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November 16, 2007 > Arts & Entertainment > Brown’s Superstar rejoices in superb performance

Brown’s Superstar rejoices in superb performance

By Evan Mintz | Thresher Editorial Staff

The original Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber was a glitzy, if controversial, rock opera interpretation of Jesus Christ’s last days. But in the Brown College Theater production, director Stephan Hammel attempts to strip away the glitz and turn Superstar into a legitimate, even dramatic, work of theater.

And for all the issues that could come from such an experimental leap, for all the problems that arise from holding a musical in a college commons, for all the usual troubles within any college production, Martel College sophomore Charlie McKean’s performance as Jesus forgives all sins.

McKean’s acting is on a messianic level, fully capturing Christ’s internal struggle with his destiny, all with a vocal intensity that could knock Saul off his horse. McKean captures a man tempted by women and power, stoic but unsure in his duty, which ends with him crucified on stage. It was enough to make this Jew forgive the inherent anti-Semitism of the passion tale.

But the passion does not stop at Jesus. Mary Magdalene’s (bioengineering graduate student Stephanie Nemir) burgeoning love for Jesus is powerful enough to make Christ’s sinlessness painfully obvious. King Herod’s (Lovett College junior Paul Early) song and dance number had people rolling in the aisles. And the high-energy chorus imbues the whole production with a holy spirit that lets the stripped-down performance keep the audience’s attention.

The irony of such strong characters is that they take the focus off of Judas, who should be the focus in his own self-proclaimed Gospel. Lovett freshman Ryan Botts does an excellent job of playing up Judas’ frustration as he tries to get Jesus’ attention in the midst of the adoring fans — and women. But at times he plays it up a bit too much, coming off more like a pouty emo-kid than Jesus’ truly concerned friend. And his scratchy technique does not make the teen-emo resemblance any less. Indeed, it would have been nice if Judas had stopped spitting through his teeth and let out a strong musical note along with the rest of the cast.

Nevertheless, Botts’ enunciation problems could merely be a metaphor for the fact that history did not really understand Judas’ intent to save what Jesus worked for in the midst of Christ’s rising stardom, which results in a plan gone obviously awry.

But the real star performance is Hammel’s direction. For Hammel, a Brown senior, the Christ’s last temptation was not power, as Satan offered, but sex. Whether through replacing Simon Zealots’ (Jones College sophomore Rebecca Henderson) sword with a distinctly less phallic temptation or Mary Magdalene’s constant caresses, everyone is after Jesus’ attention. So when Judas gets jealous, one has to wonder exactly what he is jealous of. And in an amazing ending, Hammel reveals who actually loved Jesus the most. Although at times, Hammel seems like he is not sure whether he wants to play up some of the camp or not, leading to some confusion about the intimidating Caiaphas (Jones sophomore Alex Lambert) and his Disneyesque, bumblingly evil sidekick priests — Annas (Brown College sophomore Caroline Turner) and other priests (Baker College junior Barron Stone, Martel sophomore Chris Lenzini and Jones sophomore Stephen Nelson).

Yes, there are inevitable problems with clunking microphones interrupting what should be dramatic silences. And the often-lackluster orchestra had trouble creating the exciting momentum necessary for a rock opera, especially during the awkwardly long overture. But the core problem — and it is a stretch to point this out — is that this performance deserved a better venue than a college commons. If there is any theater god, Superstar will stage a year-end resurrection, complete with an orchestra pit and acoustics that would let this opera truly rock.

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