Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012 Video) User Reviews

Jesus Christ Superstar - a Supershow !

[Boolean_Chants · 9/10 · 22 February 2013]

Simply Spectacular! Very well done, much better than the older versions, even though the inimitable Tim Minchin is in it, and is always worth watching, the other cast members really pull their weight, he doesn't 'overpower' it, which, I admit, I was worried about as he's just so good.

It's well balanced, very good mix of action, dramatic shots and comedy (particularly when Herod arrives - he's hilarious).

As a rule, I don't really like arena shows* but this one, somehow, is much better than the norm, it's got a lot of acting as well. OK, the 'set' doesn't change, the backdrop does, which alters the feel a lot, though. You almost don't even notice there isn't any furniture or props.

I do, however, wonder how many people watching it really understood what Andrew Lloyd Webber was trying to say. I wonder if people really saw it as 'the story of Christ', or whether they saw it as the story of a man who was made into a 'superstar' by the public and the hype surrounding him built him into a 'god'. (There are quite a few very interesting interviews on YouTube with Lloyd-Webber and Minchin, if you're interested).

One really silly thing, though, is, when Mary Magdalene takes off her jacket, and shows a massive Crucifix tattoo on her left arm. My son looks at it and says "Mum, why does she have a crucifix on her arm when Jesus hasn't been crucified yet?" Which I thought was a really good point - but then I looked it up and, apparently, it's not part of the show, it's actually Mel C's tattoo. I still think it's silly, they should have covered it up.

The only thing I was disappointed about was that it finished, I could have happily have listened to another hour or two of that singing!!!

L.

PS: There's a fantastic surprise at the end! LOVED IT! <3

*An Arena Show is where there are no, or minimal, props and furniture, the songs tell the story.

A great modern version

[csileebear · 9/10 · 24 June 2021]

I heard about the original and saw it on tv and it was unbelievable. Ted Neeley was perfect for the role and Yvonne Elliman voice was smooth. I was fortunate to see this live in the 1990s with Ted Neeley reprising his role. A show of a lifetime. I found this during the pandemic and its incredible. Ben Forster is great emotional singer but Tim Michin as Judas steals the show. Melanie C floored me and like most I didn't realize her full talent until this show. I bought it to add to my collection of musicals.

Another 'odd' interpretation, but the best one since the 1973 movie.

[drjimmyjam · 7/10 · 30 December 2013]

This is surely the best attempt at rejuvenating Lloyd Webber and Rice's under appreciated work since the 1973 movie featuring Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. It does however fall into similar traps from previous productions, in so much as, directors incessantly feel the need to modernise or set it in some kind of wacky environment, sometimes at the expense of logic. The most bizarre example being Ponteous Pilate doing push up's after tennis, whilst pondering Christ's fate.

This production is for arenas and stadiums only; A gift to the awesome array of session musicians, who smash their way through the big numbers with aplomb, whilst still providing tenderness where needed. The cast also benefit from the size and scope of this production, but for different reasons. As a paying member of a 40,000 strong audience, one can imagine being swept away with Mel C's Magdeline, as would her voice have been swept away with reverb, and bolstered by the awesome accompaniment. But on TV, listening to the direct feed from the desk, her interpretation lacks all subtlety, and is harsh on the ears. No doubt her brief stint in the west end production of Blood Brothers, entertained Lloyd Webber's sensibilities both Musical Theatre, and commercial. Sadly, Ben Forster as Christ also disappoints due to a lack of rock authenticity. He seems to have the range (although he does seem to split his long held high note at the end of Everything's Alright - did that go unnoticed in post production? Or was it the 'warts and all' approach to editing live events?) but the higher notes are reached not unlike a choir boy. The 'screams' of Ted Neely and Ian Gillan are here replaced with a dulcet falsetto. And there is a lack of anger: Tim Rice's interpretation of Christ in his final days is as impatient and angry, as would any real man's mentality be. Forster however, is a whimpering victim, failing to find the good stuff needed for The Temple scene, and only marginally improving for Gethsemanie. Tim Minchin, however is a ray of light. There is no doubt that he delivers vocally in his big numbers, but that's where his focus seems to be, and not on the smaller moments where his voice is quite thin, and glassy. But due to the benefit of close up telly, his complete and utter emotional investment in the character, and what's at stake are undeniable. Whilst I'm not a massive fan of his tone, It's a great performance, with little attempt at hiding or covering up his own stylings, putting his own stamp on the character - a rock 'n' roll hallmark. Chris Moyles is adequate as Herod. This is to Superstar what Master Of The House is to Les Miserables, and is much loved, a lot of fun, and therefore, hard to get wrong. The 'wacky' re-imagining DOES work here, presenting the song as a live 'phone-in' /Jerry Springer-esque telethon of some kind. Bringing us round to design. It's done really well, with a huge screen covering various on stage moments, as well as providing storyline background ideas, atop a huge staircase. of which some steps retract or move.

