4.2 Jesus Christ Superstar!

The Gospel of Musical Theatre

It's finally here... Today, we turn to the Gospel According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: the Biblical rock-opera phenomenon that is Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)!

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We talk about:

– Groovy Gospel: The context of the late 60s/early 70s that gave rise to a rock opera treatment of the Jesus story

– Eroticism: The eroticism in Mary Magdalene’s (and maybe Judas’?) relationship with Jesus and the question of how sexuality & love intersect in the Christian tradition. What does it mean to fall in love with a God with a human body?

– Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute in the Bible!) and the way the musical treats her as a woman, a sex worker, and a romantic lead.

– Anti-Judaism & Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar and in the New Testament and what responsibility Christians bear in challenging it.

– Christology: What kind of Christology (big fancy theological word for “understanding Jesus”) undergirds Jesus Christ Superstar, and whether there’s any good news in this musical.

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You’ll hear:

– Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and the cast of the Original Studio Recording (a.k.a. “The Brown Album”) from 1970.

– "Could Ye Not Watch With Me One Hour?" from John Stainer’s Crucifixion sung by the St. Michael Singers (Fox Records, 2009).

– Joshua Mostel singing "Herod’s Song" from the 1973 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

• Phantom of the Opera
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Jesus Christ Superstar!
• Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
• West Side Story!
• Yentl!
• Frozen!
• Barbie!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).