Impressions of a Crucifixion

Genesis

It all began over 20 years ago. Renowned musical arranger Louis St. Louis (Grease, Smokey Joe's Café) was doing a "best of Broadway" type showcase gig in Chicago in 2002 when he encountered "a situation": two female soloists wouldn't budge on their song choice, "I Don't Know How To Love Him."

After wrestling with the problem, he decided to make it a duet; that way, they could each riff to the rafters and not feel cheated of their "moment." For added spice, he arranged it in urban contemporary gospel style. As one might expect, it brought down the house.

Upon its reception, he began to wonder if this approach could be successfully applied to re-imagining the rest of the show, bringing Jesus Christ Superstar and its score into the world of contemporary gospel, perhaps incorporating a choir as a Greek chorus, not unlike The Gospel at Colonus. What would happen, he pondered, if rock opera shook hands with Motown, if Mary Magdalene had a touch of Yolanda Adams, if the Soul Girls sounded more like the Clark Sisters?

St. Lulu, as he was known to friends, was no stranger to JCS; indeed, he'd auditioned for Herod in the original Broadway production, only to be cast in the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass instead. He was also no stranger to the culture of black music, having been born in Detroit, grown up in a largely black neighborhood, attended Assemblies of God services, and begun serving as a minister of music in the James Cleveland mold at a Pentecostal house of worship by the time he was 14. (Pretty fly for a white guy, I'd say; he was practically immersed.)

Indeed, it was Cleveland himself who'd left an indelible impression on "The Bishop" (St. Lulu's other nickname) in the mid-to-late Fifties, when the teen took two buses to the Tabernacle in downtown Detroit to see Cleveland in action:

"I saw [that] first James Cleveland concert with an 80-voice choir and doubled instruments: two pianos, two organs, two bass players, two drummers, two percussionists and 20 tambourines across the front pew. [...] I was overwhelmed. I had never seen anything like that."

Back in the present, the more he mulled the possible clash from the unusual pairing of material and style and recalled his childhood, the more he warmed up to the idea of a gospel-ized JCS. He wanted to "break the cliché of what people think a gospel choir does." After all, gospel music is not all celebration, tambourine-smacking, and hand-clapping. Born as it was amid tremendous struggle when certainty was far from certain and joy a distant hope, it holds the capacity to express various emotions… even the core uncertainty and anger, the focus on doubt and questioning, and the openness to sadness, of JCS.

So, he girded his loins and approached Andrew Lloyd Webber through a mutual contact, writing a letter in faux-Elizabethan style. (He once told me, when asked if that story was true, that the letter was "horrible. Just horrible.") However, his doubts aside, it did the trick. Much to his surprise, permission was granted; the rep who passed on the "green light" from above reportedly said, "He loved your idea. He turned around and asked why all the assholes around him hadn't come up with an idea this good for [JCS] in 40 years."

Gratified, St. Lulu then spent years trying to find backing and "place" the show. He shopped his demo around to producers, but some were put off by the project's monumental scale. Pity, as it was a very good demo. You can listen to some of it here.

(Okay, so actually "Heaven On Their Minds" and "Superstar" are excerpted -- somewhat poorly, in the case of the latter, but an unfortunate necessity to capture the first few seconds of the melody -- from St. Lulu's later promotional appearance on the Broadway Bullet podcast, while "What's The Buzz" came from a rehearsal recording privately shared with me several years ago. Nonetheless, all three reflect the unique style and approach that he intended.)

The obstacles began to seem insurmountable. He became so dismayed that he shelved the idea three times, but the positive word from on high persisted: ALW didn't want it to languish.

Production

Finally, The Really Useful Group, as it was known in its pre-LW Entertainment days, identified a possible venue themselves. Jo Porter, an executive at RUG, had the idea of approaching the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta:

"I was sitting there with this amazing idea trying to figure out what to do, and it did occur to me that the Alliance was the perfect place to try it out because of the really unusually diverse and integrated community. And also the Alliance has an incredible reputation."

(By then, the Alliance had produced the world premieres of The Color Purple and Disney's Aida and won the 2007 regional Tony Award. A logical candidate in producing terms, and also geographically; Atlanta had long become a major center for contemporary gospel.)

