Jesus Christ Superstar returning to Broadway

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is set to return to Broadway next year.

The production, which has been a big hit at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, will begin previews at the Neil Simon Theatre on March 1 with an opening date of March 22. Webber's The Useful Group is producing with Des McAnuff, who also helmed Jersey Boys, set to direct. The cast is still under consideration.

It's currently a time for revivals of musicals about the life of Jesus originally written in the early-70's as Godspell is set to begin previews on October 13 looking forward to a November 7 opening.

The Webber/Rice rock opera, which depicts the last seven days in the life of Christ, was originally released as a two-LP set in late-1970 and reached number 1 in the U.S. the next year and 23 in the U.K. in 1973. Ian Gillian of Deep Purple sang the part of Jesus, actor Murray Head was Judas and newcomer Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. Also singing on the record were the likes of blues singer Victor Brox (Caiaphas), bassist John Gustafson from the Mersybeats (Simon Zealots) and Mike d'Abo of Manfred Mann (King Herrod). Those in the chorus included Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Tony Ashton (Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, Family). Music was provided by Neil Hubbard, Chris Spedding, Alan Spanner and Bruce Rowland among others.

In July of 1971, a concert production began touring the U.S. with Jeff Fenholt (who eventually became a controversial member of Black Sabbath) as Jesus, Carl Anderson as Judas and Elliman as Mary Magdalene. That led to the original Broadway production which opened on October 12, 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theater with Fenholt and Elliman reprising their roles and Ben Vareen as Judas. The understudies for the two main male parts were also part of the show's history with Ted Neely under Fenholt and Anderson from the touring production filling in for Vareen.

On August 7, 1973, the film version of the musical opened. Directed by Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof), the film received some scathing reviews for it's odd take on the setting, mixing modern day items (scaffolding, tanks) with the biblical story. The cast was straight from the Broadway show with understudies Neely and Anderson as Jesus and Judas and Elliman continuing as Mary.

Since that time, there have been stage and touring companies of the show around the world. A 1992 tour included Neely and Anderson along with Dennis DeYoung from Styx as Pontious Pilate and Syreeta and Irene Cara as Mary Magdalene. The tour was expected to go for a couple of months but continued for four years. A 2002 tour included, once again, Anderson and Sebastian Bach from Skid Row as Jesus.

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