Review: “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
www.goodspeed.org
April 17 – June 7, 2026
By Geoffrey and Linda O’Connell

In the late 1960’s, young composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice tried their hand at songwriting with the pop-music cantata “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The piece was a minor success and led them to something grander, their rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which has been produced worldwide for more than half a century. Goodspeed Opera House brings a new production that is as fresh as today’s headlines while paying homage to the original work.

The musical conveys a modern interpretation of the last days of Jesus. The music and lyrics were and still are bold, brash, questioning and genre-bending; a cultural cauldron boiling over with the tensions of the times.

Playing Jesus of Nazareth, Justin Matthew Sargent, commands the lead vocals, bringing back the heavy-metal style belting grit of the original album’s Jesus. Judas Iscariot, Austin Lesch, matches Sargent’s range and grit, lifting the Jesus-Judas, love-hate relationship to dizzying, emotionally fraught heights. The ensemble is strong throughout. Gender-blind casting as Nicolette Antonia Shin plays King Herod is a showstopper.

Director Tatiana Pandiani deftly manages the relationship between Jesus and his betrayer Judas, who wanted Jesus to lead the zealots’ revolt against the Roman occupiers and who questioned his divinity.

Both Pandiani and Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez use their spare tools wisely. The sand-filled stage serves as a prop for cast members to sift through the sand of time. Spare-looking small tables add depth to the otherwise empty stage, morphing into raised walkways, thrones, and temple terraces on which Herod and Pilate, Caiaphas and his high priests lord over the Jewish rabble below.

Pandiani never lets the secular, political themes that Rice explored in his lyrics be overshadowed by the theological gauntlet or the deeply personal psychology of Jesus and Judas. With echoes of the protests of 50 years ago morphing into today’s headlines, Pandiani makes the politics explicit with the zealots carrying signs saying: “Rome Lies, People Die” and “No Justice, No Peace, No Ceasar.”

Goodspeed’s stage extends with the pit musicians now set three floors below to vastly increase the space for dancers to spread their wings. Choreographer Amy Campbell has the talented full cast fill the space with energetic pop dancing movements.

Cha See’s heavenly-turned-hellish lighting, Adam Souza’s spare, rock band instrumentation, and Pandiani’s gifted direction conjure up the violence of the story – Judas’ suicide, Christ’s torture and crucifixion – in a way that live theatre rarely can these days.

The company successfully embraces the complexity of the creators’ narrative, balancing the intimate setting with arena-rock energy and music festival zeal.

REVIEW: Berkshire Opera Festival 2020

Great Barrington, MA

www.berkshireoperafestival.org

through September 4, 2020

by Michael J. Moran

Forced by Covid-19 to cancel the fully staged production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with which they had planned to celebrate their fifth anniversary this year, the Berkshire Opera Festival pivoted, like Tanglewood, to a virtual alternative. Instead of three live performances in Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre, they are presenting an hour-long concert video stream, with selections recorded mask less but distanced in various locations, by the opera’s principal cast members, which will stay available on their web site through September 4 at 8:30 pm.

Joanna Latini

Hosted by BOF co-founders, Artistic Director Brian Garman and Director of Productions Jonathon Loy, the program opens with a stunningly dramatic account by soprano Joanna Latini of Donna Elvira’s aria of rage, “Mi tradi,” after her betrayal by the title scoundrel in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” She is brilliantly accompanied by BOF staff pianist Christopher Koelzer on the acoustically friendly stage of St. James Place, the company’s home in Great Barrington. Multiple camera angles filmed by Pittsfield Community Television capture Latini’s total immersion in the role through gestures and facial expressions.

Joshua Blue

Bass-baritone Andre Courville next accompanies himself on piano at his Louisiana home in a ravishing rendition of Count Rodolfo’s aria of regret, “Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni,” from Bellini’s “La Somnambula.” Tenor Joshua Blue then sings a fervent “Che gelida manina,” as Rodolfo meets Mimi, in Puccini’s “La Boheme,” at St. James Place with Koelzer. He’s followed by soprano Laura Wilde at her Chicago home, with pianist Pedro Yanez, in a powerful “Du bist der Lenz,” Sieglinde’s love song to Siegfried, from Wagner’s “Die Walkure.”