The idea was brought to the then-artistic director, Susan V. Booth, and finally, once again, St. Lulu got a "yes." They would pull the trigger on this concept and provide the resources he needed. Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL was off to the races, the centerpiece of the Alliance's 40th-anniversary season.

No expense was spared for the venue's largest production in two decades: a full Broadway-caliber cast, a 27-member choir besides that which frequently filled the aisles, a handful of "praise" dancers going strong at all times, a very "megachurch"-oriented staging with all-white costumes (except for Herod's striking dark purple outfit), and a set dripping with gold, as can be seen in the images below.

Everybody was on the same page. Vocal arranger Darryl Jovan Williams, who would also play Judas, spoke to an interviewer at the time about their goal:

"We went back through the original music to see what songs would lend themselves to our goal of capitalizing on the history of gospel music, from the spirituals and folks like Thomas Dorsey, James Cleveland and Walter Hawkins, to the present with the groove of Kirk Franklin and his contemporaries. What was most important was making sure we kept it authentic to gospel. Louis and I did not want the church or gospel community to come to the show and say, 'well, that's not gospel - that's theater.' Marrying the two and making the music authentic to both genres was our goal."

Based on the audience response, I'd say they succeeded.

Opening and Reception

The opening was a gala event, and critics were very effusive, saying that this new version had revitalized a tired relic. There was much praise for the score's radical reinvention through fresh, unique arrangements. Sales were brisk, and the response attracted interest from commercial producers.

St. Lulu was heard to envision a New York premiere at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and productions in Paris, Japan, and Chinese venues such as Macau. Later, more realistic but no less optimistic, he was quoted as saying, "After Atlanta we hope to take this on a national tour for about a year and eventually - Broadway."

Sigh...

We know how this ends. We'd be talking of such a singularly unique Broadway revival had it actually occurred. But before we continue to the unglorious conclusion, let's dwell for a little while and hear some quotes from the crowd, both published critics and audience comments from the Alliance's website:

