The 1970 concept album for Jesus Christ Superstar remains one of the finest ever committed to record.  A rock opera that stirred emotion, controversy and propelled the young Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to immediate, overnight success.  But having seen three professional productions (and one community one) I must say that I have never seen a live staging that really impressed me or made any significant mark.  All that changed tonight.  The new production by MusicalFare truly delivered and I left the theater finally fulfilled.

Often misunderstood, Superstar is not the story of the days leading to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.  It is a re-telling of the Passion of Christ through the lens of Judas Iscariot and centers on his doubts, his criticisms and ultimately his betrayal.  Yet the show is much more than the “Gospel according to Judas” because we also catch glimpses into the minds of other central characters like Mary Magdalene, Peter and Simon and it is through their songs and interactions that a bigger picture develops.  The apostles are trying to make sense of this shared experience and navigating the uncertainty of where it will lead them all in the end.  That said, the show needs to have a Judas that can capture the fear, the judgement and insecurity and Quinn McGillion delivers it all.  He portrays Judas with a wide range of power and nuance: tender falsettos and scorching rock and roll tenor belting.  We feel his conflict in real time.  Equally persuasive is Tiger J. Brown’s stirring portrayal of the titular character – hitting notes that electrified the audience.  We believed every word and his acceptance to “what his destiny must be” was authentic and controlled.  Aimée Walker as Mary Magdalene was terrific and her rich mezzo soprano soared.  In fact, the entire cast shined.  There was not one weak link amongst them and it seems that most everyone had their moment in the light.  Standouts in the supporting roles were the Pharisees.  All four of them worked so well together and Phillip Farugia’s deep bass-baritone was bone chilling as Caiaphas. Lilly Jones sang beautifully as Pilate and Kristopher Bartolomeo did not hold back at all in making King Herod as ridiculous, memorable and amusing as the role entails – even toting a stuffed rainbow unicorn.   

The staging was bright and colorful and there were many environments created with some geometric shapes, two off-kilter screens and a central staircase that could be lit to dozens of different color combinations.  The screens were also backlit and silhouettes of the actors behind them were used to great effect. Projected patterns and colors could fill the screens thus adding atmosphere and identity to the various scenes.  One aspect of the projections, however, was a bit overused and often distracting and this was the black and white Jamie Lloyd-style feed from a live camera.  While the intent was to bring the central characters to a larger-than-life presence, the delay in the transmission, from camera to projector, was behind 1.5 seconds which led to the focus being on a badly synched image. Hearing the songs but seeing nothing line up to their mouths became irritating.  One scene where the live projection was very effective, though, was during the 39 lashes.  Since Jesus was not singing anything we only saw his reactions, winces and tortured body movements and it made me wish that the 39 lashes was the only scene to use this technique because it worked so very well there. But, these were minor criticisms.  I was just happy to see color in a production of this show.  My biggest complaint with the previous versions I attended was that everything always seemed to be monochromatic and boring.  The use of color and light was a welcome change and I appreciated the production design very much.  Add to that the choreography and impeccable costuming the show was a visual feast.  The opening night crowd leapt to their feet as the very first wave of performers took the stage at the curtain call and each successive wave gained louder and louder accolades.

With any staged work that is religious in nature, it is impossible to know what the individual beliefs may be for the cast members.  But this diverse ensemble proved one thing to be abundantly clear: that they, from the standout leads to the smallest of supporting roles, all believe in this work.  And they performed it with confidence, intensity and gusto. MusicalFare and Shea’s 710 Theater will be showing this production through April 19. Find tickets and details here https://musicalfare.com/.

Stephen DuBois, reviewer