The State - Article 5/7/2004

Workshop Theatre’s new production of the 1970s rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” couldn’t have been scheduled at a better time — even if it is just a coincidence.

It comes just two months after the release of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” which has been stirring controversy and setting box-office records.

“I think that the interest in the ‘The Passion’ has sparked a great interest in the story,” said Scott Blanks, a Benedict College professor who is directing the musical at Workshop.

“So has the revival of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and the current national tour, which was supposed to have closed last year but is still selling strong. There seems to be a high interest in the story itself, so I think that the timing for us is perfect.”

Like “The Passion,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” caused a stir in its day, though for different reasons — its use of rock music and for showing Christ’s more human side.

“Both Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ ... attempt to take seriously two different aspects of Jesus’ life,” said Carl Evans, chairman of the USC department of religious studies.

“‘The Passion’s’ message is of salvation and his non-human aspects. ‘Superstar’ portrays the humanity of Jesus.”

Telling the story of Jesus in modern times has been fraught with peril.

“The Passion” — widely attacked for its violence and for what some say is anti-Semitism — is just one of a long string of artworks about Jesus that have raised hackles.

Martin Scorcese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) was protested for its depiction of what Jesus’ life might have been like had he not accepted the cross.

Terrace McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” features a Christ-like figure and his 12 followers, all of whom are homosexual. A production planned for New York was shut down after the playwright received death threats.

“Jesus Christ Superstar,” written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (who would go on the create “Evita,” “Cats” and many other popular shows), started as a recording, then a concert, before hitting Broadway in 1971.

A huge hit — with Murray Head’s version of the title song and Yvonne Elliman’s version of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” making the pop charts that year — it would gain even more fans when a movie version came out in 1973.

Some critics slammed “Superstar” for its use of rock music, for giving Jesus human qualities such as doubt and sexuality, and because it did not depict the resurrection. (The movie also drew heat from some quarters because a black actor played the betrayer Judas.)

But especially for young people, “Superstar” — along with the musical “Godspell” and pop songs such as “Jesus Is Just Alright” and “Spirt in the Sky”— provided a connection with a religion that didn’t seem relevant in its coat-and-tie, hymn-singing form.

Diverse depictions of Jesus’ life aren’t anything new — his image has been molded and reshaped by many church leaders and artists during the past 2000 years.

In the early Christian church, he was portrayed as a stern father. Later he was shown as a kind, loving shepherd.

Raphael’s 1502 depiction of the crucifixion shows a barely marred Christ draped in bright robes before a sunny Italian landscape.

Just 12 years later, Matthias Grunewald created an image of the crucified Christ with nails in his hands and feet, his entire body covered with pustules and hanging before a black sky.

The life of Christ leaves much room for interpretation.

“The Gospels are so sparse in the telling that it invites reflective imagination,” said Evans of USC. “The Gospels are highly selective — they leave out so much. If you look at the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospels, you’d come up with four very different portraits.”

Workshop will offer variety, too. The set is based on a temple, but not an ancient one. Costumes will mix the old and new.

Starring in the Workshop Theatre production are Tim Robertson as Jesus, Christopher Cockrell as Judas, Kristin Abbott as Mary Magdalene, Matthew DeGuire as Herod, Tyron McFarland as Pilate and Walter Graham as Caiaphas.

Musical director Randy Moore leads a six-piece band.

“And don’t expect to see a Renaissance-looking Jesus either,” Blanks said. “We want audiences to put away their iconic images and see the ‘man,’ follow his plight and story. We are trying for a working man with the noblest character and a great mission.”