University of Virginia Library

MUSIC

'J. C. Superstar': Impressive But Appalling

BY TERI TOWE

To paraphrase Phyllis Diller
my reviewing Jesus Christ
Superstar is like making
Count Dracula the night
watchman at the Blood Bank.
After all, my interest and
sphere of experience is classical
music, and I can't help but
judge rock music by the
standards I use in the criticism of
classical music. These standards
are different and, in some
ways, perhaps more demanding
than those used in the criticism
of rock music.

For example, in
performance I demand good
technique, whether vocal or
instrumental, as well as a
certain interpretive sensitivity
that enhances and clarifies the
meaning and content of the
music. As far as music itself is
concerned, my standards are
quite simple. I believe that
music should be well
constructed, original and
emotionally convincing.

I don't feel the least bit
uneasy in applying these
standards to Jesus Christ
Superstar, since its creators
have themselves brought it at
least partially within the sphere
of "classical music" by billing
it as a "rock opera." Superstar
is not really an opera; more
correctly it is a contemporary
adaptation of a specialized
German form of oratorio called
the Passion, a musical setting
of the story of Christ's last
days on earth. The greatest
example of the form is Johann
Sebastian Bach's Saint
Matthew Passion, perhaps the
most superb religious work
ever composed.

Weaknesses

A comparison of Jesus
Christ Superstar with the Saint
Matthew Passion is instructive
in pointing out weaknesses that
are inherent in both the
structure and in the content of
the rock work. The Bach
Passion has a narrator,
something Superstar badly
needs.

The Evangelist, as the
narrator in the Saint Matthew
Passion is called, ties the
various episodes together and
keeps the story line clear,
distinct, and inexorable in its
movement towards the
Crucifixion and the
Entombment. In Superstar, the
story line fragments into a
series of episodes that are quite
disjointed, an effect
detrimental to the tautness
and impact of the work.

Secondly, in the Saint
Matthew Passion, the
commentary on the story is
totally divorced from the
telling of it. Such is not the
case in Jesus Christ Superstar,
and the blurring of narration
and comment has the effect of
diluting the natural impact that
the event of Christ's last days
can and do have.

Even when considered alone,
Jesus Christ Superstar is a
disappointment. The score
itself, like the Leonard Berstein
Mass, suffers from an almost
unbelievable stylistic
eclecticism. There are traces of
Samuel Barber's Adagio for
Strings a veiled reference to
"Es ist vollbracht!" from
Bach's Saint John Passion, a
touch of Gypsy, and a number
or two that sound like refugees
from a Busby Berkeley
musical.

Perhaps the most serious
weakness in Jesus Christ
Superstar is the one-sidedness

of the characterizations. None
of the principals, with the
notable exception of Judas
Iscariot, has any real depth,
and I was not the least bit
inspired by the portrayal of
Caiphas and Annas as "Grade
B" villains or by the
representation of Pontius Pilate
as a petulant, sadistic,
bureaucratic civil servant. In
fact, I found the
characterization of King Herod
as some sort of a profligate and
debauched — puppet to be
downright cheap and vulgar.

The worst part of the score
is the one that is most
important. The Crucifixion is
represented as a delirious
experience that is more easily
associated with a fever of 104
degrees or with the delirium
tremens than with the death of
the Savior.

Superb Moments

Mind you, there are some
superb moments in the score.
The death of Judas is sensitive
and searing in the simple way
that it conveys Judas's remorse
after he realizes what he has
done, and the epilogue, "John
Nineteen Forty-One," is,
despite its musical eclecticism,
a moving conclusion to a score
that is mediocre at best.

The singers and musicians
who presented Jesus Christ
Superstar here on Wednesday
did the score much more
justice than it deserves. The
quality of the singing and of
the acting was astonishing.
Several members of the cast
have voices that have the
power, range, and tonal beauty
that one usually associates only
with opera singers. In fact, I
think that Stephen Newman,
who sang Caiaphas, would
make an excellent Osmin in
Mozart's The Abduction from
the Seraglio.

The orchestral playing was
splendid, as was that of the
rock band in the production,
and Irving Joseph, the
conductor, deserves special
praise not only for holding the
various forces together but also
for managing to bring
something more from the score
than the mere conquest of
great technical difficulties.

The Jesus Christ Superstar
production was indeed a
paradox a splendid
performance of music that is,
at best, mediocre.