Much like its namesake, Jesus Christ Superstar comes with a storied history. There have been at least four Broadway productions and many revivals, tours and adaptations of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1971 biblical rock musical. Just last month, the UK saw a revival met with acclaim. In Los Angeles’s version, not without “backlash”, Cynthia Erivo is the Holy Messiah. Jesus, clad in white cloth and cool white boots, faces betrayal at the hands of Judas (played by a magnetic Adam Lambert).
In the first half of the show, as the apostles ask Jesus about his plans, and as lepers ask him to heal them, Erivo’s Jesus is restrained and she doesn’t quite make the role fully her own: Jesus is composed even in uncertainty, steady even when overwhelmed. But immediately into the second act, after Jesus realizes a disciple will betray him and as he pleads with God against the death that awaits him, Erivo lets despair take over in Gethsemane, stoking a tender touchpoint that makes Jesus feel human but commanding, helpless and then resolute. There is no doubt that you’re in the presence of a mastery of art form, of unbridled talent as Erivo sinks to her knees and resigns to God’s will – tears filling her eyes, the music simple and her crystalline voice carrying into the night. The outpour at first doesn’t feel quite earned but, on true skill and discipline, becomes moving and stunning to witness, enthralling the audience into a minute-long standing ovation.
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