Too Much Heaven on Their Minds
I will confess that I really like Jesus Christ Superstar . I like the music, I like the over-the-top staging. I just like it. And, in a true upset, the live version on NBC Easter Sunday night was actually really well done. Judas (Brandon Dixon), Mary Magdalene (Sarah Bareillis), and Simon the Zealot (Erik Gronwall) were particularly good, Alice Cooper was appropriately ridiculous as Herod, and John Legend as Jesus brought a soulful note to the character. The live audience was a nice touch, and the staging was very industrial and interesting. But, watching in Sunday night, it hit me as to the real reason why I like Jesus Christ Superstar . People talk about how Jesus Christ Superstar is a "modern" take on the Jesus story, and that's true. People talk about how it shows a more human Jesus, and that's true, too. But the real reason why Jesus Christ Superstar is modern is that the whole story is really a reflection on...