Fifty-five years ago, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice set out to create a musical that asked a central, controversial question about the central figure of Christianity: what if Jesus Christ wasn’t the Son of God, and was just a man trying to make a difference? “It’s not really a religious piece,” Rice said in a 2023 interview. “It’s a story.”
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Half a century later, Jesus Christ Superstar, the award-winning 1971 musical created by Webber and Rice, has become a global phenomenon, with hundreds of major productions put on around the globe since its Broadway debut. Stars like Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan, Mel C, John Legend and Sara Bareilles have all starred in the show, with new productions regularly cropping up around the world.
The latest production of the show promises to be one of its buzziest — starting Friday (Aug. 1), Jesus Christ Superstar is set to take over the Hollywood Bowl with a star-studded cast, including Cynthia Erivo in the titular role and Adam Lambert opposite her as the show’s tragic protagonist Judas Iscariot.
Just as it was in 1971, this modern production is still proving to be controversial. After Erivo was cast in the role of Jesus, conservative Christians quickly called the choice “blasphemous” due to the fact that Erivo is Black, queer and a woman. “You can’t please everyone,” Ervio told Billboard about the backlash for her June cover story. “It is legitimately a three-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl where I get to sing my face off. So hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.’”
Below, Lambert talks with Billboard about the rehearsal process for the three shows this weekend, how his starring role in Broadway’s Cabaret helped prepare him for the role of Judas, and why he thinks Erivo’s casting continued the show’s tradition of pushing the proverbial envelope.
You’re performing as Judas just a few months after wrapping your run as the Emcee in Cabaret — how do you feel performing nightly on Broadway helped prepare you for this show?
Returning to the theatre and making my Broadway debut this year was a dream and definitely prepared me for Jesus Christ Superstar at the Bowl. Emcee and Judas have long been two of my absolute dream roles so this year has been full of “pinch-me” career moments.
The company has been rehearsing for the last couple of weeks. Tell us a little bit about what that process was like; what stood out to you about the cast and direction during rehearsals? Were there any particular difficulties when it came to putting this together?
I first heard the original concept album when I was 10 and my Dad would play it on vinyl, so I came in super familiar with the musical and excited to hit the ground running. We only had about nine days of rehearsal, but this cast is truly next level. I’m blown away every day by the talent and professionalism of the cast, and excited for the audiences to hear us sing our faces off.
You’re performing with a truly stellar cast and starring opposite Cynthia Erivo. What has Cynthia been like to work with, and what did you make of the backlash to her casting as a Black, queer Jesus?
Cynthia’s brilliant. Her voice, presence, and simultaneous power and vulnerability absolutely blows my mind and working with her has been a dream. I’m excited by the challenge of presenting the audience with a production led by a female, Black “Jesus” and encourage the audience to expand their minds a bit. Originally utilizing rock and roll, Jesus Christ Superstar is supposed to provoke and challenge, that’s the point. And shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus transcend gender?
Judas gets some of the best songs in the show, “Heaven on Their Minds” and “Superstar” being the most popular among them. Do you have a favorite song that you get to perform in this show?
I love them both but opening the show with “Heaven on Their Minds” is electric. And even more special as I was asked to record a studio version of it by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which is such an honor.
