[ WEEKEND ]
Matthew Pannaz, center, plays Jesus Christ in the Diamond Head Theatre production of "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Jesus rocks
'Jesus is just all right with me," as the song goes, and the Diamond Head Theatre production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" is arriving at a time of unrivaled Jesus popularity -- not just as a religious figure, but as a pop culture icon. After all, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" broke box-office records among the faithful and lit a fire under the doubters earlier this year. The "passion" in the title likely referred to the debates that occurred after the film, just as "Fahrenheit 9/11" is doing this summer.
What a trend we have in Jesus! You can wear "Jesus Is My Homeboy" T-shirts and ball caps, you can beat the devil with Jesus action figures ("with poseable arms to reach toward the heavens and wheels in his base for smooth gliding action!"), there are a variety of bobblehead Jesus figures that come with real, tiny Bibles attached, and you can wear Ten Commandments belt buckles.
'Jesus Christ Superstar'
Where: Diamond Head Theatre, 520 Makapuu Ave.When: 8 p.m. today, tomorrow and Thursday, and 4 p.m. Sunday, repeating through Aug. 1
Tickets: $12 to $42
Call: 733-0274
"Praise" bands such as Switchfoot are cracking into the Billboard charts, "Joan of Arcadia" is one of a handful of genuine TV hits of the past season, the DVD home video of the 1973 movie version comes out at the end of August, and even Monty Python's "The Life of Brian" has been dusted off and sent back into mainland theaters to stoke the faithful.
And, oh yeah, Bible sales are up.
But DHT's production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" is no quickie cash-in. It was announced, after all, well more than a year ago by the theater, and even then had been percolating to the top of their to-do pile for a good long time.
"Coincidence?" suggests DHT marketing director Kym Char. "Certainly. It just so happened that way. Ticket sales are beginning to pick up, but our shows are sold on word-of-mouth about the quality of the production, not on religious affiliations. We chose it because it's a classic Broadway show, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice -- who are about as good as you can get -- and that's what our audiences like. It's more 'Hello Dolly' than 'The Passion of the Christ.'"
"SUPERSTAR" almost didn't even make it to Broadway. Producers were scared of the show's religious theme, and the musical was released first as a record album. Only when the record became a runaway success in 1971 did the Great White Way gamble on a production, and "Jesus Christ Superstar" premiered at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City on Oct. 12, 1971. The cast included Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, Ben Vereen as Judas and Hawaii's Yvonne Elliman as Mary. Although some religious groups opposed it, it ran for 720 performances.
The 1973 film version featured Ted Neeley as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas, with Elliman back on board as well. (Neeley and Elliman are still performing; Anderson died earlier this year.)
As for the upcoming local staging of "Superstar," "I can't take credit for the timing, it's purely by accident," laughed John Rampage, DHT artistic director. "There are actually two reasons we chose 'Jesus Christ Superstar' -- one is that we try to do something different for the summer slot, to appeal to folks who might not normally go to the theater. The other is that when we did the show 10 years ago, it was incredibly successful. Repeating a success is always a good thing."
Matthew Pannaz, right, plays Jesus Christ and John Bryan plays Judas Iscariot in "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Rampage noted that the success of the mid-'90s production of "Superstar" was independent of any pop culture crazes.
"There was no tie-in to a 'Passion,' there was no religious debate going on. People just responded to a wonderful piece of musical theater. The great thing about the way 'Jesus Christ Superstar' is written is that it makes you think about Jesus without getting preachy."
Any surprises or tweaks in the new production?
"You know, in the history of the show, I don't think any two have been done the same. The last Broadway version was very punked out, lots of black leather and piercings! The core of the drama and the message stays the same no matter what wrapper you put on it. You're not locked into any particular period or style or one person's vision. Our new version is going to be rather stark compared to some; we want audiences to be paying attention to the characters and story rather than to their costumes or sets."
Sounds like they're being properly reverential.
On the cover: Matthew Pannaz as Jesus Christ in "Jesus Christ Superstar."
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