Mainstream Publications

"Memo to Andrew Lloyd Webber: Come quickly. Come bearing hosannas in the highest. Come at once to rejoice in Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel, the Alliance Theatre's immaculately conceived gospel telling of your 1971 rock opera about the last days of Christ. Wondrously re-envisioned by arranger Louis St. Louis and directed with graceful precision by Susan V. Booth, the show is an epochal event in the theater's 40-year history - virtually guaranteed to be the smash hit of the Atlanta season. Boasting a 27-voice choir, six lovely dancers, an ensemble that's like a who's who of Atlanta theater and a clutch of break-out performances by its principals - oh, yes, and a 10-piece band - Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel manages to capture the drum beat of the contemporary moment. [...] The genius of this treatment is to strip the story of its stereotypical biblical garb, refine the dated score and sharpen the characters' trajectory. Michael Yeargan's set is a pure, sacred space of marmoreal splendor. Paul Tazewell's mostly all-white costumes are both hip and timeless. (The bad guys wear red and purple.) And Robert Wierzel's lighting bathes the tragic tale in sacrificial reds and ethereal whites. Though the piece looks somber, the enormous Greek chorus-cum-gospel choir cushions us in surround-sound warmth, and choreographer Hope Clarke's sinuous dancers turn up the sizzle factor. This stylish affair sports a vote-for-Christ campaign replete with posters and pamphlets, a temple of bling, a Last Supper tableau of inebriates and a fascist goon squad in red berets. In a smartly calibrated performance, Broadway star Darius de Haas' Christ projects the introspective quality of a man observing the drama around him. But later, his Christ becomes an angry, angst-driven rock star ('Gethsemane'). As Judas, Darryl Jovan Williams (who also arranged the gospel vocals) is smarmy and street-smart, with a vocal range that alternates between edgy and angelic. But the real star turn here comes from newcomer Nicole Long, who delivers a soul-quickening, career-making performance as Mary Magdalene. [...] her take on the signature song, 'I Don't Know How to Love Him,' is a tour-de-force. This ain't no gospel hootenanny, but a sensitively conceived and wholly modern update, as innovative as it is familiar-sounding. Some Broadway producer really ought to snap it up." - Wendell Brock, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"As they say in the 'hood,' this show is definitely 'off the chain.' Infused with the power of the Black Church's gospel sound and the vision of Louis St. Louis, who conceived and arranged this new presentation, along with Darryl Jovan Williams, who not only shines in the role of Judas but is also the man responsible for the show's vocal arrangements, Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel is a live stage performance that you don't want to miss. One change that is sure to make you rise to your feet, is the addition of a 60-voice gospel choir, complete with tambourines, syncopated hand-claps and an orchestra that will make you think you're in someone's Pentecostal Sunday morning praise service. [...] But is there a different message now that the play has been transformed from a rock opera to a gospel performance? Not really, according to Williams. 'It is a different experience because of the new musical selections, and I believe those who are avid fans of the original production will like this just as much, if not more,' he said. 'But you can't outdo Andrew Lloyd Webber. As one woman shared with me, what she took home was the realization that she had not only witnessed an event, but a worship experience.' [...] with the voices of Darius de Haas (Jesus), baritone extraordinaire Phillip Boykin (Caiaphas), Destan Owens (Pilate) and the operatic skills of Nicole Long, Gospel has a cast that is, if you will excuse the pun, 'made in heaven.' As de Haas cries out to God hoping to be released from his mission, burden and crucifixion, one cannot help but feel the turmoil that rages within. When Owens sings 'Pilate's Dream' he takes command of the stage with a voice that pierces one's soul, convincing the listener that what Pilate experienced was not a dream, but in fact a nightmare. Boykin, who could easily compete vocally with the likes of superstar baritone Wintley Phipps hits notes that reach deep into the cellar, and is the perfect bad boy. And then there is the beautiful, lithe songstress, Nicole Long who plays the role of Mary Magadalene. Watch out for her own take on the play's most popular piece, 'I Don't Know How to Love Him,' which comes near the end of Act I. This writer was reduced to tears as she bends notes, hits crescendos and decrescendos and closes effortlessly with a note that sails high into the skies." - Kevin McNeir, GBMNews

Audience Comments

"The day after the world witnessed something familiar -- the inauguration of a U.S. president -- with a 'colorful' twist, the Alliance Theatre audience witnessed something equally familiar -- a production of Jesus Christ Superstar -- infused with a 'colorful' twist of its own: gospel! From the first melded swell of band and choir, we got caught up in a force that exclaimed change had come to Jesus Christ Superstar as we knew it. Darryl Jovan Williams' voice was gravy on top of his physical Judas expression. Theatre newcomer Nicole Long was not your father's Mary Magdalene, though her voice for sure would have wooed him. Darius de Haas was a sweet Jesus who made you beg during his impassioned performance of 'Gethsemane', 'Oh God, does he really have to die?' This production made FULL use of the theatre, and I felt as though I was one of the multitude. Having seen the 'traditional' production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the delight came in anticipating how what I knew was coming would be 'remixed'. Everything 'old' New Testament was 'new' New Testament again! [...] For those who aren't averse to change, THAT alone was thrilling. I almost felt sorry for those who'd not previously seen Jesus Christ Superstar. Experiencing this performance, I'll bet that any version of it they'll see henceforth will pale in comparison..." - Lisa Braithwaite

"This play is spectacular to see and to hear, fifty excellent singers and dancers, individually miked, and moving to the gospel beat. The scene is of marble walls, not dusty roads to Jerusalem, but it works well in all the settings. Lighting and costumes are amazingly creative. The play by Andrew Lloyd Webber may be familiar to many, the music is on your mind, but until you see the Gospel version you haven't experienced the Superstar. [...] The voice of Nicole Long as Mary Magdalene beautifully conveys the intensity and love in 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' and 'Everything's Alright,' and if you close your eyes you can better hear the range and control of her sensational voice. Darryl Jovan Williams is Judas, and he is able to tell his story with vocal virtuosity. Darius de Haas has a challenging task to play the part of Jesus, and his role is often passive. The Garden of Gethsemane was his to convey solo and he succeeded. Eric Jordan Young as Herod, in purple and gold lame, made his evil self a funny interlude, and I loved his act. The orchestra under the direction of Michael Mitchell brought standing ovations at the end. This play brought before us the life and power of gospel and made the usual sermon and choir depiction of Christ's Passion seem pale and puny." - Jo Ellen Wilburn

