By Seneca Peters
The four-school production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” can make one a true believer…in the power of music. The two-hour musical debuted on April 20 and 21 at Southfield-Lathrup, then showed on April 27 and 28 at the same location.
An integral part of this musical—as in any musical—is the actual music. The pit band was spectacular. The songs featured a mix of pop and rock, while the score consisted of recurring rhythms and melodies filled with edgy electric guitar and hypnotizing piano. Occasionally, a sinister trumpet would snake through the seats. Overall, the music was completely unpredictable, nothing like a cheery church organ heard on Sundays.
As for the action, at the play’s beginning, the lights dimmed and an overture began to play. Red lights shone while actors and dancers glided onto the stage, and the song and dance numbers began.
The play’s main plot consists of the life and death of Jesus Christ, played by Southfield High senior Khalid Bates. Judas (Christopher James Jordan of Southfield-Lathrup High School) takes a stand against Jesus’s newfound celebrity, though he is a follower of Jesus. He then plots the downfall of Jesus, conspiring with Caiaphas (Jamie Hamilton of Southfield-Lathrup), Pontius Pilate (Jean Claude Lampert of Southfield-Lathrup), and Annas (Errol Osley of Southfield-Lathrup).
After Judas relinquishes Jesus’s private whereabouts, the scene is set for the iconic Last Supper, after which Jesus is captured. Peter (played by Southfield High senior Dantel Shaw), another disciple of Jesus, thrice denies ever following him, as Jesus predicted earlier that night.
The musical also included a subplot featuring the famous Mary Magdalene (Senior Nicolle Rashleigh of University High School). While Mary worships Jesus, she somehow finds herself falling in love with him throughout the action.
The acting was overall quite good. The students made few mistakes and were quite believable, especially the lead roles.
One of the more interesting scenes showed Jesus being pulled and yanked by his black-clad and cloaked followers, as if in a mosh pit, while what sounded like a banshee howled in the background.
A bit of humor was even tossed in, when King Herrod demands that a captured Jesus prove himself, and sang a musical number while wearing a bell-sleeved paisley shirt and overalls, all the while accompanied with dancers.
Some of the scenes, despite good acting, were less than convincing, like when Jesus is punished with 39 lashes. In the scene, an actor in jeans and a t-shirt wields a rubber whip, while King Herrod, still in his overalls, dougies onstage with a hair pick in his bro-hawk.
And while some costumes, like Jesus’s (who wore all white) were perfect, others were suspect, like the paisley shirt getup.
The more important parts of the musical were good, though, such as the singing. The plot flowed from one song to the next, with few words spoken and the majority sung. The lead roles each had unique and beautiful voice.
The best song was the title song “Superstar,” sung by Judas and a chorus of “angels,” who wore long white robes. A cloud of dancers swept the stage wearing white glittery jumpsuits and sporting curly blonde wigs. For the finale of the song, the chorus ran into the aisles and sang with hands uplifted.
The play ended with the classic image of Jesus hanging on the cross, lifeless. The musical then ended with a bright, practically blinding, white light shone from the stage, straight into the audience.
The symbolic light representing Jesus’s ascension into heaven was a powerful way to end