Berkshires resident and bass-baritone John Cheek, with Koelzer at St. James Place, is a visual and vocal hoot in “O wie will ich triumphieren,” Osmin’s aria of comic vengeance, from Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio.” Even at age 72, Cheek’s sepulchral voice still sounds agelessly agile. Next, from her home in Puerto Rico with pianist Ernesto Busigo, soprano Natalia Santaliz sings a radiant “De Espana vengo,” a love song to Spain, from Pablo Luna’s  zarzuela “El Nino Judio.”

Baritone Brian James Myer, at his Philadelphia home with pianist Michael Sherman, is lush and elegant in Pierrot’s wistful aria, “Mein Sehnen, mein Wahnen,” from Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt.” Bass Erik Anstine, from his home in New York City with pianist Carol Wong, is robust and virile as Emile in “Some Enchanted Evening,” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.” The concert ends quite literally on a rapturous high note as Latini and Blue reunite with Koelzer at St. James Place in Puccini’s ardent love duet “O soave fanciulla” from “La Boheme.”

New York’s Metropolitan Opera may have set the template for virtual benefit concerts like this one with its April 25 At-Home Gala. In that context this BOF event measures up admirably, boasting the same high professional standards of performance and production, with the same variable acoustics from some remote sites. Area opera fans should check out this impressive musical tribute to an invaluable local resource while they can.   

The Met Lives-from radio to movie screens to NYC

by Shera Cohen
www.inthespotlightinc.org

My love of opera began in the womb. Mom listened faithfully to Saturday matinees broadcast directly from the Metropolitan Opera. Actually, she started this habit when she was a youngster and has rarely missed a literal beat in the past 70 years. Therefore, if I was home on any given Saturday, I was more or less forced to hear opera.

Roberto Alagana
in Verdi's "Don Carlo"
December 11, 2010

During my elementary school years, this music was torture to my ears. How could it compete with Elvis, Joey Dee, and the doo-wop quartets? But Mom turned up the volume for her favorite arias (the love song in Act I of "La Boheme," "Habanera" of "Carmen," and "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot") and even Little Peggy March lost the battle of the high notes. So, I grabbed my Ginny doll, went to my room, and closed the door for some peace from this noise.

A few years passed, and I received the gift of a tiny transistor radio that only got the AM dial. [Remember when they were cool to be small, later they grew into boom boxes, and now small again?] I discovered the Top 40, the Beatles, and on occasion and even on purpose a bit of opera. I hid around the corner of the den to listen. Mom never noticed me - I think. For the most part, I continued to believe that opera was for those who understood languages other than English and/or for old people.

I'm in high school, and that seed of music appreciation that began 16 years prior, didn't quite blossom but, at the very least, germinated. At the time, if I had to list my personal Top 10, it would have included songs of Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, and anything by The Four Seasons. Among the remaining six, was "Un belle di" from "Madama Butterfly." Did I grow up? Did my undiscerning ears finally detect true beauty in music - unbelievable beauty and emotion - from opera? Perhaps a bit ashamed to admit it, the answer was "yes." Ashamed because I waited many years to appreciate the sounds that filled the house each Saturday, or ashamed because I was a teenager and was not "supposed" to like opera? I think the answer is "both."

Juan Diego Florez
"Le Comte Ory"
March 24, 2011

The 2010/11 season is the 80th anniversary of the Saturday matinee radio broadcasts, now heard on NPR stations as well as throughout the world on the International Radio Network. The series runs from December through May. This is FREE opera at its very best. I now try to run my Saturday comings and goings with an approximate three-hour time span to sit by the stereo for opera listening. Mom often said that she was "glued to the radio" for the Texaco Opera Broadcasts (now sponsored by the Toll Brothers). While I didn't exactly become glued, it was difficult to pull me away from any piece composed by Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, or Donezetti. However, listening to Wagner once was enough. Save for vacations and otherwise special occasions, I have been faithful to these live Met broadcasts for decades. Basically, there was only thing that could pry me away from the matinees on radio - the matinees at the movies.

