Jesus Christ Superstar Reviews

Melissa W. from DFW, Texas

HAND MICS RESTRICT ACTORS' PERFORMANCES; KUDOS TO PERFORMERS.

I attended the perforance at Fair Park in Dallas on April 16, 2022. I love JCS - like many who "grew up" with the album and/or the movie, the rock opera is part of my life's soundtrack. So, I had a lot of hope when a friend invited me to see the "reimagined" JCS at Fair Park in Dallas on April 16, 2022. I am a Christian, and this was the third professional performance of JCS that I have attended, the first two with Ted Neely serving in the JCS role that is so familiar to many. This is not easy for me to say, but the three-star rating for the performance that I saw in Dallas is rather generous. Sadly, the questionable production choices left me more distracted than enamoured. At the performance that I attended, everyone except Peter (I believe) used a HAND MIC. A HAND mic! Wait - isn't this Dallas BROADWAY?! The key characters carried their hand mics and/or mic stands about on stage throughout the performance As a consequence of this production's non-hands-free audio direction, the "acting" by any of the primary characters was SERIOUSLY compromised and stifled. The cast even shared mics, with the exception of "Peter," who did not appear to be using a hand mic (scratching my head). And "Jesus's" mic "crapped out" 2-3 times. The stage at the Music Hall at Fair Park is not a particularly large stage. With one exception (the cross on which "Jesus" is crucified), the show's set is not dynamic and there are no scene changes, and for these reasons, the performers really needed an opportunity to move in more expressive ways. Clearly, the cast was well-experienced and very talented-just read the program. But while holding his mic in his hand, Aaron LaVigne as "Jesus" seemed to be meandering and lost and without a lot of expression or heart--more like a high school production--until the crucifixion (when he did not have a hand mic because, well, his character was being crucified-his hands were not available!). And "Jesus" spent an inordinate amount of time putting on a guitar, taking it off, putting it on, taking it off, leaving us wondering whether it was just an odd prop - and it was - or whether he was going to use it. EVENTUALLY (mid-show) "Jesus" played guitar in a background role at one point and later performed a song while playing the guitar and singing into a mic on a mic stand. Hmmmm. LaVigne is definitely talented, but I would have loved to have seen him "firing all cylinders" in his role--especially in the first third of the show. I think the fact that he was "handcuffed" to a hand mic throughout 98% of his performance--not his fault--really quashed his ability to "shine." Even the character of "Jesus" needs to be theatrical, and by that I do not mean that he has to perform like he is in "The Music Man," but rather that even "Jesus's" encounters with others could have been more expressive without a hand mic. In my view, the only mic-in-hand performance that rose to a Broadway-level of excellence was that of Paul Louis Lessard as "King Herod." Lessard's performance was captivating, invigorating, and exuberant! Yes, Herod's song is high-octane, but many of the other performances would have benefited if they had been executed with Lessard's spunk and punch. Now, lest you say, "Maybe they were dealing with an audio issue," two facts lead me to discredit that theory. First, "Peter" did not use a hand mic and "Jesus" did not use one while he was being crucified. Moreover, the ensemble used mics on micstands that bore lighted crosses, so the use of mic stands appears to have been "by design." The choreography was quite "in unison," which rendered it high-schoolish and lackluster, but the performers (ensemble and other characters) executed their vocal and movement art with exceedingly high precision. Very nicely done, Team JCS -- kudos! To be fair, I have not seen any other productions of the the "reimagined" JCS, so if all companies are following a singular production directive, my criticism spreads as broadly. However, in my somewhat lengthly life to date, I have seen dozens of Broadway (NYC) and touring performances, and I have NEVER seen something like the hand-mic conundrum of this production. It was exceedingly distracting, and my friend who also attended had the same complaints. I surmise that the truly odd audio-related direction (i.e., no head mics) for this performance likely arose from a budgeting issue that did not allow for proper Broadway-level audio equipment. That is not the performers' fault or issue. To be clear, except for the "Jesus" mic glitches, the audio was well-engineered. And, in all fairness, there were definite positives during the performance in spite of the audio-input (i.e., hand mic) distractions. 1. An excellent live band (although I did not love some of the synth substitutions, and their placement on set was also distracting). 2. Great talent - the cast and ensemble as a whole earn five stars, with gold "super" stars (sorry-just had to) going to Omar Lopez-Cepero ("Judas"), Jenna Rubaii ("Mary"), Alvin Crawford ("Caiaphas"), and Tommy Sherlock ("Pilate"). Again, had all of the performers been unleased from their hand-mic "handcuffs," we could have enjoyed so much more of their obvious talents. The saving graces for this production are the JCS music and lyrics of Rice/Webber, which will carry any performance of JCS as long as the musical performers have skills. Indeed, I would be willing to pay and listen to talented people seated on barstools in front of mics on mic stands, you know, just LISTEN to the music and performances -- but that is not what we paid for in this instance. In a nutshell, the production of the show was more Dallas and less Broadway, but that criticism does not extend to the cast of performers. Still JCS is a great show, and I would recommend any newcomer to JCS to see it at least once. And my criticism of the performance I saw will not deter me from seeing it again.

