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[0:00] Tim Rice: Hello, this is Tim Rice, and this is Get On to My Cloud, episode 11.

[0:15] Tim Rice: In this week's edition of Get On to My Cloud, I thought I'd reminisce a little about the opening of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway back in 1971, which was my first brush with the epicenter of American theatre.

[0:15] Tim Rice: At the time, Andrew Lloyd Webber and I hadn't even had any of our work performed in the West End of London, so our Broadway debut was perhaps an even more daunting experience than it would have been for most British playwrights and writers of musicals.

[0:42] Tim Rice: A host of family, friends and fans descended upon Manhattan for the Broadway debut of Jesus Christ Superstar.

[0:49] Tim Rice: Our manager, the late great David Land, had chartered a plane for the bulk of the supporters club, and two days before the scheduled opening, 200 plus of our nearest and dearest investors, UK critics, gossip columnists and assorted hangers-on were wandering around New York, eagerly anticipating what the show's producer Robert Stigwood had promised would be the opening night of opening nights and the party of parties on the 12th of October 1971.

[1:19] Tim Rice: Among the sightseers was my entire close family, parents, brothers, and grandmother, the latter making her first trip to America at the age of 81.

[1:28] Tim Rice: She was born 13 years before the Wright brothers first made a flight.

[1:33] Tim Rice: I had, of course, arrived in New York sometime before our English fan club, although not that much before, and I'd seen a couple of previews.

[1:40] Tim Rice: I wasn't sure that I liked what I'd seen, but frankly, I didn't really know what I thought.

[1:45] Tim Rice: It did seem a bit of a mess in places, but I realized that in the frantic days before any first night, panics and disasters abound.

[1:53] Tim Rice: And Superstar had more than its share.

[1:55] Tim Rice: Three previews had to be cancelled at the loss of $36,000 to the box office because of problems with radio mics on stage, then gadgets in their infancy.

[2:06] Tim Rice: The mics kept picking up alien signals such as police radios or taxis, and, deliberately or otherwise, the clearest sound always seemed to emanate from an actor wired for sound when he or she was off stage, more often than not in the lavatory.

[2:21] Tim Rice: In the end, they were nearly all ditched, the mics, not the actors, and hand microphones installed in their place, the leads disguised rather feebly with leafy decor, which at times gave the impression that the action was taking place in the Garden of Eden rather than in Jerusalem.

[2:36] Tim Rice: The complexities of the director Tom O'Horgan's sets caused further problems.

[2:42] Tim Rice: I've learned over the years that sets are often responsible for a significant proportion of any new show's teething troubles, and I become convinced that costumes and lighting, both items usually a tenth of the hassle of scenery and furniture, can often do as much for the visual aspects of a show as can the physical hardware of sets.

[3:01] Tim Rice: This is not to deny that I've been superbly served by great set designers over the years, notably Bob Crowley with Aida, and Tim O'Brien and Tosina Firth with Evita.

[3:12] Tim Rice: Our leading performers in Superstar on Broadway were Jeff Van Holter's Jesus, Ben Vereen's Judas, Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene, and Barry Denon as Pontius Pilate.

[3:22] Tim Rice: Yvonne and Barry had appeared on the original studio album, which was released in late 1970, and had been a hugely successful album in the US throughout 1971, hence the Broadway show.

[3:34] Tim Rice: The album had not made a major impact in our homeland.

[3:38] Tim Rice: Here are Yvonne, Ben, and Jeff, as per the Broadway cast album singing Everything's All Right, a song which always makes me think of Dave Brubeck, not because the melody owes anything to Take Five, but because Brubeck's massive hit of that name back in 1961 was my first awareness of the wonderful, seductive and irresistible rhythm of five four time.

[4:10] ♪ Musical number: "Everything's Alright" — performed by Unknown performer ♪

[6:19] Tim Rice: Surely you're not saying we have the resources to save the poor from their lives. Look at the good things you've got. Think while you still have me, move while you still see me.

[7:50] Tim Rice: Another problem Superstar on Broadway had to cope with, although in the end it was probably an asset, was that of various professional and some amateur protesters.

[8:00] Tim Rice: These were almost exclusively complaining about the content of the show, i.e. the lyrics.

[8:05] Tim Rice: I did not know whether to be flattered or frightened by this.

[8:09] Tim Rice: First into the ring was Rabbi Mark H. Tannenbaum, representing the American Jewish Committee.

[8:15] Tim Rice: They'd compiled a hefty document which concluded that the show, quote, unambiguously lays the primary responsibility for Jesus' suffering and crucifixion to the Jewish priesthood, unquote, and found evidence of anti-Semitism in almost every line.