And then came the big screen! Live in HD. The Met launched its award-winning first season of live, HD performances in 2006. For the first time, simultaneous performances of those at the Met came to a movie theatre near you - and me. Now in its fifth season, HD operas have been seen by nearly 2 million on 1000 movie screens in over 40 countries. Officials at the Met now call what was a "calculated risk" a "worldwide phenomenon."

Before the movie series began, there must have been so many practical questions. Only time would tell for the responses. Would traditional opera goers not attend live performances? Would they go to these movies instead? Would those who might have thought about going to New York, abandon that idea for a trip a few miles down the road to the cinema? Does money talk? Can one put a dollar value on music? On opera? Then there are sociological questions. Is opera for the elite? Is it accessible? Will someone under age 50 be the youngest person in the audience?

It seems that one of the Met's plans was to increase audience numbers. According to Executive Director Peter Gelb, the series has surpassed the goal. Yet, that in itself has been criticized by those who believe that the appeal of live opera has been undermined. "Nothing replaces the experience of being at the Metropolitan Opera House," he said. For me, opera is the combination of music + dance + acting. Those onstage are not "just" the world's best singers; they are among the best of today's actors.

Last season's series broadcast nine performances. I attended five. Mom attended all. On those select Saturday afternoons, I was "introduced" to those who I "knew" in passing - Rene Fleming, Placido Domingo, Susan Graham, Natalie Dessay - new faces like Marcello Giordani and Marina Poplavskaya, and heartthrobs including Simon Keenlyside and Anna Netrebko. While several of the productions were called "new," this did not affect me, as the closest that I had come to the Met was radio.

Susan Graham
"Iphigenie en Tauride"
February 26, 2011

For readers only vaguely familiar with opera, here are some helpful pointers. The plots are relatively simple for both the tragedies and comedies. The former far outnumber the latter. And, it's not a spoiler to write that leading characters often die - by sword, jumping off cliffs, live burial, hanging, and just plain illnesses. If the story gets even a bit confusing, a synopsis is read on the radio, or read your own on the movie's one pager, and the program book at the Met. Supertitles translated into English provide word for word text of the lyrics. One recommendation is to avoid reading on occasion. The music translates through notes and images far better than the written English. Notice that while most operas are expected by purists to appear exactly as the composer drew them, some are updated in costume and design. "La Traviata" and "The Magic Flute," for instance, have taken on numerous identities. Operas penned by composers Puccini, Verdi, Mozart, and Rossini are probably the best for Opera 101 classes to attend. It is not by accident that Puccini's works are among the most well-known even by people who have never heard of opera.

Of course, I had seen several PBS televised performances through the years. They were sporadic. Live in HD, however, is much different than in front of one's TV, particularly for five excellent reasons. 1) There's the thrill of almost being there in this huge, beautiful venue in New York alongside the thousands in attendance. And, surprisingly to some, many are teens and tweens. 2) The performance becomes three dimensional instead of two dimensional in the television format. 3) While there is a cost to see HD, it's not much more than that of a "regular" movie, and far less than the cost of a play or sports game. 4) Renee Fleming (MC) interviews conductors, singers, et al, before or after they set foot on stage, giving the movie audience something that the live audience does not hear. 5) As a theatre person (I've done everything but act), it is a wonderful treat to see the intricate choreography of set changes. If, for some reason, the opera is not outstanding, the accoutrements are; i.e. sets, costumes, lighting, coifs. Last season's "Aida" and "Turandot" were spectacular to see and hear.

