Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Martina Hejčová The Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar – Analysis of the Critical Reception Over the Decades Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph. D. 2016 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph.D. for his valuable advice, sincere guidance and encouragement. Also, I would like to thank my partner and my family for their support. Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 The Greatest Story Ever Told............................................................................................2 Authors..............................................................................................................................4 Album................................................................................................................................6 Broadway and West End...................................................................................................8 Film....................................................................................................................................9 Controversy over the Decades - “He Is Dangerous”.......................................................11 Analysis of the Critical Reception - “The Things They Say of You”.............................15 Jesus Is Viewed through the Eyes of the Devil - “I don´t Like What I See”...................17 Relationship with Mary Magdalene - “I Don´t Know How to Love Him”.....................19 Absence of Resurrection Scene - “John 19:41”...............................................................20 Insult to the Jewish People - “King of the Jews”............................................................22 Jesus Is Confused and Powerless - “Now I´m Sad and Tired”........................................24 Jesus Is a Man - “He´s Just a Man”.................................................................................26 Unexpected Support from Vatican - “I´m a Captive Fan”..............................................29 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................31 Works Cited.....................................................................................................................35 Summary..........................................................................................................................39 Introduction The rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, by Sir Tim Rice and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a four-decade phenomenon. With millions of albums sold, successful productions in more than forty countries and an Academy Award nomination for the best screenplay adaptation, the musical has left an indelible mark on the global history of musicals. Variety called it “the biggest media parley in showbiz history,” a double album of the rock opera became the biggest selling album of 1971 and the musical was praised by audiences across generations worldwide. A biblical story seen through the eyes of modern man and presented as a rock musical was an instant success. Thanks to its unexpected approach to the biblical story it stirred up a degree of controversy in some religious circles and Jesus Christ Superstar remains “the most protested-against work in the history of musical theatre” (Sweet). My thesis aims to analyse the protests which have been raised against Jesus Christ Superstar over the last forty years. The first chapters of this paper introduce the storyline of the musical, which varies from its Biblical precursor in several key aspects. I intend to present the authors of the musical, the history of its origin and problematic reception on the stage and in the cinema, which was accompanied by a series of protests led by several religious organizations. I will try to find aspects that these protests had in common – firstly, I try to identify the protesting churches and secondly, I try to find the common elements of their protests. Furthermore, by comparing the libretto of the musical and the Bible I can provide detailed analysis of the main reasons for the most frequent complaints and accusations against the musical that the churches cite as the justification for their protests. Based on these findings, I intend to find a major reason 1 why this musical is considered so unacceptable in certain religious circles. I will also include an analysis of the papal attitude towards this issue. The Greatest Story Ever Told Although the musical is based on the story of the last seven days of Jesus Christ, the story presented differs from that in the Bible in several aspects. First, the story is more based on personal interactions between the characters, interactions that the Bible does not mention. Secondly, some of the characters in the musical have much more space given to them than in the Bible i.e. Mary Magdalene and Judas (who is even considered the guide of the story) and thirdly, the authors have changed the finale of the story, which does not end with a “happy-ending” - the resurrection. The musical begins on the Friday before the traditional Jewish holidays, when Jesus and his followers are heading to Jerusalem to participate in the celebrations. Judas warns Jesus of imminent sacrifice, of his growing fame and the influence that is getting out of Jesus´s hands. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus talks to his disciples, who want to know his plans, and he convinces them that what matters is the present, not the future. Mary Magdalene is taking care of Jesus, she rubs his face with a fine ointment, which causes another fight with Judas. Not only does he accuse her of wasting precious ointment, Judas sees her as a threat to their mission and teachings. According to him Jesus should not have forgiven this woman of fallen morals nor kept her in his vicinity. Jesus defends her and stays by her side. Meanwhile, the council of high priests in Jerusalem comes to the conclusion that Jesus, his teachings and growing fame are a threat to Rome and that he needs to be silenced. Jesus and his disciples enter triumphantly into Jerusalem, welcomed by the enthusiastic crowd. Simon the Zealot, 2 ardent disciple of Jesus is trying to persuade him to take advantage of the situation and the enthusiastic crowd, to add some anti-Roman agitation into his sermons and lead a revolt against Rome. Jesus realizes that even his closest followers do not understand the true meaning of his mission. Jesus visits the temple of Jerusalem, he expels merchants and money-changers from its premises and then faces a crowd of sick and cripples who ask for miraculous healing. Jesus is taken aback by their number and furiously tells them to heal themselves. Mary Magdalene comforts the tired Jesus and urges him to sleep. She is confessing her love to him and thinks about how much her life changed on meeting him. On Tuesday, Judas out of fear of the future decides to betray Jesus and hand him over into the hands of the high priests. Thursday evening, Jesus meets with his disciples for the Last Supper, where he predicts his own future, the betrayal, the denial. After a heated argument with Jesus, Judas leaves the company and goes to get the Roman soldiers, Jesus is praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane and expresses fear, uncertainty and doubt about his fate. Judas returns, betrays Jesus with a kiss and hands him over into the hands of the Roman guards. Jesus' words are fulfilled, Peter denies him three times. Jesus is sent to Pontius Pilate who, doubting his guilt, sends him to King Herod. Herod asks Jesus to prove his innocence by some form of a miracle or amusing trick but, disgusted by his silence, sends him back to Pilate. While Jesus' disciples recall the first days spent with Jesus, Judas realizes the impact of his crime and commits suicide. Pilate partially yields to the coercion of the raging crowd and of the Roman priests, and despite his obvious sympathy for Jesus he lets him be flogged with 39 lashes, and then condemns him to death. Judas again enters the story, this time in the role of timeless guide and asks if Jesus's death actually made sense and whether it was worth it to become the Superstar. 3 On Friday, Jesus Christ is crucified. Authors Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is now undoubtedly considered to be the most successful composer of musicals worldwide. He is the only composer in the present, who has up to three shows simultaneously playing on Broadway and in the West End in London. It has been more than 50 years since he wrote his first musical (Likes of Us, created together with Tim Rice in 1965, but never officially released until 2005). His ten-year collaboration with Tim Rice began with the musical Likes of Us during his studies at Oxford University, where Lloyd Webber studied the history of art. The oratorio Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Old Testament theme followed, which was just a step away from the rock-opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The musical Evita achieved worldwide success in 1976 with the theme of the brilliant and tragic fate of Evita Peron, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron. Its theme song “Don´t Cry for Me, Argentina” reached number one in the charts even before the