"If you're not into gospel music, don't let that deter you from seeing this show. This production doesn't deviate much from the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber songs as I love and remember them. The phrasing was different on a few numbers, particularly 'I Don't Know How to Love Him,' but they were the exception, not the rule. And this show is all about the music, not the acting. [...] The costumes are color-coded with almost everyone in white, except the bad guys, who, as usual, steal the show -- Herod in purple; Judas in white, tarnished with black print; Pilate in a business suit. [...] My favorite scene was the lively crowd in the temple with various players hawking gaudy jewelry and opening jackets to reveal DVDs for sale. I know that this and Herod's scene don't depict happy events, but in a very serious story they provide some much needed comic relief. The opening scene of the second act also drew laughter. (Hint: Da Vinci's painting.) Musically, my favorite was the theme song rendition near the end. The most powerful scene, though, to me, was one with Judas's noose hanging over the stage. The silence in the theatre was deafening." - Patti McRoy

"The highly anticipated reinvention of Jesus Christ Superstar in a Gospel version has arrived and based on the attendance and accolades, it seems like a phenomenal success. Having been in attendance, I would have to agree with the crowd. [...] Louis St. Louis (no doubt with a great debt of gratitude to Darryl Jovan Williams for his vocal arrangements) has conceived and ultimately triumphed with a great re-imagining of this wonderful musical. I should know, I owned the brown-jacketed vinyl recording in 1970 and know every word and tune from every well-worn groove. The story still has the controversial references to the JC + MM relationship (pre-Da Vinci Code, folks) and the sympathetic take on Judas's character, but that's really no longer fodder for a 2009 audience. [...] The trio of leads was exceptional. [...] Darius de Haas' Jesus was as well acted as it was well sung. His rendition of the Gethsemane scene is the stuff Tonys are made of... With perhaps the most difficult task of the evening, Nicole Long's Mary Magdalene had to sing the most anticipated and well-known piece of the musical. Again her vocal rendition of 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' was beautifully nuanced and I heard someone whisper 'fabulous' after her final note. They were right! Perhaps, some of the greatest surprises and thus joys of the evening came with the supporting players. When Destan Owens' Pilate sang 'Pilate's Dream', it was the most beautifully sung number of the evening.  Philip Boykin's Caiaphas literally shook the auditorium with his basso voice [...] the dance ensemble really poured their hearts onto the stage. Even with all the props including dancing girls, props to Eric Jordan Young's Herod for living up to (if not surpassing) the reputation that number has gotten over the years. As a final note, I'd like to mention Keith Adams' Simon - not for his large role, but because he brought an energy and talent to the stage that was simply a joy to watch..." - John Laurich

"When I first heard of the Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel project, I had my doubts. Contrary to the popular advance opinion, I was not so sure it was such a good 'fit.' [...] Well, I have to say, I'm not sure if the Alliance's incredible mounting of the show is true to the Gospel tropes it aspires to, but it certainly does justice to the source material, framing the songs in ways I've never heard, without losing that intriguing questioning quest that so attracted me to the original concept album. It impresses with its large-chorus belt-voice bravado, moves with its from-the-soul songs to the heavens, and dazzles with its showmanship and design. [...] The show dazzles from the moment you walk into the auditorium. Faux marble flooring and walls, topped by a heavens-high walkway embed this in a classical 'limbo' of no particular place and time. The choir and principals are dressed entirely in white. When the 'Pharisees' come on in the middle of the first act, they are dressed completely in red (looking like nothing less than satanic televangelists), and Pilate stands apart in a business suit. It’s more concert than play, but it 'feels' like a play. And the live band does not overpower the singers (with this many singers, how could it?), and the cast nails almost every number. If many of the principals are trained singers more than actors, it shows only rarely. Darryl Jovan Williams' Judas is all clenched fury and angry glances, but when he tears into 'Heaven on Their Minds,' it raises the expectations for what's to come. [...] when Darius de Haas pleads to the heavens in 'Gethsemane,' I felt he was leaving pieces of himself splattered on the ceiling – if this is the sort of from-the-gut belt style that defines Gospel, let me have more of it. It was a stunning moment, the highlight of the show for me, and evidence of the electrifying magic that will happen when talents for song and character meld in one man. [...] What's most miraculous, though, is how the whole concept came together – the seeming contradictions between the style and the play simply did not occur [...] I liked how the full choir filled out the sound of the group numbers (particularly 'Hosanna' and 'The Temple'). I liked how the adjusted rhythms and orchestrations made the score sound new and exciting. And I liked how the 1960s sensibilities that infuse the show were left intact, without seeming dated, or non-contemporary. It was as if the seeming contradictions of a human/god character espousing ambivalent worldview/eternity-view concepts given a treatment that celebrated and honored those very contradictions and ambivalences. It was a tale of doubt and sadness told in a style that screams certainty and joy, an intricately designed piece that stirred the heart and the mind. It left me breathless." - Brad K. Rudy

