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.
Rather than try to cut through the rock-operatic bombast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics, director Des McAnuff revels in it. Though intermittently moving and seldom dull, this account of Jesus' final days on Earth isn't recommended to anyone with a low tolerance for pomp. Or a headache, for that matter.
The hit of last summer’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where McAnuff is artistic director, the production’s key onstage asset is its Judas Iscariot, Josh Young. And given that this account of the final week in the life of Jesus of Nazareth is told from his betrayer’s point of view, it’s fitting that Young’s electrifying vocals and brooding presence dominate. ... The 1971 religious rock opera remains a psychologically lite relic of its time, but it gets propulsive treatment in this energized, vocally robust revival.
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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