On the whole, it's great to see Superstar given the treatment it finally deserves, and as a fan of the show, musician, and actor, my hat goes off to the rollicking band, and energetic supporting cast. Superstar rocks, again!

Pure enjoyment

[clspencer · 10/10 · 3 January 2014]

I never went to see this show at the theatre, didn't get the opportunity, but knew the music and saw snatches on TV over the years.

I watched the Arena Tour on TV - what a truly wonderful experience. I couldn't take my eyes off. It was now a proper rock musical - I haven't been so enthralled or impressed since I went to see Hair in 1969, but this surpassed that by miles. Well done, a wonderful show with excellent performances; Tim Minchin was just superb, as was Mel C, and Ben Forster was so powerful at times it hurt. The ensemble cast were wonderful too.

Changing the time worked very well, there are parallels with today which you cannot ignore and which made it even more dramatic. The set design was superb, the costume quite stunning.

Yes, I enjoyed it! I just wanted to be there soaking it all up!

Excellent show

[bigmarksnelling · 10/10 · 8 August 2013]

Firstly, I have to say I would have seen at least 10 versions of the show, plus, of course, the movie. I also went to see the Arena spectacular at the brand-new Perth Arena. It was brilliant. I thought the 3 leads were totally brilliant, in particular Tim Minchin, who is a Perth boy. The DVD didn't disappoint either, and, to my musically educated mind, I felt that Ben Forster was absolutely brilliant, I thought Tim was fabulous, and I felt Mel Chisholm stole the show. This was the best iteration of this show I have ever seen, and I have also performed in the house band on a couple of them as well. I have seen Gillan, thought he over-sang, the best until now was John Farnham, but Forster wins for me. I can't understand one or two of the reviewers here, one said it was too modern????? The story was in set in 33AD, they didn't have tanks, helmets or metal scaffolding then either, but it's always been a part of the charm of this show , the juxtaposition of the times. I loved it. In case you can't tell.

Tremendous show!

[barlog85-1 · 10/10 · 2 April 2013]

JCS is on of the real classics. I've been listening it as a kid and imagining the ancient Jerusalem. Of course i'm talking about the 1970 version with Ian Gillan as JC. Then came the movie with Ted Neeley brilliantly playing JC. These two are classics are a real challenge for new versions to compete with. Now speaking of the Live Arena. We have brilliant Tim Minchin as Judas, incredible Mel C as Mary Magdalane and arguably a black horse Ben Forster as JC. We also have Chris Moyles as King Herod, probably a best man for the role. But the surroundings are really modernized. No priests in white clothings! Instead we have gentlemen in gray suits as Annas and Caiaphas and some punk-looking youth as JC's surroundings. And it works out! JSC have always been sorta 'look from our time' thing, and this modern scenery perfectly fits. Alexander Hanson who plays Pontius Pilate add some classical theatre touch to the vivid palette of the show. Now about the main three characters. As i've mentioned Judas played by Tim Minchin is brilliant, it's really the top performance of Judas. Mel C is perfect in the role of Mary Magdalane. To tell the truth i've never liked Spice Girls, but this show opened my eyes of Mel C's talent! As for Ben Forster.... well really he's not the best out-here. Ian Gillan is more passionate and truthful even though we don't see him! I'm not saying that Ben is bad! He's OK! But i've HEARD better JC! And even Ben's advantage of performing on stage can't overcome that. However i won't lower my vote 10/10. It's a classic and if these shows added at least a handful of new fans than it's worth it!

