Home Christian News ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’: The Controversial Musical Phenomenon Turns 50

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’: The Controversial Musical Phenomenon Turns 50

While Christians protested over the godlessness of the show, Jewish groups criticized the show’s depiction of Jewish high priests, who, in the original production, were dressed as gargoyles. “It’s just a few years earlier that the Vatican council finally said explicitly that Jews are not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus,” said Henry Bial, chair of the theatre and dance department at the University of Kansas. “To have this high-profile moment where the high priests of Israel are conspiring against Jesus, and they come off pretty craven, you could see why people would get uncomfortable about it.”

In interviews, Rice and Webber — both raised Anglican — said they were never trying to make a theological point about Judaism or Christianity. Their goal had been to craft a compelling show.

“People have read so much more into this than we ever intended,” said Rice in a 1971 New York Times interview. “We were simply trying to express our feelings about Christ at the time, trying to tell His story and make suggestions for the gaps. We weren’t trying to make a comment. Who are we to make a comment?”

Ultimately, the show is more about asking questions than answering them. “Who are you? What have you sacrificed?” Judas asks in the song “Superstar.” “Do you think you’re what they say you are?”

Fifty years later, the show’s impact is difficult to exaggerate. It’s been resurrected for arena tours, film, worldwide theatre productions and most recently, the 2018 Live NBC production featuring John Legend and Sarah Bareilles.

Perhaps the show’s most lasting legacy is the music itself. “It’s given us a whole bunch of extremely memorable songs,” said Goodacre. “When I read the New Testament passion, I quite often end up humming tunes from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’”

Goodacre said the music created a movement that opened up the Christian story to a generation that wouldn’t have otherwise gone near it. “It is explicitly non-confessional. It isn’t giving you a Christian take on the story, it’s deliberately not reverential. I think that makes it very palatable to a broader audience,” he said. “They don’t feel that they’re having the gospel rammed down their throats.”

Bial said the show helped pioneer the rock musical genre and that, while it comes in a long line of attempts to stage the Bible, “it is far and away the most commercially successful adaptation of the Bible that we can find really in theatre history.” According to Bial, the show also led to technical advancements, including the miniaturization of rock concert equipment for theatre and mic adaptations that allowed singers to be heard over electric instruments.