[8:32] Tim Rice: Rabbi Tannenbaum was remarkably available for radio and TV interviews and cropped up all over the shop in the days before the opening.

[8:48] Tim Rice: For this chat show, he did not sport Spock's ears, but he did read rather a lot of his poetry, perhaps not his forte, or even his thirteen.

[8:55] Tim Rice: Be that as it may, during the brief exchanges Tannenbaum and I were allowed, I made a fair fist of establishing my anti-anti-Semitic credentials, including quoting my extremely positive pro-Israel lyric from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Close Every Door, and pointing out that as both victim and some of his oppressors in our show were Jewish, it was illogical to argue that we were siding with the bad guys.

[9:20] Tim Rice: I never got into the more complex points that our Jesus, just like the Bible's Jesus, had plenty of opportunity to avoid his earthly fate, but accepted what he felt to be his destiny.

[9:30] Tim Rice: In other words, he was largely responsible for his own mortal end.

[9:34] Tim Rice: Neither did I get the chance to point out, cliché though it be, that many of my best friends, many involved with this production, were Jewish.

[9:43] Tim Rice: We also got it in the neck from activists for the casting of the African American actor Ben Vereen as Judas, despite the fact that in the show Judas is not remotely portrayed as an unthinking figure of pure evil, as many would have him portrayed.

[9:57] Tim Rice: Ben, of course, won the part thanks to his outstanding talent, as his long and distinguished subsequent career emphasized.

[10:04] Tim Rice: On the opening night itself, a motley collection of placard carrying religious enthusiasts picketed the theatre, but as most of them loudly denied ever having soiled themselves by listening to the album or attending a preview, their campaign lacked a certain amount of authority.

[10:20] Tim Rice: Many critics, both before and after the opening of Superstar, compared us, usually unfavorably, with Godspell, the other quote, Jesus musical that appeared at the time, which endeared itself to the media by virtue of the fact that it was small and unpretentious, whereas we were a massive overblown hype.

[10:37] Tim Rice: When we first heard about this John Michael Tebelak's Stephen Schwartz show, which had opened off Broadway back in May, we were extremely worried.

[10:45] Tim Rice: Robert Stigwood and his legal beagles had been chasing bootleg productions of Superstar all over America ever since the studio album went to the top of the charts at the beginning of 1971.

[10:55] Tim Rice: And it seemed that this was yet another outfit from nowhere, ripping off our idea.

[11:00] Tim Rice: Only this lot would be impossible to deal with along the lines of other bootleggers, because they'd had the wit to write a completely new piece around a story that not even Robert's lawyers could claim was our copyright.

[11:12] Tim Rice: Andrew and I sneaked in to see Godspell, and our worries were quickly laid to rest.

[11:16] Tim Rice: The show bore no resemblance at all to ours.

[11:19] Tim Rice: It was a modest show, just a dozen actors and a small rock band, which portrays Jesus as the Son of God, albeit dressed as a circus clown.

[11:28] Tim Rice: Furthermore, we enjoyed it very much.

[11:30] Tim Rice: In the end, the presence and success of two Jesus rock musicals was a huge help to both shows.

[11:36] Tim Rice: Commentators and critics were able to ramble on about a trend, which meant that most people who went to see one then felt obliged to see the other to get the full picture.

[11:45] Tim Rice: In reality, as far as we knew, the simultaneous creation of both shows was nothing more than a coincidence.

[11:52] Tim Rice: David Land's philosophical gem number seven, which states that where there's room for one hamburger bar, there's room for two, was proved right. Back to our Broadway show. Here is the wonderful Barry Den and his Pontius Pilot with Pilot's Dream.

[12:13] ♪ Musical number: "Pilot's Dream" — performed by Barry Den ♪

[13:48] Tim Rice: I was so pleased to be present at a concert of Superstar in Rotterdam, in which Barry performed Pilot's Dream for the very last time a few months before he died. He did not play Pilot in the actual show that night, but came on as an encore with Yvonne Ellerman, who sang I Don't Know How to Love Him, and they entranced an arena of 9,000 souls, plus me in the wings. Incidentally, apart from adding his great talent to the original album, to the Broadway show and to the 1973 movie, it was Barry who introduced the Superstar album to Norman Jewson when he was working with Norman in Israel on the movie of Fiddler on the Roof. This was before the studio album had even been released, let alone been a hit.