Amazing

[patsprosser · 10/10 · 14 April 2020]

If only I could go see this now with this cast, Tim minchin is the star of the show! I could watch it over and over, fantastic!!

Weird version of a classic musical

[d-m_stewart · 6/10 · 26 January 2022]

First off, I should say that the filming itself of this production is well done. Good camera angles although the editing never lets them breathe enough. Still a well filmed live production I would say. I've given this a 6 largely in part due to the production value.

The production itself however is strange. They have really modernized it (nearly post-modernized it), which actually makes it feel more dated times. The dystopian hierarchy is a very cool change that I liked, but other changes like turning the temple into a night club just didn't work and ruined the integrity of the original scene.

They also auto tune a lot (if not all) of the voices, plus apply many other vocal effects, and it's really really noticeable.

Jesus also just was miscast. He can hit the high notes, but doesn't have much strength or power to them. Range isn't everything. His voice is far to smooth and soft for material that requires full voice screaming. Sounds like a Bee Gee instead of hard rock screaming. I must point out that sings the wrong vowel sounds quite regularly too, which really should have been caught by the music director.

Tim Minchin really does steal the show as he appears to be just about the only person on stage who really understands and is dedicated to the material. He gives it his all, and it's a real travesty that they auto tuned and smoothed out the grit in his voice as the role of Judas is not supposed to sound nearly as smooth at they made it.

Overall it's an interesting adaptation. If you're a fan of the musical in general, you might enjoy it just as a different take, but the vocal effects alone will ruin it for many classic theatre fans.

The rock opera in the rock arena which was intended when originally written !

[msLilypad · 9/10 · 8 December 2023]

Ok, to be totally frank, NOT ONLY am I a huge Tim Minchin fan, I've watched all of his concerts & shows I could find and some of series AND I've been listening to the original JCSuperstar album since the early 70's. All of my kids, who are full grown adults now, love the album. When I heard about this UK arena tour video, WOW! I was so excited to watch it, but then I saw that Tim had been cast as Judas, that just added to my delight.

Now, I get that not everyone likes Tim's act, he can be fairly caustic to a gentle mind. But I just love his stuff. Swearing & all. You cannot deny the guy is super talented.

This production was placed in a rock arena, as creators ALW & TR had originally planned while writing it. With a huge flatscreen at top of the steps which lets the audience see better close-ups.

The 1973 movie was very good (8/10), but as talented as Ted Neely was, I would've preferred to have seen Ian Gillian in the Jesus role (he does Jesus on the original soundtrack). In this version, Ben Forster is pretty good as Jesus. The way the arena is set up, if you're familiar with the original Norman Jewison film from 1973, you'll know where each scene & character is 'supposed' to be. Tim is excellent as Judas. MelC ,as Mary, is easy to watch. I love her gothy/punk look.

So, maybe I'm not unbiased, I've watched this movie so many times since buying it. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes JCS or Tim Minchin or rock operas or just a good show to spend some time on.

PS: Another Tim Minchin achievement is "Matilda, the Musical", he wrote all the songs and they are brilliant! (Watch Matilda at least once with the captions on so as not to miss any of his sharp lyrics!).

Excellent

[joco1114 · 10/10 · 7 October 2020]

Tim Mitchin and Mel C were great in the show, both have impressive voice and excellent play. Only one thing made this marvellous piece of art a little bit "sour": playing of Ben Forster. He acted like a hysterical child, though his voice was fair good, except some overtone.

