THE NAKED ANIMAL

Every time I look at you I can't understand
How you let the things you did get so out of hand
-Judas to Jesus, a la Tim Rice

When I was little and started wondering why we didn't go to church, wondering what religion was and all that, my mom, bless her soul, took me to see Jesus Christ Superstar (the timing happened to be perfect, I was six or seven, and none of us knew we were actually Jewish yet--more on that later...). The movie left a huge impression on me, mostly because of the music and dancing--I had to have the double album immediately, and played it relentlessly. I can still sing most of the rock opera's entire libretto by heart, and often do. So it's no surprise that I was delighted when I happened to catch it on the Sundance Channel yesterday. I thought I would check in with my favorite tunes and have a little nostalgic sing-a-long, otherwise going about my business. But I was ineluctably drawn in by the amazing performances, especially by Carl Anderson as Judas (pictured), the truly rockin' score and, most of all, the woeful human truth and soundless depth with which Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and Norman Jewison (as the film's director) infuse the ever-debated, often mangled, story. In fact, after decades of delving into all sorts of theological studies both mainstream and fringe (including further films on the subject), I find that Jesus Christ Superstar's telling of the tale, with its compelling evocations of the complicating machinations of ego, politics and mob consciousness, and its simultaneous focus on the idiosyncracies of human emotions, still holds up--perhaps the best of all. Thanks, Mom!

Sundance will continue to broadcast the film throughout the holiday season, so screw Frank Capra and his damned Wonderful Life, and get on the bus with JC and the gang for a journey to the nitty gritty of the Christmas spirit. The entire cast is on fire, the staging and sets are beyond-belief groovy, and because Norman Jewison had the clout and vision to shoot live in Israel, the landscape itself is integral to the experience--look for some astounding long shots and creative uses of natural stages. On top of all that, the words and music work in a volatile synergy--it's definitely the most well-crafted, most honest and most passionate piece that the now-hallowed duo of Rice and Webber ever created.

As for the rest of the holiday hoopla, as the soul-stirring Yvonne Elliman (playing Mary Magdalene, making me cry) sang: Try not to get worried, try not to turn on to problems that upset you. Don't you know everything's alright, yes, everything's fine....

Categories: holidays, film