Jesus Christ Superstar is the 1971 Andrew Lloyd Webber Biblical rock-musical that narrates the last seven days of Jesus’s life in a flashy, pop-filled 90-minute package. There is no intermission, so audiences make it back home for their bedtime prayers, hallelujah!
A talent-studded odyssey of love, power and protest, Springfield Theatre Centre’s gender-bending production, co-directed by Preston Dodd and Roy Lowery, highlights the show’s enduring moral ambiguity. It invites the audience to recognize the modern parallels of the struggle between authority and justice within the fractured relationships of Jesus, Judas and their followers. Dodd and Lowery’s vision includes shout-outs to the original movie and album, and to celebrities and musicians of the 1970s.
“We wanted to portray a stark contrast between the two parties of the time; Jesus being the counter-culture and the priests and the authority figures as the mainstream,” Lowery said.
The pillared, industrial-infused set and surreal lighting, masterfully designed by David Hecht, illuminates a world both futuristic and eerily familiar — like a fallen dystopian society from another realm.
“When people come to see this, they’re expecting the story of Jesus— which is true, but it’s told in an original way,” Dodd said.
Original indeed. The directors added a beginning and ending dream sequence, anchoring the show into the time period in which it was written; like a Wizard of Oz moment but with marijuana and fringe.
Kinsey Peotter opens the show as the often scene-stealing character of Judas — and this production is no different. Peotter’s phenomenal rendition avoids the typical villain tropes, instead offering a deeply human portrait of a woman torn between devotion and doubt. It doesn’t hurt she obliterates the vocal demands of the score and can belt her way right through a 400-seat theater.
Jesus, played exquisitely by Joseph Hardy, enters looking like a replica of John Lennon and wearing a bracelet that reads, “Jesus loves strippers.” Hardy’s vocal range and tone cascades from Jean Valjean to Aerosmith, proving that to play a musical theater martyr, one must be a tenor in the rafters. Apparently, the higher the notes, the closer to God. Hardy delivers the thundering rock ballad “Gethsemane” with staggering beauty, and his gut-wrenching moments feel authentically painful for the audience.
“I did a lot of research into interpreting Jesus’ story; he has to be perfect and sinless, but he also has to be human and he has to feel,” Hardy said.
Mary Magdalene is played with graceful simplicity by Betsy Buttell. She performs the hit “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” with equal parts vocal precision and heartbreaking soul. The same can be said for Robert Napier’s portrayal of Simon Zealots, as his buttery vocals warm up any number.
Clad in ballooned, white satin clown pants, the priestly quintet of Erica Metzger, Sophie Carpenter, Alan Livengood, Benjamin Klisit and John O’Connor emerge above the stage as retro-glam murder prophets. Their wielding of sparkly billy-clubs to cause chaos feels like a fever dream; as if Sonny and Cher were beating up hippies at Woodstock. All were deliciously despicable in their portrayal, as was Cal Piland as Pontius Pilate. If the priests brought the disco ball, Piland brought the martini. They easily commanded the stage with a lush, sophisticated rendition of “Pilates Dream”.
Jared J’Lavender Lamkey’s Herod is a glitter-flecked drag queen providing comic relief with a bouncy ragtime number. His look perfectly serves flamboyant vanity, thanks to hair and makeup duo Alayna Currie and Kelly Mohler-Wood. Lamkey, who will also perform drag at Springfield’s PrideFest this year, impressively performs a tap dance in six-inch heeled boots.
Another standout is Ryan Cour as Peter, who draws one’s eye even when part of the large ensemble. His Peter was delivered with a pure vulnerability that could easily be lost with a lesser actor and vocalist.
The ensemble itself is hard-working, well-costumed in a cohesive palette and gives off a primal, cult vibe. There were instances where members looked a little lost without choreography, but it didn’t detract from the overall vision. Lottie Verdell, Lisa Mayes, Evelyn Vinzant and Brigitte Rolens shined.
Between the soaring vocals and the holy spectacle of it all, this production still allows the ache of tragedy to seep through. Jesus Christ Superstar is a visceral reminder of the cost of challenging the status quo, and the even more haunting consequences of remaining silent. It is a powerful show not to be missed.
Jesus Christ Superstar continues its run at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in the LRS Theatre May 9-10 and May 15-17. Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 217-523-2787 or visiting HCFTA.org