Overmodernised and weak

[bwdude · 3/10 · 26 March 2013]

Before I get to this very title, let me tell you where I am coming from on this: When I first saw the Motion Picture "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the 70s, I was hooked right away. I've never been a great fan of musicals, but this one had such a great score, I loved it and got the soundtrack on vinyl as soon as it was out. Since then I have not only seen the original Broadway show (on tape) but also multiple later live performances until well into the 90s and even in different countries. Each of those had its own style, its own cast, its own "feel", but all of them were great.

This one though, the "Live Arena Show", I simply don't like, and believe me I've tried!

First of all, it's wayyy to overmodernised to me, cellphones, tablets and all. This may just be my personal taste, but hey, it's my review as well. Second, the costumes, makeup and hairstyles of "the followers" are downright ridiculous. While the style of Herod and Pilates are pretty good in a tongue-in-cheek way, those of the followers are just pathetic.

But the worst thing is, that Tim Minchin as Judas as well as Ben Forster as Jesus are just weak in any way. "The Temple" usually gives me goosebumps of delight, be it performed by Ted Neeley or Ian Gillan or some of the other Jesuses I've heard so far. In Forster's Case its all just "Meh".

Also, Melanie C has a great and unique voice, I am just nor sure if its the right one for the role. Maybe I am just used to the smoothness of Yvonne Elliman, but it also did not feel right to me.

In conclusion I did not enjoy it very much. If you are like me and love the Motion Picture or the Broadway Show, it might not be for you as well. On the other hand, if you are a younger person and this is the first time you ever see Jesus Christ Superstar at all, chances are that you will like it. If so, PLEASE listen to the original Soundtrack afterwards and I almost can guarantee you that you will be blown away!

two words: tim minchin

[sunny_felix · 8/10 · 8 July 2019]

Good adaptation to the modern time, but without Tim Minchin, it's not worth watching

Gloomy, dispassionate atheist version

[Marc-Drost · 3/10 · 16 April 2020]

What struck me from the very beginning, when I saw the 1973 movie was, how this musical presents such a strong view on the gospel, respecting the premise that Jesus was Messiah, and that in his own time this would have led to all sorts of dynamics, opinions, opposition, support, etc. So I have always been a fan of the material itself, since the music is probably the best that Andrew Lloyd Webber ever wrote, at least in my opinion.

So I watched this modernised revamp from start to finish, maybe with the wrong expectations. Jesus is not presented as anyone anyone special, more of a random leader of a political rebel group. Neither Jesus nor this group ever seems to stand for anything, as I see it because of the poor lighting and the highly distracting banners, showing what they should stand for. But are they punk or hippy... Unclear.

One of the Big Central Pieces in this musical is of course Gethsemane, where Jesus prays to his father. Up till then Ben Foster has been shown as a weak uncharismatic character, weak also vocally, though he does hit all the challenging notes. And then at Gethsemane, suddenly he is over emotional, crying before he even starts, which left me with the feeling that he is just not up to whatever he was catapulted into by his undefined group of followers.

But even more distressing is the bland dispassionate portrayal of Judas by Tim Minchin. From the very start he seems to be focused on his vocals, delivering a super-clean version of this highly challenging part. But after a while I started noticing the use of autotune... So maybe he was not quite up to the part, vocally? Meanwhile is acting is either non-existent, or else this indifference to Jesus and the mission J.C. and the disciples are on, was directed on purpose...? This uninvolved acting style goes on, scene after scene... Maybe the idea was to show Judas as being in a depression? Not very exciting from a theatrical point of view. Just like Gethsemane for J.C. seemed to come out of nowhere in this production, the suicide of Judas seems completely without motivation.

