The 50th anniversary of Jesus Christ Superstar will not be making its long-awaited return to Toronto after all due to unexpected logistical and programming conflicts. Fans of the play will have to wait another year.
The Second Coming Superstar, Cometh No More
The 50th Anniversary of Jesus Christ Superstar will miss out on gracing the stages at Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.
Back in November of 2021, the Theatre industry started to see a successful resurgence since before Covid started, with Jesus Christ Superstar being one of the first shows to reopen at the end of the pandemic. The show reached top ticket sales, making it a sold-out event. However, that success ended early due to the Omicron variant at the end of December.
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Photo: npr.org
Jesus Christ Superstar was said to be making its big return in August, with dates scheduled for August 10 to 21 this year, to finish its November 2021 successful run.
Initially, when the show was previously announced in early May, more than 50 per cent of the full stock of tickets were bought out. Those tickets can now be refunded.
Though rest assured, Toronto, Jesus Christ Superstar will rise again.
The Superstars Bible
It has been 50 years since Jesus Christ Superstar first opened on Broadway on October 12, 1971, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.
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After great success in New York, in 1972, Jesus Christ Superstar opened at the Palace Theatre in London, even becoming more successful than its production in New York. It ultimately ran for eight years straight and became the United Kingdom’s longest-running musical at the time.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera and recounts the story of Jesus in the last days leading up to his crucifixion. Jesus Christ Superstar is centered on the Gospels and aims at the more personal conflicts between Jesus, the people of Israel, and the leadership of Rome.
Lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber of Jesus Christ Superstar said their inspiration for the play grew from the idea of approaching Jesus from Judas’ point of view.
Before Jesus Christ Superstar hit Broadway, the play was ultimately rejected by various theatre producers, so the music was released first as a double album. The record went #1 in the USA, with even the Vatican radio station playing it.
Rice thought, at first, the album was just going to be a one-hit-wonder.
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“I think most people thought we were one-hit wonders. I thought we were one-hit wonders!”
Jesus Christ Superstar has since been nominated for multiple Tony Awards.
