3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A true classic
A Customer from Nottingham, England,
6th December, 2005
Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of the last few days of Jesus' life through song. Beautiful music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and words from the legendary lyricist Tim Rice make this a truly magnificent musical. The cast our brilliant, with Ted Neeley's interpretation of Jesus and Carl Anderson's Judas standing out as principal roles. The priests also perform well, and the contrast between Caiphas' low, guttural voice and Annas' falsetto is also very effective. Mary Magdalene is slightly dissapointing, as she is obviously in possession of a powerful voice, but her endless 'bending' of the notes culminates with beautiful songs such as 'I don't know how to love him' becoming wailing cacophonies. The cast are also highly skilled as actors as well as singers, and present interesting interpretations of the characters, Judas is presented as Jesus' close friend, who betrays him as he beleives Jesus' talk of the Son of God is distracting their followers from their original purpose. The director, Mike Newall (If memory serves) also presents a striking visual representation of the story, with powerful cinematography playing a key role in the overall effect of the musical. The extras are great as well, featuring an interesting interview with Tim Rice and an insightful running commentary from Ted Neeley and Mike Newall, recorded 30 years after the film was made. If you like powerful, emotive (albeit a bit cheesy) music, then check this DVD out, as it is by far the best interpretation of the musical I have seen.
Read all highest rated reviews
