`Superstar': A '70S Flashback, With A Pair Of Familiar Faces

-------------- THEATER REVIEW -------------- "Jesus Christ Superstar," music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. Directed by Tony Christopher. Through Sunday at Paramount Theatre, Ninth and Pine. 292-ARTS. --------------------------------

The many fans of "Jesus Christ Superstar" should be pleased by the touring verson of the 1971 Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical at the Paramount Theatre.

A big moneymaker since it opened in Baltimore a year ago, this splashy reprisal of the rock oratorio stars Ted Neeley as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas - roles they also assumed in a 1973 film of the Broadway sensation, and a 1976 stage revival.

Beside the familiar presences of Neeley and Anderson, director-choreographer Tony Christopher's staging has enough fake fog to shroud Turin, enough prancy dancing to fill the old Whisky a Go Go, and enough spectacular lighting effects (by Rick Belzer) to make up for a very modest set.

The strong supporting cast - Syreeta Wright as Mary Magdalene, Laurent Giroux as Herod, Scotch E. Loring as Simon, and James O'Neil as Pontius Pilate - infuse Webber's catchy melodies with rock histrionics, tinged by R & B fervor. And David Paulin's day-glo and iridescent, bell-bottomed and glittered costumes are '70s to the max.

Despite '90s embellishments (Christ wears a headset mike), and a millennium-old plot, "Jesus Christ Superstar" still smacks of the '70s. Retelling the story of the crucifixion in a disco inferno mode, blending Las Vegas and Led Zeppelin with the New Testament - what other era could have dreamed that up?

Angry protests from devout Christians greeted the musical when it first premiered. But with the proliferation of televangelism, and the mass marketing of Christian rock, "Jesus Christ Superstar" fails to offend much now.

And why should it? Though Rice's lyrics are slangy, this Jesus is a saint from his first entrance right up through his heavenly ascension. Judas' turmoil engenders more drama - though some of the charismatic Anderson's lyrics get mushed up in the sound mix.

All in all, "Jesus Christ Superstar" still offers theology drenched in kitsch. And it is possible that kitsch, not religion, is the real opiate of the masses.

`GREASE' IS ON ITS WAY

A production of "Grease," starring Rosie O'Donnell and staged by Tony-winning director Tommy Tune, will stop in Seattle next March en route to Broadway.

The '50s nostalgia musical (which plays March 1-6 at the Paramount Theatre) replaces "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Cathy Rigby in the Best of Broadway lineup.

BOB producer Dan Bean says the switch was made due to changes in the "Annie Get Your Gun" tour schedule. The new "Grease" revival probably packs more commercial potential, thanks to Tune's involvement and O'Donnell's success in "Sleepless in Seattle" and other recent films. Ticket information: 292-ARTS.