Jesus Christ Superstar

Just finished relistening to Jesus Christ Superstar, the 1970 album. Fifty years after it first came out and I first listened to it, it holds up well. Some random thoughts:

• It’s not orthodox, but it’s still moving. Jesus doesn’t rise, and before his crucifixion he shows more doubt and fear than the Gospels allow. His death is tragic but not redemptive.

• And yet, the authorial viewpoint is respectful. According to Wikipedia, producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, an agnostic, has high respect for Jesus. This attitude comes through in “Superstar,” Judas’ Iscariot’s postmortem retrospective on Jesus and his ministry (sung wonderfully by Murray Head): “Tell me, tell me, don’t get me wrong; I only want to know.”

• Superstar portrays evil better than it portrays good. The motivations of the Jewish and Roman leaders who want rid of Jesus agree with the Gospels. Their venality rings true. Victor Brox, now recently deceased, brings his thick, raspy bass voice to a masterful portrayal of the high priest Caiaphas.

• The frequent anachronisms bring the piece into the twentieth—now the twenty-first—century and don’t, or shouldn’t, trouble the listener. Occasional adjustments to the story line of the Gospels don’t detract from the narrative. For example, Pilate and not his wife dreams of Jesus; and Pilate also gives Jesus 39 lashes, a Jewish and not a Roman punishment. A soldier speaking broad Cockney identifies Jesus as “Someone Christ, King of the Jews.”

My appreciation of Superstar hasn’t changed over the years, but now I can express it better. If you’ve never seen or heard it, you should.