As one of the earliest rock operas, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar is a completely sung-through piece and reflects a ’70s musical sensibility. Numbers runs the gamut from high-wailing rock anthems like Judas’ “Heaven on Their Minds” to more folky-rock ballads like Mary’s “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
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Borrowing from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the musical is loosely based on the Gospel’s accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. It highlights political and interpersonal struggles between Judas and Jesus.
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Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book and Lyrics by Tim Rice