4.2 Jesus Christ Superstar!

The Gospel of Musical Theatre

It's finally here... Today, we turn to the Gospel According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: the Biblical rock-opera phenomenon that is Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)!

We talk about:

– The context of the late 60s/early 70s that gave rise to a rock opera treatment of the Jesus story

– The eroticism in Mary Magdalene’s (and maybe Judas’?) relationship with Jesus and the question of how sexuality & love intersect in the Christian tradition. What does it mean to fall in love with a God with a human body?

– Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute in the Bible!) and the way the musical treats her as a woman, a sex worker, and a romantic lead.

– Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar and in the New Testament and what responsibility Christians bear in challenging it.

– What kind of Christology (big fancy theological word for “understanding Jesus”) undergirds Jesus Christ Superstar, and whether there’s any good news in this musical.

You’ll hear:

– Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and the cast of the Original Studio Recording (a.k.a. “The Brown Album”) from 1970.

– "Could Ye Not Watch With Me One Hour?" from John Stainer’s Crucifixion sung by the St. Michael Singers (Fox Records, 2009).

– Joshua Mostel singing "Herod’s Song" from the 1973 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!