Jesus Christ Superstar FYC

By starrymag | May 31, 2018

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live was an immediate smash hit when it premiered on Easter Sunday this year. Praised by fans and critics alike, NBC’s latest musical endeavor became one of the most buzzed-about television events of the year.

 

I was fortunate to attend the performance’s For Your Consideration event. Not only was I treated to two breathtaking live performances—Sara Bareilles singing “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” while Andrew Lloyd Webber played piano and John Legend singing and playing his new song “A Good Night”—but also an amazing panel where I got all the secrets and scoop behind Jesus Christ Superstar Live! Here are eleven things we found out during the panel:

 

1. Bob Dylan inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to write Jesus Christ Superstar. His song “With God on Our Side” mentioned Judas Iscariot, which gave Lloyd Webber the confidence to incorporate biblical stories into his body of work. He also revealed that he and lyricist Tim Rice wrote a follow-up to his musical Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, but it never saw the light of day.

 

2. The “Jesus Christ Superstar” single was a vague hit in various countries. The song that is sung towards the end of the show was the first thing Lloyd Webber wrote and released. Though he notes the song didn’t exactly take off in America or Britain, it made an impact in Canada and the Netherlands. Its success in these places encouraged their music label to fund an entire concept album, which did become end up becoming a hit in America. Lloyd Webber thinks the album’s rock sound made it more accessible and appealing to the masses.

 

3. Andrew Lloyd Webber is not a fan of the original Broadway production. In fact, he calls it “vulgar and horrible” and thinks the fact it got shoehorned into the musical theatre world hurt its popularity. He feels NBC’s live version is much more in line with his vision and was excited for the opportunity to make the production he always wanted.

 

4. This was not John Legend’s first time singing the music. Legend adorably shared that he already had some experience with the material from his days in high school choir. He enjoyed singing the songs back then and was excited to be part of the show! (Being asked to play Jesus didn’t hurt either, he notes.)

 

5. Three people will become EGOT winners if Jesus Christ Superstar takes home an Emmy this year. John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice would all join the elite ranks. Right now, there are only twelve total artists who have managed to EGOT: Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, Scott Rudin and Robert Lopez!

 

6. Director David Leveaux wanted to leave the audience with a feeling of hope. Though he notes there is no resurrection in the musical, ending on the shot of blinding light after Jesus is crucified is meant to invoke a feeling of peace and hopefulness—not death and despair.

 

7. Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC, was a huge supporter of the show. David Leveaux was worried the network wouldn’t let them hold on the image of the cross as long he wanted at the end of the show, but Bob Greenblatt actually suggested staying on the shot of the cross for a prolonged period of time without Leveaux even mentioning the idea first. Leveaux noted that Greenblatt offered the production team immense creative freedom and has been a huge advocate for television live theatre since their first show, The Sound of Music.

 

8. Sara Bareilles was a huge fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber growing up. She told the crowd she listened almost exclusively to the cast recordings from his shows as a teen. Sara Bareilles also shared that she’s excited to be back in the theatre scene after veering off to do pop for a few years. She feels truly at home on Broadway and onstage and has loved working on Waitress.

 

9. The set was carefully designed to have both an ancient and modern feel. By incorporating both ruins and graffiti into the city, the set could have an antique vibe while still feeling relatable. Lloyd Webber loved the Sistine Chapel wall so much that he joked he was almost upset they spray painted over it in the show, so he couldn’t take it home.

 

10. Alice Cooper was the first to sign onto the show. Lloyd Webber remembers watching him and John Legend rehearse one day and thinking that, because of their vastly different musical styles, this was one of the only shows these two could ever costar in together.

 

11. John Legend is one of the sweetest men on this earth. Legend called being part of the production “one of the best experiences” of his entire career, saying that his favorite part was the “camaraderie and teamwork” between the entire cast and crew.

 

This camaraderie and teamwork were certainly evident through both the seamless and extremely impressive production and fun, insightful panel. You can watch Jesus Christ Superstar Live on both the NBC website and Hulu!

 

John Legend sings “A Good Night”

 

 

Sara Bareilles sings “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” with Andrew Lloyd Webber

 

 

Jesus Christ Superstar Photos