Yet, do I know of what I write? On what was the single snowy, cold, slippery, raw day that we experienced in the unusually easy winter of 2010, I finally went to the Met. So, my answer is "yes," I can now compare the three: opera on radio, movies Live in HD, and Live at the Met in NYC. The opera - Puccini's "La Boheme." It was my third favorite, but Mom's #1 since the time she was a kid. This was her 89th birthday gift. Lincoln Center's setting was amassed with snowflake chandeliers, red and gold everywhere, and many opera lovers dressed up. However, the latter is far from a requirement, especially for the youngsters. It was wonderful seeing so many children appreciating the music of opera.

The plot of "La Boheme" is simple. Girl meets boy (girl is the aggressive one in the relationship), have one hour to fall in love, struggle though poor, have equally down-and-out friends, yet all enjoy life on the streets of Paris. Girl thinks that she is a burden to boy, leaves for another who she does not love, gets really sick, returns to boy, and dies in his arms. The gorgeous, sensual Anna Netrebko played girl, and Piotr Beczala played boy. The sets - the disheveled artists' garret, the lavish and populated promenade of Paris, a snowy landscape - are relatively dark (after all, this is one of the most tragic of tragedies set to paper) yet distinct and honest. The supporting cast goes above and beyond what one would expect from secondary roles; these singers are exemplary actors as well. Let me not forget that one voice that never stops throughout the three hours - the symphony of the Metropolitan Opera, with conductor Marco Armiliato.

I used the word "simple" to describe the story. I will stick with that, yet "La Boheme," the Metropolitan Opera, the red carpet, the giant curtain, the bravos after each aria, and the experience of sitting next to other people who I didn't know but who loved what I loved is not simple. I also sat next to Mom.

The 2010-2011 Live in HD season begins October 9th with Wagner's "Das Rheingold." The series includes 11 operas and ends on May 14th.  For information on each opera, dates, movie theatres, and the entire Live at the Met (in NYC) season check www.metopera.org.

Credit: Elena Park, Live in HD and Radio Guide, 2009-10 season

Lucia di Lammermoor

Commonwealth Opera
Academy of Music, Northampton, MA
www.commonwealthopera.org
by Terry Larsen

Receptive audiences gathered at the venerable Academy of Music to witness Commonwealth Opera's production of Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti. Premiered in 1835 and now one of the most popular operas in the canon, Lucia di Lammermoor is a tale of the tragic, untimely deaths of two young lovers as a result of the ambitious machinations of their antagonistic families

Lucia, a role revived for 20th Century audiences by renowned sopranos Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, and on this occasion sung beautifully with supple tone and agility by Andrea Chenoweth, is forced by her ambitious brother Enrico to marry the politically well connected Arturo, capably sung by Giovanni Formisano, rather than her true love Edgardo, the scion of a rival family. Anton Belov's performance as Enrico was one of the highlights of the day. His confident stage presence and strong, balanced voice provided the motivation for plot and glue for the musical setting. Paul Soper as Raimondo, Lucia's tutor, the conflicted "insider" with feet in both camps, provided a tender and well crafted performance. Joseph Holmes and Gloviry Arroyo brought flesh to their roles in support of Enrico and Lucia. Unfortunately, Jin Ho Hwang seemed to struggle as Edgardo. He has a burly, robust sound, but his singing seemed strained in the high range, occasionally producing a puzzling, raspy quality. The members of the small chorus and the orchestra of about 30 players, led with clarity and vigor by Ian Watson, deserve kudos for their contributions.

The lyrical quality of music of the bel canto style provides a challenge to stage direction. The music is so melodically and harmonically pleasant, so tuneful, that the staging must deliver strong visual cues to deliver the pathos of the tortuous, cynical plot. The stage direction of this rendition of the play seemed somewhat static, particularly in the famous "mad scene" where the expectations of her family, which contradict her own desires, drive Lucia to insanity.

All in all, however, the company provided a passionate, heated 17th Century respite from a blustery spring day in the 20th Century.