As for the rest of the cast: Mel C sings the part fine but again I see no relation between her and J.C. At some point it all seems more erotic than what is called for in the script, another odd choice by the director. A nice surprise was the choice to make Herod a kind of TV game host, well performed by Chris Moyles. The Herod piece I have always found a weaker spot in the score, the strange choice to refer to music from the 20s or 30s... That never made sense to me. So in this case, pulling that scene out of context into this strange tv-show world finally got my attention. Another part that almost kept my attention was Alexander Hanson's Pilate. He first appearance - the dream - is captivating. I see an intelligent magistrate with a nuanced view of who and what J.C. may be. Frankly it's also the first performer who is showing some acting skills. But unfortunately the direction further along is not helping him. To dress him up as a British style judge, wig and all... strange and distracting. Still, I appreciated seeing the acting performance being dramatic and consistent, unlike most of the rest of the cast.

The band and musical direction is excellent. Maybe hearing this show without seeing all that bad acting and the questionable distracting visuals would be a more satisfying experience. Still, a show where the core is an overdramatic highlight from the gospels should at least but J.C. and Judas at the center of this drama. Presenting it in a non religious way... maybe it could work, but then some very engaging alternative should be presented, and some passion about 'the cause' should be displayed. But then I'm not sure this could be done without some rewrites of the lyrics. In this presentation I was left feeling indifferent to the characters and puzzled by some of the scenes. What is the meaning of the last supper without the religious context? Who is J.C. addressing in Gethsemane...?

And to be clear, I am not at all a profoundly Christian person. But Christian enough to have always been intrigued by the meaning of the crucifixion and the way it got to be so central to the teachings of the church. Personally I am more of a gnostic believer, feeling it's good to question and investigate the events and teachings from Jesus' life. And in that context I also thoroughly enjoy and respect a movie like 'The Life of Brian'. But all that is a different story.

Doesn't really work

[rendragnz · 3/10 · 14 December 2019]

JCS transposed into the present with Jesus and the disciples as anti-capitalists, the pharisees are corporatists/bankers, Pilate is a judge and Herod is some sort of game show host or entertainer.

The lyrics simply don't make any sense when sung in these circumstances. The Temple is now a nightclub called "The Temple", so when Jesus sings "my temple should be a house of prayer", it just makes you think he must have been the previous owner. Herod, Pilate and the Pharisees are all part of the same culture as opposed to Romans and Jews so again it simply just doesn't work.

Musically the band is very good, better than the movie and almost as good as the original concept album. The singing is generally very good with Tim Minchin being easily the weakest link, he sings through his nose. Jesus is very good and Mel C sings well, although she is just doing a direct copy of how Yvonne Elliman did it, not that that's a bad thing.

Last Christmas I saw the Court Theatre production here in Christchurch. Much lower budget, much smaller cast, much superior.

Be afraid....be very afraid

[Gizmo_not_Gremlin · 2/10 · 3 December 2022]

Musical movies may unjustly be the most harshly judged of all film genres. Some classic Hollywood masterpieces translated beautifully to stage (such as "42nd Street" and "Singing in the Rain") and others made a perfect leap from theatre to celluloid (I may mention "Grease", "Rocky Horror"). And others, sadly, never quite succeeded in either medium.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is such an example. A concept album, originally released in 1970, the live production never quite matched the edgy counterculture light rock of its vinyl counterpart. A first film attempted in 1973 was a minor curiosity, but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. A modernised straight to DVD filmed performance from 2000 was egregiously awful with singing better suited to a fourth grade pantomime.

Now in 2012 the already dated irrelevant show is updated yet again for a turgid interminable arena spectacular that fails both interest and attention. Lord Lloyd Webber received a lot of slack for his uncompromising casting of a reality star in the lead, yet at least the man can hold a note unlike the bizarre and deplorable casting of a failed Australian worst comedian whose unrelenting use of autotune quickly wears thin. Rounding out this pathetic cast of miscast musical misfits is a former Spice Girl who, again, nevertheless reach a high c despite having the acting gravitas of rotting sheep carcass.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" may have been now considered an accurate yet eccentric representation of seventies zeitgeist, but endless flogging of the world's most deceased horse only leaves this bloated earache as enjoyable as Pilate's punishment of 39 lashes.