing any shades of folk or billowy sweetness in favor of an all-consuming need for Jesus' attention, she nails the famous ballads, “I Don't Know How to Love Him” and “Could We Start Again Please?” which is what people want from her the most in the theater and are the two most common questions people ask of Jesus in the world outside.
1971 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1972 | West End |
London Production West End |
1977 | US Tour |
Touring Revival US Tour |
1977 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1977 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1995 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
1996 | West End |
London Revival West End |
2000 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2002 | US Tour |
First Class National Tour US Tour |
2006 | Beverly, MA (Regional) |
North Shore Music Theatre Production Beverly, MA (Regional) |
2012 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2017 | Off-Broadway |
All-Female Concert Production Off-Broadway |
2017 | St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
The Muny's Revival Adaptation St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
2017 | West End |
Regents Open Air Theatre Revival West End |
2018 | Motion Picture |
NBC Live Televised Production Motion Picture |
2019 | West End |
London Return Engagement at the Barbican West End |
2019 | US Tour |
2019 North American Tour US Tour |
2023 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Steve Canyon Kennedy |
2012 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2012 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Debut Performance | Josh Young |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Josh Young |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Shin/Coleman |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Stratford Shakespeare Festival |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | TheatreDreams North America, LLC |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Stratford Shakespeare Festival |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Dodgers and The Really Useful Group |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Latitude Link |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Tamara Kinsella |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Pelican Group |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Waxman-Dokton |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Joe Corcoran |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Detsky/Sokolowski/Kassie |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Florin-Blanshay-Fan/Broadway Across America |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Rich/Caudwell |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Kevin Kinsella |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Shin/Coleman |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | TheatreDreams North America, LLC |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Rich/Caudwell |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Stratford Shakespeare Festival |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | TheatreDreams North America, LLC |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Shin/Coleman |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Rich/Caudwell |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Broadway Across America |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Florin-Blanshay-Fan |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Detsky/Sokolowski/Kassie |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Joe Corcoran |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Waxman-Dokton |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Pelican Group |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Tamara Kinsella |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Kevin Kinsella |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Latitude Link |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Dodgers and The Really Useful Group |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Jesus Christ Superstar |
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