‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ runs until May 31, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire.
I was nine years old when Jesus Christ Superstar the movie was released in 1973, a truly groundbreaking musical that drove many conventional Christians crazy. I had simply thought it was a hip film at the time; I remember the late great Carl Anderson as Judas performing Superstar in an Elvis-style jumpsuit with glittering tendrils from his jumpsuit arms, and the cast filing out of a Volkswagen combi in the middle of the desert, where the movie was filmed.
Today, only many, many years later would I appreciate the timeliness of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s totally groovy (the perfect word) music and Tim Rice’s ingenious, revolutionary lyrics that brought out the earthy, endearing humanity in all the characters, especially Jesus himself, Judas, and Mary Magdalene.
I thought the new production, a restaging that has toured America, the UK, and Australia, came to Manila a couple of weeks late, and would have been an ideal post-Easter continuation of the reminiscence of the Passion of Christ. Still, I’m sure the cast and crew of the production were informed about the mainly Catholic and Christian population in our country, and how we would be very familiar with the story.
For younger theater fans, you would do well to find a copy of the original movie, what has become the standard for the show. In later years, rock star Ted Neeley, who first played Jesus, would continue to perform his role, and a so-called farewell tour in New York in 2006 (so-called, because he did perform his most famous songs even after) featured, in my opinion, a much-older Neeley at his emotional, gravelly-voiced best, singing the heartbreaking Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say).
Since then, there have been a few iterations of the show, including a vapid 2018 version with John Legend as Jesus (what?) and the 2025 version with Cynthia Erivo as Jesus (what again?), which, although I didn’t see it, sounded more interesting than Legend’s version—plus, it had the bonus of Adam Lambert as Judas.
This version in Manila was restaged by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, directed by Timothy Sheader and choreographed by Drew McOnie. The 2026 tour is produced by GMG Productions and David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions.
Jesus’ song Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) has, in recent years, pretty much encapsulated the crux of my faith
I had all kinds of standards and biases because of my memories of the original, but I still had to see this. On the spiritual level, Jesus’ song Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) has, in recent years, pretty much encapsulated the crux of my faith—how Jesus had to come to terms with dying for the world, a sacrifice I still can’t wrap my head around, but which I have accepted (and been grateful for) anyway. Rice and Lloyd-Weber’s genius was in highlighting Jesus’ humanity in this moment when he actually asked the Father if there was a way out:
I only want to say
If there is a way
Take this cup away from me
For I don’t want to taste its poison
Feel it burn me, I have changed
I’m not as sure as when we started
Then I was inspired
Now I’m sad and tired
Listen, surely I’ve exceeded expectations?
Tried for three years, seems like thirty
Could you ask as much from any other man?
On the aesthetic level, it is a gut-wrenching, raw song that requires several octaves of fantastic vocals from the singer, swinging from silent sorrow to indignation. Yes, I was thinking of Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson when I went to watch the matinee at Solaire with my friend Joy Rojas, who also had vague memories of the songs.
The verdict: If you love the musical, you have to see this. I guess the test of a timeless musical is if it can be reimagined and redesigned, with the same effect. The set was sparse but gritty, with plenty of smoke, dramatic lights, and a large, elevated cross serving as a ramp for comings and goings. Even the use of hand-held mikes, including one with a cord, and plenty of electric guitar music were faithful to the industrial and period feel.
The aesthetic was streetwear meets Mad Maxx, with hoodies, sneakers, some black leather. Joy particularly liked how the same cross became the table for the Last Supper, with the actors freezing into a Da Vinci-esque tableau for effect. I noted how the crucifiers used a nail gun, not a hammer, to drive the nails in. The set reminded me at first of Hamilton, with the second level, but the feel was different. Also, using glitter to symbolize lashes of the whip—the chorus threw it on a writhing Jesus with each salvo—was interesting, but kind of diluted the gravity of what was happening for me. Glitter and blood don’t quite go together, but maybe that was the point: blood as spectacle.
Luke Street is Jesus and Gab Pangilinan is Mary Magdalene
The singing? World-class, of course. Gab Pangilinan, our Filipina in the cast, with her beautiful vocals, was right at home with the international ensemble, although I didn’t read much pain in her Mary Magdalene. Maybe that’s not fair, since I was hearing Yvonne Elliman’s sobs in my head. The production did not shirk away from the idea of Magdalene and Jesus being a possible pair, what with a lot of PDA and hand-holding, and I applaud that she was part of the Last Supper. I happen to believe this saint was excluded from the gospel writers by a misogynist early church that played into the stereotype that she was a prostitute—and which Jesus Christ Superstar adapts, for obvious drama—but that’s me.
Ricardo Alfonso as a heartbreaking Judas
Javon King is headlined to play Judas, but we got his alternate, Portuguese stage veteran Ricardo Alfonso, who was fantastic in every way. Another ingenious touch: Instead of handling the 30 pieces of silver, Alfonso dipped his hands in silver liquid that stuck to his skin for the rest of the show, highlighting how he could never wash away the sin. Judas’ discontent and unbearable guilt suffused his entire performance. When he croaked out a line from Magdalene’s anthem, “I don’t know how to love him,” we were gutted.
Finally, we got a boyish-looking Luke Street as Jesus, but that voice was anything but boyish. And yes, he was brilliant in Gethsemane, assisted by piercing lights. I feel he could have done away with the guitar he was holding, however; it was unwieldy, and that powerhouse song did not need any props at all. But yes, we truly saw a man who was scared sh-tless—but obeyed, all because of love.
At the end of Jesus Christ Superstar the movie, Jesus is left to die on the cross, and the ensemble loads back into the combi and leaves. It’s a different ending for this production, a more subtle, poignant passing of the burden, as it were—watch it to find out, and to remember why this is wonderful musical will live forever.
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ runs until May 31, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire. Tickets available at www.ticketworld.com.ph, Solaire Box Office Level 2, and at Ticketworld oulets.
