Word: superstar
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...greatest hurdle for any production of Superstar is the material itself. The show is less theater than song cycle, a collection of simple pop-inspired numbers that are memorable only for the wrong reasons. The exhilarating score, at the time of its debut, excited hope in the theater community that Andrew Lloyd Webber could turn out to be a great talent, but it also reminds us of the disappointment of his subsequent work, which has failed to transcend Superstar's artlessness. Tim Rice's lyrics are even worse: they consist of a series of sentimental clichs liberally scattered with forced...
Overall, though, even a pall of serious confusion is surmountable if a production manages to create some connection between the audience and the action on stage. However, in this rendition the audience is offered no character with whom to identify. As it is written,Superstar can be performed either as a story of Judas or one of Jesus. In the case of the former, the director must allow the audience to recognize the character of Judas as a narrator. He sings the expositional opening number and the flashy closing number; between these two, if he is visible and relevant...
...other hand, if the evening's story is to belong to Jesus, his character must be seen as an actual superstar. He must be dynamic, commanding, and so appealing that the audience truly cares what happens to him. While Jeffery E. Fowler '00 turns in an admirable performance in the title role and his voice is quite strong, he seems to have been offered little in the way of character direction. For a brief moment, Fowler demonstrates to the audience's delight that he is, in fact, an energetic and charistmatic dancer, but a less than appreciative direction misuses...
...that Jesus Christ Superstar must be the story of one or the other of the two leads is admittedly the limited opinion of one critic; but to say that this production lacks that character direction needed to inspire sympathy is the right of any audience member. To exercise that or not becomes a question of what we demand of theater...
...Superstar's choreography (by James Carmichael '01) is a mixed bag. Though it is occasionally interesting and almost always active, repetition (such as the repeated use of numerous backup dancers waving their arms rhythmically behind a solo singer) tends to weaken it. In addition to its ability to entertain, dance in musical theater should be a form of expression on par with acting and music. Carmichael frequently neglects this. In this piece, much of the dancing is generic, as if it were derived from a little-known early 1980's workout video called "Sweatin' to the Messiah...