Published: 03:36 PM, Wed Mar 17, 2010
"Jesus Christ Superstar" comes to the Crown
Staff writer
By Rodger Mullen
Nearly 40 years after Ted Neeley first played the title role in "Jesus Christ Superstar," the actor still meets people who relate to him as the character he's playing.
"I remind them that I'm a rock 'n' roll drummer from Texas who is really fortunate to be a part of this piece," Neeley said.
Neeley will reprise the role he first played in 1971 when the national tour of "Jesus Christ Superstar" comes to the Crown Theatre Friday at 8 p.m.
The musical, an early collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, takes a contemporary look at the last week of Jesus' life. Through songs such as "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Heaven on Their Minds" and "Hosanna," the play examines Jesus' betrayal by the apostle Judas and his trial and crucifixion.
In the '70s, the play attracted no small amount of controversy. Some objected to setting the story of Jesus to rock and pop music. Others didn't like that characters such as Judas and Pontius Pilate were given sympathetic treatments.
Neeley, who is from Ranger, Texas, and got his start in music on the rock 'n' roll club scene, initially auditioned for the role of Judas but was convinced by the director that he'd make a better Jesus. After performing the role on stage, Neeley played it in a 1973 movie and has since stepped into the robe and sandals hundreds of times.
"The fact of the matter is I've done it enough that I should know the material fairly well," said Neeley in a telephone interview from Elmira, N.Y., where the show was on tour. "But I'm still working on it."
Neeley said he's aware every time he performs the play that audiences view it through a varied set of beliefs. He welcomes the opportunity to talk to people about their feelings on how the story is presented.
"The show usually starts around 8 p.m., ends around 10:30 p.m., and I'm there sometimes until 2 a.m. talking to people about their experience," Neeley said. "It's almost like a third act for me. If it doesn't happen, I don't feel like I did a good job."
These days, Neeley said, the play doesn't generate the kind of controversy it once did. He remembers having to force his way through protesters at a New York performance in the early '70s, and inviting them into the show so they could see it for themselves.
Neeley said he thinks much of the initial opposition to the play resulted from the writers' refusal to single out "bad guys" in the story.
"It looks at each character as a human being who is doing what they think is the right thing at the time," Neeley said. "One of the most passionate performances is from Pontius Pilate. You see what he was going through, trying to make a decision about what to do with this particular man."
Today, Neeley said, audiences are more likely to see the play as a "spiritual 'Sesame Street,' " a kind of primer to the story of the last days of Christ. He said a lot of parents bring their children to the show.
Neeley's favorite part of the show comes early in the second act, after the Last Supper, when Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. The hardest part to play, not surprisingly, is the crucifixion.
Neeley said he understands the play's effect on audiences. The actor said he also has gained some understanding of Jesus after playing him all these years.
"Growing up in Texas, Jesus was basically a stained glass window - omnipresent, but unreachable," Neeley said. "This puts you in the pew next to him. It's a much more accessible look at Jesus Christ, and that's what's made this piece stay around as long as it has."
Staff writer Rodger Mullen can be reached at mullenr@fayobserver.com or 486-3561.'Jesus Christ Superstar'
When: Friday at 8 p.m.
Where: Crown Theatre
Tickets: $25-$41
Information: (800) 745-3000, 438-4100 or www.crowncoliseum.com