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Jesus Christ Superstar

Glenn starred in Jesus Christ Superstar in the lead role of Jesus in five venues: At the Lyceum Theatre in London, on tour in the UK (in two locations), on Broadway at the Ford Center for Performing Arts, and in a film version that was released by Universal Studios in 2000. Before assuming the starring role, he had played Simon Zealotes in the West End production at the Lyceum in 1996. Music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics are by Tim Rice. The story is by Webber and Rice. The director is Gale Edwards. The producers are the Really Useful Group. The story is loosely based upon the New Testament (particularly John:12-19, Luke:19-23, Mark:14-15, and Matthew:23-27).

Jesus Christ Superstar (JCS) is regularly acclaimed as a masterpiece and a legend. It opened in 1971; it was the first musical by Rice and Webber that was produced on a professional stage. It lived to become one of the longest running musicals in history. The show traditionally emphasized the powerful musical score, rock'n'roll songs that had become chart-topping hits, and strong dance numbers. The new productions that began in 1996 placed more emphasis on the storytelling and psychological relationships between characters; they minimized the dancing and built upon the drama. Playing the role of Jesus presented Glenn with numerous challenges. The vocal pieces are extremely complex and taxing, requiring a very broad range. The acting was intense, requiring him to plunge into the depths of agony and despair as his character was tortured and killed on stage every night. The role was very demanding physically as well: Glenn was hoisted on other players' shoulders, thrown to the ground and down stairs, whipped and beaten, and mounted to a cross and taken down again. Furthermore, he was sometimes confronted with the difficult expectations of the audience: People often brought preconceptions of how the part should be played, sometimes based on earlier productions or based upon their ideas of the Biblical Jesus of Nazareth. Glenn did not try to deal with the issue of playing the 2000 years of legacy of the iconic figure in the Bible, Jesus Christ. He was an actor playing a part, exploring the frailties and strengths of the character. Please view the articles about Glenn's performance in the press section of these pages

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"Nail me to your cross and break me."

Jesus Christ Superstar (JCS) is a rock opera in two acts. The story deals with the last week in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. It does not tell the stories of the miracles and parables of earlier chapters of the New Testament, and it does not deal with the resurrection. It focuses primarily on the human emotions and doubts of Jesus and Judas Iscariot, as they are caught up in events and fate in the days between Palm Sunday and the Crucifixion.

The story opens by laying out the conflict between Jesus and Judas. Judas sets the scene in "Heaven on Their Minds": Jesus is attracting large crowds of followers, and Judas worries that the Sanhedrin high priests (Pharisees) and the Roman rulers will violently crush the movement. People are starting to call Jesus a God and the Messiah, and Judas wonders if Jesus himself believes it. Jesus' other disciples want to know details of Jesus' plan; when can they ride into Jerusalem and start the revolution? "What's the Buzz? Tell me what's a-happenin'!" They hint that they expect a military uprising to overthrow their occupiers. Jesus is disturbed and annoyed; why can't they concentrate on the issues of today, and let tomorrow take care of itself? Jesus would like to sleep peacefully without the weight of the world on his shoulders. Mary Magdalene eases Jesus' tension with her caresses and by anointing his hair and feet with fine oil. Judas jumps into the interaction. This is another problem with Jesus, he says: Jesus is inconsistent in his message, and should not allow a prostitute to stroke his hair and waste expensive oil that could have been sold to feed the poor. Jesus retorts that they can never feed all the poor with their limited resources, and that his followers should take advantage of the time they have with him because he will soon be gone.

The entry into Jerusalem is a bright and jubilant scene, "Hosanna Heysanna, Sanna Sanna Ho." Jesus is raised above the heads of the crowd, arms outstretched in blessing and greeting. No one can stop the celebration, Jesus proclaims: The very rocks and stones sing out the good news. But the mood quickly changes. The high priests are agitated and determined to quell the growing fervour. Jesus is disturbed to hear the crowd imply that they wish him to lead them into war: "Won't you fight for me? Won't you die for me?" The crowd scuffles with the Roman guards; Simon Zealotes sings a rousing and persuasive battle cry: "You are easily as strong as the filth who rape our country ... We will win ourselves a home." Jesus tries to discourage their military expectations; they do not "understand what power is, understand what glory is." In a moving and poignant song, "My poor Jerusalem," he laments the future that is in store for them all. Events are spinning out of his control. Further scenes describe the relationships between Jesus and those around him. Mary Magdalene is tormented by love for him; Pilate is having distressing dreams that foretell his role in Jesus' pending death. Jesus further seals his fate by indirectly insulting the priests and challenging their authority when he loses his temper among the vendors' stalls in the Temple: "My temple should be a house of prayer ... GET OUT!!" Jesus is tired and he sees the end approaching. The sick and the poor people crowd around him, demanding that he heal them, but he is overwhelmed by their unending pain and neediness: "There's too many of you! ... There's too little of me!" Judas has gone to the high priests to make a deal with them, presumably trying to save Jesus and the movement from destruction by ending the tension without military violence. The priests offer him thirty pieces of silver to take them to Jesus in a place where Jesus is alone and vulnerable; Judas reluctantly and in anguish accepts - he is "damned for all time."

