Are you what they say you are?

Hi everyone! I said that almost a week later was bad to release a post, I take that back. Seeing as I was on holiday all last week, camping to say the least (click here to read all about that), I had no time and no electricity supply. So now I'm back, I finally have time to get my notes down on post.

So a few days after I saw Anything Goes, I saw something that couldn't be much more different - which was Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Opening first surprisingly on Broadway in 1971 and then in London the following year, it was the show that put the two young writers on the musicals map. It is also well known that, particularly in the States, it opened to ask much controversy from the Christian community as it did to critical acclaim; but I'll get to that later. 

The story is one that everyone knows in one way or another, which is the last 7 days of Jesus' life, until his crucifixion (again, I'll get to that later), and took more of Jesus' followers perspectives, such as Judas and Mary Magdeline, following the theme of them trying to work out who exactly Jesus is. The beginning prologue is a good summary of what had happened until then, in being with Jesus' group, and the end crucifixion being a very powerful and hard watch, as it should be - the end music was beautiful as well, John 19:41 - find it in your Bibles, I think it was a silly verse to use. As for the bit in-between, it is on the whole a pretty good account in what happened in those last few days - and really goes in deep in how Jesus was mocked (and beaten) before his crucifixion. 

Now, you will have at least heard of a few of the songs in this show, at the very least Superstar.  But obviously, it cannot be, and isn't the only one who deserves a mention: those include I Don't Know How To Love Him, Pilate's Dream (I loved the lyrics to this, will mention it again later), Could We Start Again Please - and of course that song of insanity Gethsemane. That song is definitely ALW's hardest. Even without the TOP G scream (I find hard to reach in the head voice and Jesus has to SCREAM IT!!!!), it is an extremely difficult song to sing, and I think Glenn Carter did that really well. In fact, his entire performance as Jesus was really good. Well, as I'm on performances, I might as well go into that too. I'd say the ones I need to mention Rachel Adedeji as Mary, Tim Rodgers as Judas, Edward Handall as Peter and Calvin Cornwall as a very very deep Caiaphas. I also had my first understudy in a while with Jonathan Tweedie understudying Rhydian Rodgers as Pontias Pilate - well done Jonathan, you did a great job. 

The production itself as a show is great, especially if you love the big epic shows/mega-musicals, so it is definitely worth a watch.

But, as a Christian, I'd like to end on why a show like JCS as come under a lot of controversy over the years - and I'll try and be as quick as possible. 

Now to start with, I do not think it is blasphemous. True, there are some parts in the writing that make you pull a "Did Jesus really say that?" face, but there are also some that are brilliant, and are, to be honest, just how different characters would react to him. For example, in I Don't Know How To Love Him Mary is saying how she finds that it is weird that Jesus is the only man who doesn't want to use her for himself  - I would react the same if I were her! Or the lyrics in Pilate's Dream - they're fantastic! Should we give Pilate the blame? Should blame even be in the equation? 

Here's what I think the biggest problem is - the story - well, truth be told, the ending - it does not include the resurrection. The big question of the entire opera is Who is Jesus?  For me, not having the resurrection is like trying to finish a puzzle with a piece missing; or having your TV stop working during your favourite programme. And that is where the whole angle for Superstar flips. Anyone who really doesn't know the story would think that Jesus died on the cross, he was buried, end of - where in reality, it isn't the whole story. Here are some more questions that the musical asks:

1. Was he God? Was he a man? Was he a prophet or a magician? Was he a Superstar?
2. Why did he come here?
3. Why did he have to die on the cross?

Etc etc. You know the ones I'm on about. And all of those questions need the resurrection. It was only after that that everything really came clear to the disciples etc. That God sent His only Son Jesus - fully man and God - to die on the cross for us - for our sins and so we can spend eternity with Him. He wasn't a magician, but in that respect, he was a Superstar. Just not in the same angle that JCS was taking the audience. 

If they were really that adamant on ending it at the crucifixion, here's what verse that end music should have been Luke 23:47 - look it up.

But there is one reason why they may have ended it this way. The purpose of the performance is not only to present us with questions but also for us to ask what we believe. Through ending it this way it enables us to see our own point of view. Most people do know the Easter story. Especially in the UK,  they are brought up with the story being told throughout school as we are reminded about the story every Easter. What Jesus Christ Superstar presents is an alternative to the story which we all know were we are told Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. A story which tells us that this is what happened. Through ending the performance where they did they neither declare that he was or wasn't the son of God, allowing us to discover deep down what we believe. I know while watching it that it gave me a little reminder of what He did for us =)

I know this went a little deeper than normal, but I thought it was necessary, not just because of the subject matter, but also because of the response from different communities. To finish (really finish), I encourage you to see it when you can.