Jesus Is Cool: Strong on Style, Short on Storytelling

By James E. Trainor III
Photos by Jackie Jensen at ICPixx

Coralville - Near the end of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas sings: "If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation, Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication." For City Circle's production, director Elizabeth Tracey takes this quote as her jumping-off point. What we see is a Superstar that is unapologetically modern: excited young people swarming Jesus snapping pictures, police in full riot gear, Caiaphas and his smarmy cronies in business meetings. The result is a concept which, while faithfully executed by cast and crew, fits the text like a second-hand suit, landing solidly in places, but hanging loose and awkwardly in others.

The cast is great. Rob Merrit's Judas is heartfelt and well thought-out, he has endless energy, and plays well with the score. Esack Grueskin's Jesus is quite charismatic, with a very soulful voice, and he holds forth with a surprising subtle wisdom when correcting his followers. Hannah Loeb has a wonderful voice, and her Mary carries the emotional scenes with tension and grace. The ensemble holds solid throughout the piece, working well with each other and finding lots of effective little moments.

Preview for Jesus Christ Superstar

Coralville - City Circle has released a promo video for its upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which opens April 4. Check it out!

Jesus Christ Superstar Opens April 4

Esak Grueskin as Jesus; Rob Merritt as Judas.

Coralville - "City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar April 4-13 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Performances are April 4,5,11,12 at 7:30 pm and April 6 and 13 at 2:00 pm.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Tim Rice, Superstar is based loosely on the Gospel’s account of the last week of Jesus’ life as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. City Circle’s production is true to the show’s original rock album roots and is set in the present day and staged with the look and feel of a rock concert including large video screens on either side of the stage.

Auditions for Jesus Christ Superstar

Coralville - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will hold auditions for its production of Jesus Christ Superstar, January 12th from 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Community of Christ Church, 2121 S Ridge Dr. in Coralville. The show is directed by Liz Tracey. Kent Keating is the music director.

Jesus Christ Superstar, the ground breaking rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is loosely based on the Gospel’s account of the last week of Jesus’ life, as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

This is a big cast and all ages are welcome to audition. Those auditioning should bring 30 seconds of a song to sing that shows of your voice and acting ability.

To schedule an audition, complete and submit the audition form at www.citycircle.org. Walk ups are always welcome. For more information call Liz Tracey at 712-249-6214.

Jesus Christ Superstar will be performed April 4-13 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.


Source: City Circle press release

Superstar: The Greatest Story Ever Wailed

By James E. Trainor III
photo by Alisabeth Von Presley

Cedar Rapids - Jesus Christ Superstar is a piece with a lot of staying power, partly because it tells such an important story from human history, partly because it occupies such a crucial space in rock history. Andrew Lloyd Weber's compositions draw off of gospel music as well as the burgeoning metal scene of the late 60s; the overall feel catches the zeitgeist of the time perfectly and is still very fresh today. It is significant in that few other Broadway shows with such a grand operatic scale were so hip, so catchy, and so modern. The story itself, that of the passion of Jesus Christ with a focus on his relationship with Judas, is at once very familiar and larger than life. TCR's production, directed by Leslie Charipar with Music Direction by Janelle Lauer and Choreography by Aaron Canterbury, does a great job of capturing both the style and the story of the piece.