Musical Matinees (The Mavericks): Jesus Christ Superstar at Palm Springs Cultural Center – Palm Springs, CA

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) is one of a new genre of musicals that appeared in the 1960s and 1970s. These films were willing to be different from and/or challenge the style and stories of the classical Hollywood musicals, and expand the viewers’ awareness of what was happening in the culture – both historically and in current day. In short, they were Mavericks.

Adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice‘s Broadway rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar recounts the last days of Jesus Christ (Ted Neeley) from the perspective of Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson), his betrayer. The film was very much of it’s time. The music is a combination of Orchestra versus rock band, complete with Wah-Wah guitar and fat-back drums.

Jesus Christ Superstar premiered at the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C. on June 26, 1973,[5] and was released theatrically in the United States on August 15, 1973. Despite criticism from a few religious groups and mixed reviews from critics,[6] the film was a box office success. Neeley, Anderson, and Elliman were nominated for Golden Globe Awards in 1974, for their portrayals of Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene, respectively. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Score.

All the Maverick Musicals include an introduction, discussion and follow-up Q&A with Professors and Film Scholars Richard Edwards and Vanessa Theme Ament. Both Edwards and Ament have written extensively about the American Musical and especially about the impact of the Maverick Musicals had, and continue to have on modern culture and to new directions and new possibilities in American and European cinema.