Whereas Act One tells the story leading up to Jesus' trial and execution, Act Two plunges the audience into the depths of the despair and violence that ultimately consume Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus' heretofore calm acceptance of his role in this drama suddenly seems pointless to him; his frustration erupts in an affecting confrontation, "Look at your blank faces! My name will mean nothing ... One of you denies me, one of you betrays me!" In an unforgettable and incredibly emotional altercation over the dining table, Jesus and Judas face off. Judas exhorts that Jesus is making him a pawn in Jesus' plan to become a martyr; he says that Jesus already knows who will betray him. Jesus screams at him, "Hurry you fool, hurry and go, save me your speeches, I don't want to know. GO!!!" Judas leaves and the apostles lie down to sleep. Jesus is alone with his fears and desolation; he looks heavenward and begs God to take this responsibility from him. In a heart-searing aria that spans an almost impossible vocal range ("Gethsemane: I only want to say"), Jesus alternately pleads hopefully for release and angrily looks for the logic in his pending fate. He reluctantly accepts his death sentence, and with resentment advises God to take him now before he changes his mind. Judas leads the guards back to Jesus, and tearfully identifies him by kissing him.

In the following scenes, various officials are reluctant to take on responsibility for executing Jesus. He is conducted to the high priest's house, to the palace of the Jewish administrator, Herod, and to the court of the Roman governor, Pilate. He is cruelly ridiculed and scorned; he is viciously beaten and scourged. He is finally sentenced to death; a sadistic crown of thorns is shoved onto his head; he crawls forward, bloody and broken, to accept the cross. Judas has been overcome with remorse and bitterness, believing that he had been made the unwilling instrument of Jesus' betrayal; he has hung himself. Judas reappears as Jesus struggles to carry the massive cross. Judas sings the signature song of JCS, "Superstar": "Jesus Christ, who are you? What have you sacrificed?" Jesus is nailed to the cross, and the crucifix is raised. His death is haunting and compelling. In his agony, Jesus cries out to his father in heaven and to his disciples below. Then, at last, "it is finished."

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JCS at the Lyceum

The new production of JCS opened at the Lyceum Theatre in the Fall of 1996. It was directed by Gale Edwards and designed by John Napier. In order to make it accessible to a modern audience, themes of politics and urban angst were interjected. As a way to avoid losing the drama amidst the powerful music and complex dance numbers, this production cut out much of the dance, and eliminated extraneous lighting and embellishments of the set. The effect was much simpler and cleaner than in earlier productions. Much of the action took place under a large dome; a pit opened in the floor for the hanging of Judas. Jesus, tied to a rope, was raised from the pit prior to the scourging. A horizontal architectural element was added in the form of a bridge or scaffolding, upon which the cast would climb up and down. Members of the audience were seated at the back of the stage and were involved in the drama; for example, cast members handed coins to the audience at one point. The large stage was utilized in the "Hosanna" scene; Jesus, standing on other players' shoulders, toured the entire circle of the stage. It was emotional and elating to the audience, serving as a stark contrast for the violence that was to come. Memorable episodes of the tormenting of Jesus included the "39 lashes," in which Jesus was restrained by ropes and guards seemingly drew blood by slapping his flesh. The anguished Jesus dragged the cross around the perimeter of the stage; he was then apparently nailed to the cross. The moment of Jesus' death was marked by a brilliant, blinding flash of light bulbs in the shape of a cross.

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JCS on Tour

The Lyceum production was reworked and redesigned to tour the UK in 1998 and 1999. Glenn played Jesus for four weeks during the tour, including one week in Belfast and three weeks in Edinburgh. The touring production differed from the West End show in that it was simpler and the dance numbers were further minimized. It also had more of an urban and military theme. The costumes were made more modern and military, and less traditional and Biblical.

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JCS on Broadway

The show opened on Broadway, in New York City, on April 16, 2000, and it ran through September 3. In contrast to the West End version in London, the Broadway production was not as dark and it was meant to have a greater commercial appeal. A highlight of the show was the beating of Jesus during the "Could we start again please" scene: At the centre of the stage Glenn performed a slow-motion dance as he was beaten and kicked from side to side by the guards. All in all, the Broadway version resembled the UK tour production in many ways, but some details were changed.

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JCS on Film

Glenn finished filming and recording the Jesus Christ Superstar film production in December 1999, which was prior to the opening of the show on Broadway. It was broadcast before Easter 2001 on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the United States. The new production of JCS was thus introduced to Americans who had not seen the stage versions of the musical; Glenn came into millions of American living rooms and charmed and wow-ed them with his performance. The film production resembles the Tour version in many ways, although significant differences exist. The most critical difference is that the cameras could bring the actors to the foreground in a way that is impossible on stage. The film shows the audience the facial expressions and nuances of gesture that contribute so much to Glenn's amazing acting talent.

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