For every version that rolls out, “Jesus Christ Superstar” merits accusations of blasphemy. The latest version, performed in early August at the Hollywood Bowl, is no exception.
But this blasphemous rock opera should also receive criticism for its artistic failure. Not surprisingly, it gets resounding praise instead, lauded for its uneven, wild, challenging nature. “It’s revolutionary. A masterpiece.”
But it’s not revolutionary. It’s already been done. And no, casting a black lesbian as Jesus and a drag queen as Judas doesn’t make it any more revolutionary than when it came out in the 1970s.
Now it’s just on a stage that looks like they forgot to set it, filled with poorly costumed actors and distracting fake fingernails. It’s deconstruction at its finest, an icon of postmodernity demonstrating what we are losing by entertainment like this.
Destruction of Mystery
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is shrouded in mystery whether you believe in Him or not. The mystery comes from facts lost in the passage of time and in truths from a higher, supernatural plane we’re not able to fully comprehend. Jesus’ life provides years of miracles, fulfillment of prophecies, and only one tomb in history guarded by armed soldiers that somehow was found empty.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” chucks all of that. The writers clearly wanted to explain away what they didn’t know by reducing the story of Christ to ignorance, human folly, and reactionary politics.
Carl Anderson, who played Judas in the 1973 film adaptation, once said that the intent of the performers was to tell their story without altering the story those in the audience will have.
But that’s not how art works. The story of Christ is not subjective and it’s not relative. It’s not whatever to whoever. There’s an intended, objective meaning to art. And the meaning in “Jesus Christ Superstar” is that Christ wasn’t divine, Judas wasn’t so bad, and people can’t think for themselves.
So, yes this does tamper with most people’s versions. The mystery of the Incarnation, that the infinite God became a particular, individual man, is the foundation of Christianity. There’s no room for relativism there.
Deconstructionism destroys art because it isolates particulars, drawing them out from their intended place, manipulating them into a new meaning. It’s far past not seeing the forest for the trees; it’s total land clearing which then studies a log as if it’s part of a healthy forest.
But this retelling doesn’t just eradicate mystery, it also ignores history and eliminates morality. If you’ve read the Gospels, Jesus was an innocent man put to death. He willingly gave up His life to atone mankind’s sins, and He did so out of love so that redemption can be accessible to anyone. Reducing the birth of Christianity to political activism may get rid of all that sin and culpability stuff, but in the process, a loving, personal God who desires each person’s salvation also gets leveled.
In the final song of the opera, Judas questions Jesus as women gyrate in the background, asking why He didn’t have a better plan, like coming in a more enlightened time with mass communication. “Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you are what they say you are?” he asks. Judas is left with no answers because the person he’s questioning is a fabricated, false version of the original. Yet the historical figure of Christ was very clear on who He was and what He sacrificed.
But Judas’ questions are also just an echo of the original unbelievers. Nothing new. And the real Christ already answered these questions: “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”
Deleting the Feminine
Missing from the opera’s rendition are several important women who were close followers of Christ. (Apparently female representation is only important if it’s contrived, and removing real women from history is alright as long as it’s anti-Christian.) In reality, out of all the followers Christ amassed, only one man had the guts to stick with Him to the end. At least three women were strong enough to remain.
In “Jesus Christ Superstar” only one of these women remains: Mary Magdalene. And they had to distort the truth about her too. In reality, she renounced her life of prostitution the minute she began following Jesus. In the performance, that’s not super clear. The 1973 movie almost makes it look like Christ is in her brothel. Then they throw in a love interest between her and Jesus.
No wonder people felt the need for another female on stage, casting Cynthia Erivo as Jesus Christ in this latest rendition. This is not only absurd, it’s contradictory. This rock opera would like to maintain that Christ was just a man, but also more than a man. He didn’t resurrect, but He can, as the producers say, “transcend gender.” Contradiction is the inevitable outcome to deconstructionism and there’s no good story without truth.
Deconstructing Everything
There’s a reason it’s so rare to have a good movie or a well-written novel come out these days: The creativity of true storytelling was sold in exchange for the trend of challenging. Thus, we end up with reruns stripped of original intent, meaning, and beauty. It’s getting old.
No longer do we create beautiful things built off the past; instead, we tear them down, label them art.
The creators and performers in this latest version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” can’t even be honest about it. They try to twist their sense of deconstructionism onto the real figure of Christ, reducing him to a political reactionary and a troublemaker. It’s just the opposite. Yes, he was misunderstood and rejected then, but this opera continues that, precisely because He wasn’t challenging the political status quo. Christ didn’t call people to politics, He called people to challenge themselves, to look inward and pursue spiritual excellence.
Ironically, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is praised for finally showing biblical characters as flawed human beings – as if the original narrative was whitewashed and polished with all the tax collectors, lepers, Pharisees, prostitutes, Samaritans, and Gentiles!
“Jesus Christ Superstar” is a glaring example of how postmodernism has ruined art by distorting the past and weaving narratives disconnected from history simply for the sake of being rebellious. But art isn’t about being esoteric. It’s about being beautiful. And when we tear down the mystery and the truth and try to cram an agenda in its stead, we’re left with garbage.
This rock opera may cut out the resurrection and give Judas the last word. But the only last word history has given us on the subject are eye-account witnesses of a living Christ and an empty tomb.
Anna Barren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Christendom College and has been published in The Epoch Times, The Federalist, and the Smoky Mountain News.
This culture article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal, a project of 1819 News. To comment on this article, please email [email protected]. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.
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