Reviews like that... they get a spidey sense tingling, if you will. Perhaps his back was up a bit from the rave reviews this production got compared to the tepid reception of his own revivals. Either way, ALW had to see this new JCS for himself... just like Herod wanted to know what was going on in Bethlehem...

The Composer's Reception (And the Aftermath)

He was caught by surprise. Who wouldn't be? St. Lulu had thought ALW would understand that the score had to be reinvented and had gone on his merry way, taking tremendous liberties, transposing keys in some places, playing with chords/melody/time signatures, etc.

In reality, upon seeing the show for himself, ALW was blindsided and sprung into action, issuing forth objections that have been charitably described as culturally insensitive, summoning a music librarian from RUG, going over the score with a fine-toothed comb, and taking notes. He then laid down the hammer and strong-armed the arrangements into something closer to the original, with the result that about half the final product -- by the time the show closed, anyway -- was transparently "traditional JCS with a gospel choir tacked on."

I'll break an unspoken blog rule and offer you some proof. The recording is wide-spread enough by now, anyway. Click here to listen to the only audience tape known to exist of Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. (I've also enclosed a scan of excerpts from the Playbill to give it that "you-are-there" vibe.) My guess, from the sound of it, is this came from a post-ALW performance, but of course I couldn't say for sure. Feels right, though, especially compared to the vocal score I obtained from a private collector for 75 bucks almost a decade ago.

The enforced changes weren't enough to blunt the show's overall impact, but enough for ALW to wash his hands of its demolition. He twisted the knife further by, in essence, issuing an order that the Gospel arrangements could never be performed again, in whole or in part.

What a pity, considering, as late as 2011, memories of the production still stirred reactions like this:

Impact on the Present Day

Much as he disliked Gospel, it demonstrated something to ALW. He knew what he wanted: groundbreaking revivals that blew the dust off his shows and made them innovative again. He also knew what he didn't want: too much creative freedom that painted a picture of a fusty antiquarian's bones being picked for any remaining sinew.

It took some time and fine-tuning (it started as far back as the last Broadway revival of JCS, in fact, where he publicly declared in the NY Times that "I've now decided what I might do is to have nothing to do with my shows for the foreseeable future [...] I'll just smile and turn up at opening nights" -- following which he learned that he had to, y'know, actually do that), but I've gotta hand it to him, he's worked out the formula.

He picked a producing partner, Michael Harrison, a younger producer in touch with what attracts current crowds, to lead the way on the revival front, pairing the material with directors weaned on the Lloyd Webber catalogue who can use their grubby paws to smear it with the thin veneer of sophistication we now call "art." This allows him to appear broad-minded while, in reality, remaining tight-fisted where it matters: namely, strictly regimenting the score's sound, as Variety has now made public, so he is never again caught with his trousers down.

Michael handles the revivals, while on new stuff like, say, The Illusionist, good ole Lord Andy can be his usual cantankerous, controlling self. He gets to build this hyped image of himself re-embracing his past, making strides into the future, and being 'cool' again while actually being the same old prat.