As a result, Norman, I'm glad to say, eventually directed the 1973 film version of Superstar. Thank you, Barry. Back to Broadway. What of the show itself? Well, it wasn't perfect. Tom O'Horgan's production was never seen again outside Broadway, unusual for a hit show, for although it never even ran for two years at the Mark Alinger, Superstar was technically a hit, in that the investors got their money back. Just. O'Horgan did restage the work himself in the summer of 1972 in Los Angeles, where his excesses found a more sympathetic setting in the new Universal Studios amphitheatre, a 4,000-seater outdoor venue overlooking the San Fernando Valley. Mountains, the sunset, and the Pacific Ocean were backdrops to match the director's extravagance, and the second attempt won considerably more critical praise than had his first.

[15:44] Tim Rice: So their emotional and dramatic power, which are virtually effects free official pre New York concert tour, had surprisingly delivered, was all but absent on the overcrowded Broadway stage. During the overture, a silver chalice rose from the depths and eventually fell open like a flower to reveal Jesus high above the stage. When Judas sang Superstar towards the climax, Jesus was raised again with a huge golden coat falling from his shoulders to envelop a large part of the playing area. A massive green head disgorged King Herod relaxing in a pink shell. A vast plastic box of stars hovered above Jesus during Gethsemane, and Judas' death by hanging was a drawn-out, twitching trip to the skies that must have worried the show's insurers as well as Ben Beren's loved ones.

The first act ended with the floor rising up to become a wall, separating Judas, who had just betrayed Jesus to the high priests, from the rest of humanity. The costumes for the authority figures of the piece were particularly unrestrained, with hideous platform shoes and towering helmets as much a lumber for the actors as were their hand microphones. Colours, however, were not vivid. Browns and mauves, faded greens and wash blues stick in my mind, a welcome shot of subtlety amid the brash mechanics. The cast were uniformly excellent, and when the sound system wasn't playing up, most of the lyrics and textures of orchestration got through. I don't know how to love him, always hit home, as Yvonne's lovely voice and poise provided all the spectacle that song needed.

But this was 1971, still the stone age of amplification on Broadway. It was loud, and the bulk of the audience had never been to a rock concert. The younger element, whose ears had been raised on rock, rarely ventured into legitimate New York theatre. The oldies didn't get it or couldn't take it, and the kids didn't go. So after 711 performances, Robert threw in the towel. Looking back, I feel that Tom O'Horgan and his Superstar might have got rather a bad deal. Every time I recall an aspect of his extravaganza these days, it seems strange that I had reservations about it at the time, but I did. I guess I was almost as resistant to innovation as the Broadway regulars were. Impossible to bring about, but I would love to see an exact replica of his production today with all the technical advances in sound and sets available.

It was beyond doubt ahead of its time, both in its conceit and in its actual staging. Robin Wagner, Setz, and Jules Fisher Lighting barely put a truck or a bulb wrong, even if sometimes the mechanics hampered their contributions. Though Tom O'Horgan never again directed a show that made any great impact, through Hare and Jesus Christ Superstar Alone, he was entitled to be considered an important figure of the 20th century musical. These two shows were nothing if not mould breakers, and began the process of dragging Broadway into a new era of music. I was very pleased to note that Lynn Manuel Miranda has often cited Superstar and Evita as important influences for his sensationally brilliant 21st century musical Hamilton.

At the time, I didn't really think the Broadway production of Superstar had done the work justice, and neither did Andrew. He minded much more than I did, which is undoubtedly the more praiseworthy and understandable writer's reaction. I found it fairly easy to shrug off the disappointment with the thought that we'd had an amazing year and had already achieved more than I'd ever dreamed we could have done. That sounds rather flippant, but I'm afraid it was the truth. Most of our fans from England felt that the show was not quite what they'd hoped for, whatever that was, but for many, the whole razzmatazz of the week in New York more than compensated. The opening night party at the Tavern on the Green in the middle of Central Park was a hoot, even more exotic than the show itself.

Heavy rock dudes and drag queens mixed with slightly bewildered black tie traditional first nighters. There was a fair smattering of American celebrities, few of whom meant anything to the British delegation. By the time the mainly dodgy reviews came in, the party was going great guns, and not even the New York Times could deflate the atmosphere.

[20:05] Tim Rice: To close this brief look at our first venture onto Broadway, I'd like to play one of the best things that came out of that show. We decided that Mary Magdalene should not disappear from the piece halfway through, as she did on the original record. And we did not want the wonderful Yvonne Ellerman sitting in her dressing room all the way through Act Two, getting up to goodness knows what. So Andrew and I therefore wrote a new song for her, which needless to say she performed impeccably in tandem with Michael Jason as Peter. The song is now included in every production of Superstar, and it's called Could We Start Again, Please.

[20:32] ♪ Musical number: "Could We Start Again, Please" — performed by Yvonne Ellerman and Michael Jason ♪

[23:18] Tim Rice: That was Get Onto My Cloud, written and presented by Tim Rice and produced by Peter Hobbes.