Unless you're living under a rock, chances are, you've heard that "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" premiered on NBC on April 1st. The superstar cast, featuring John Legend as Jesus Christ, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, and Alice Cooper as King Herod, outshone every live musical that NBC has produced to date.
It had everything that a live musical would have, minus the acting, including breakout stars, "Hamilton's" Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, most notably. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air to actually see people who were actually musical theatre affiliates do their thing, instead of seeing Hollywood elite attempt it.
A live in concert production is probably a more in-depth musical theatre experience than most. You have to know the story of the show in order to truly enjoy the concert because an in concert musical experience entails all singing, all the time. As I said before, there is a set, there is a lighting design, there are costumes, and choreography, but not much else beyond a live band and voice. A story like "Jesus Christ Superstar" was a perfect pick for NBC's first live musical because the crucifixion is a well-known story, regardless if a person is of Christian faith.
More popular musicals would also benefit from an in concert experience as the story is well known to musical theatre followers. A musical with a lesser known storyline probably wouldn't benefit as well to those who aren't devout musical theatre fans because, in some cases, it's often hard to catch a story from just the cast recording.
The set and lighting design help the story greatly, and in an in-concert experience, they have the opportunity to make or break the show. In this case, they were a beautiful storytelling element. The scenic design made sure to take the cross into account at any given moment, while the lighting design supplemented the emotion of the scene. Along with the incredible band and ensemble singers, this show was incredibly moving.
In my opinion, I think that "Jesus Christ Superstar" has opened the door for NBC to embrace more in concert experiences. It was breathtaking! The ensemble truly stole the show, showing the rawness of how Jesus' followers turned on him in an instant. Brandon Victor Dixon and John Legend showed us the complicated relationship between Judas and Jesus, and each showed heart-wrenching emotion when facing their fates. There was nothing that left me wanting more because NBC had chosen an excellent group of storytellers. It's up to NBC to continue to follow the in-concert experience path.
