Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my all-time favourite musicals. It is a rock musical that is a contemporary take on the biblical story of Jesus Christ leading up to his infamous death. When the musical was performed as an arena spectacular in 2012, the moment was captured on film and released to the public; similar to how musicals such as Hamilton and Newsies were also filmed (both of which I have written a review on which you can read here and here). I watch Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour every year at Easter. So what makes this recording of the show so incredible that I have watched it so many times?

Well, I first need to start by discussing what makes the musical itself so good. Jesus Christ Superstar was musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's third musical, written when he was in his early twenties. And the musical still stands out as one of his best (even though most of his work is incredible). I am a drummer who loves playing in musicals and this show has some outstanding pieces of music which I would love to play one day. However, like any musical, a bad execution can ruin a perfect show. But with so much money thrown into this rendition of the show, this arena tour resulted in what you get when you pair a perfect show with a perfect execution.

One of the great things about Jesus Christ Superstar is that it brings to life the sometimes mythical and distant biblical characters and humanises them. This comes from the original story but of course, also comes down to the on-stage actors portraying the characters. This arena tour had a stellar cast playing these characters. A personal standout to me was Tim Minchin playing Judas, the main protagonist (or antihero) of the show. Although I may disagree with Tim Minchin's personal views, there is no doubt that he is unbelievably talented and this is apparent from any of his work. However, what makes Minchin so incredible in this role is that he is actually an atheist. This personal belief of his pairs perfectly with the character of Judas who is the person to bring Jesus down. Although every performer is amazing in their role, some other personal highlights of mine are Ben Forster as Jesus and Alexander Hanson as Pontious Pilate. Throughout this re-view, I have included clips from the show which I would highly suggest watching. The clips show the unbelievable talent of the cast. 

Jesus Christ Superstar doesn't only bring the characters to life but also brings the story into a much more relatable era. The musical is usually set in a contemporary age with this interpretation of the show using modern protests that works well with the hate against Rome that was seen in the actual story. The costumes only accentuate this modern setting of the musical.

One likely challenge that was faced with creating this show was the ability to perform the show both to cameras and a massive arena. For those who aren't aware, on-stage actors must overact a lot more than film and tv actors for their movements to be noticed on a stage. This would be even more so the case when performing in a venue such as an arena where movements are going to be even harder to see. In this production, however, the cast was also performing for cameras which requires much more subtle and nuanced acting. Seeing the filmed version of this show, I can inform you that they succeeded in the latter. We do not know how well they performed to the arena audience. However, large screens were used as a backdrop which frequently zoomed in on the characters' faces which makes me assume that this challenge was overcome.

After seeing this show four times, I only have one piece of criticism. I felt that the choreography and the dancing wasn't as good as it could have been. I felt that the movements were quite simple and a lot more could have been done. However, this was the first time I had picked up on that and honestly, the cameras focus more on the main cast and not the dancers.

Jesus Christ Superstar could certainly be described as a controversial show, especially in Christian circles. The musical obviously centres around a very biblical story. However, the telling of the story isn't from a very 'Christian' perspective. The show ends after (spoiler alert) Jesus dies and doesn't show him coming back to life which is an integral part of the story for Christians. Additionally, Andrew Lloyd Webber wouldn't describe himself as Christian and Tim Minchin has described the show as a very 'atheist' show. I also know that the show isn't very popular among Christians because of how it depicts the story and Jesus. Being a Christian myself, I have no problem with the show and I think that it can be equally enjoyed by Christians and atheists. The performances can be appreciated whether you believe the story or not. The show certainly gives you goosebumps and at the very least gives you something to think about.

I have one final bit of praise for this show: the band. The musical arrangements of this performance are just incredible and the band pulls them off to perfection. They create an incredible sound for a relatively small band. The band is also exposed for all of the show meaning that there are many shots where you can watch the band doing their thing (if you're like me and that's who you'd prefer to be watching).

Jesus Christ Superstar is the kind of movie you can watch many times and not get sick of it. My fifth viewing was just as good as my first. Although the story is nothing less than controversial, the actors, songs, staging, costumes and band all make it a very worthwhile show to watch no matter your opinion on the source material.

Director: Laurence Connor

Music by: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lyrics by: Tim Rice

Starring: Tim Minchin, Ben Forster, Melanie C

Year released: 2012

Times previously watched: 4

My rating: 9.5/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 16/04/2023