Why Jesus Christ Superstar worked so well for NBC
For starters, Jesus Christ Superstar just happened to be, pound for pound, the best adaptation that NBC has done in terms of crafting a story. This captured the soul of the original musical and presented it in a way that is emotional and appealing.
Beyond just that, this was by far the version of the show that is the most raw. From the live audience to the production, it actually felt as though you were in the theater watching the show. Remember when NBC was shying away from that for some of their earlier musicals? They simplified in some ways and that, in turn, made things better. This showed that they don’t have to try too hard to mask the fact that it’s live theater, and we personally think that the reviews of this could lead to even more productions than we’ve seen to date. Most of them have been the recipient of good ratings, and as time goes on we’ve seen more and more of them receive good reviews. (One of the few that didn’t was A Christmas Story Live! last year — the less we say about that, the better.)
There was a major component of risk that went with making Jesus Christ Superstar happen, mostly in that you were talking about a network trying to make a musical themed around a religious figure and then airing it on Easter Sunday. We do think that the end product honored the faith, while also still making the story enjoyable for non-Christians. Finding a message that is so universal lifted this project and if they’re smart, NBC will look towards other productions in the future to generate a similar result.
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