from Los Angeles, California

MISSED THE MARK

I have seen this show 5 times in 50 years. I love the music. The cast did not connect to the music or the audience. While I applaud the attempt to be different, it was a big fail, especially for a 50th anniversary revival. The lead selling his music in his bio was tacky. Don’t waste your time.

Ron Glickman from Los Angeles, California

BUMMER IT SUCKED

I have seen the show many times over the last 50 years. This was horrible. The cast did not connect to the music or the audience. The sound was terrible. Jesus walked around with with a guitar - mostly picked it up and put it down for no apparent reason - it was distracting. The glitter made no sense. I expected way more, especially on the 50 year anniversary of an amazing show. That the lead pitched his music in his bio was tacky. Don’t wast your time or money.

Robert clark from Los Angeles, California

MEDIOCRE

my wife is a huge fan of this show and has seen it previously in many forms...i splashed out and purchased front row seats , at Pantages, to surprise her for her birthday Jesus, with a "man bun" was terrible......seemed bored ( as we were with his performance) and never quite sure of the significance of the guitar ...lacking in personality, only an adequate singing voice and easily the worst male lead i have seen in a musical ever Dancers and choreography basically saved the show......microphones with cords ?, terrible sound quality could go on and on but if you haven't bought tickets yet then save your money I generally love musicals but not this production

Coach Owens from Baltimore, Maryland

JCS MISSES THE MARK!

Hi everyone! Well after 50 years of this great musical last night was the pits! Simply put, the band was great minus the guitar playing Jesus and Pilate. The use of hand held microphones was "Bush League" and definitly a distraction. Jesus' voice was all over the place! Judas was just a little better. Ted Neely and Carl Anderson are rolling in their graves. Mary was okay, but ive heard better. Believe it or not I did like the Choreography. It was diferent, fresh approach. The chorus, background signers were awesome! Caiphas and priests saved the scenes. Finally, I know it was opening night, but the show started 12 minutes late!!!!!!!! I totally missed the first ten minutes because I had to go to the mens room and got locked out!!!!! Next time, I'll bring a portable unrinal !!!!!!!! PS: The two stars are for the music!

John Decker from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

BIZZARE CHOICES, UNEVEN DIRECTION, WEAK JUDAS

Sometimes revivals say something new and interesting. Sometimes they transport you back in time. This did neither. Half the ensemble and cast seemed to be working with frenetic energy, and half seemed to just want the thing over with. Unfortunately, each type seemed to be randomly distributed, which was confusing. Judas emotes with all the believablity of Family Feud Steve Harvey, as played by Kenan Thompson on SNL. He was a bit all over the place vocally. If you know the show, you know that for it to work, Judas has to put the entire production on his back and carry it. Jesus was pretty good, Mary was there, Ultra-Intense-Dancer-Girl needed to be in a better, or at least different musical. The costumes were weak, the lighting design was lazy. Glitter-whipping a naked ravaged Jesus was fun, but a bit like being inside Mike Pence's darkest fantasy. Nobody understood why the moneychangers in the temple were dancing around with lighted crosses.

Jillian from Minneapolis, Minnesota

DISAPPOINTING ATTEMPT AT "MODERNIZING" JCS

JCS is my FAVORITE show. I have seen many amazing productions. This was not one. Jesus in a hoodie & man-bun was not convincing and seemed almost a lazy portrayal. Why did he keep picking up the guitar only to put it down again...random and confusing. Mary grew on me, as did Pilot. Herod was a disappointment though. If anything could have turned up the volume and energy it would have been Herod's Court. But even that was flat and almost felt like a Goth interpretation. One-dimensional and a grey one at that. One choice I really liked was the Priests. When they flipped their staffs to become mic stands I grinned! That was a flash of brilliance! My last comment is on the glitter lashing. Felt like a cop out... That scene is SUPPOSED to be raw and disturbing. Splashing the actor with glitter is NOT the way to portray that event. Until next time...

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