Neeley never tires of playing
Jesus of Nazareth in musical
By John Mark Rafacz
A popular joke among theatre folks is that actor Ted Neeley, who has portrayed the title character in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on and off for more than three decades, thinks he is God. But Neeley, a down-to-earth Texas native who first played the character in the 1973 film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical, realizes he has merely been blessed with the role of a lifetime.
“This piece has such a magnificent life of its own, regardless, I think, of who may be in any key role. And for me it has definitely been a part of my life for the majority of my adult years,” says Neeley, speaking by phone from a tour stop in Colorado Springs. “Every single night, when I step into those sandals, and put on that robe, and stand stage right waiting for the orchestra to begin those first few notes, the minute that first guitar lick happens—that’s the signature of the show—it carries me somewhere. I don’t have to do any kind of preparation. It prepares me the minute the music starts. It’s a phenomenon for me. I’ve never felt that way about anything else I’ve ever done.”
Neeley portrayed a leper and a reporter—and understudied the role Jesus of Nazareth—in the production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR that debuted on Broadway in October 1971. Since starring in the 1973 film version, he has been cast in various stage revivals and tours of the show.
The Center for the Performing presented two performances of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with Neeley in February 1995. More recently the actor performed the role at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. The current tour, starring Neeley and James Delisco as Judas, comes to Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 3.
“It’s just remarkable that, first of all, the people who come see it will still accept me playing the role,” Neeley says. “And even more so the fact that after this many performances, and I honestly don’t know how many that there have been, I’ve never really kept a count, that’s it’s still as fresh as the first time I ever walked on the stage.”
The musical—or rock opera as it’s often called—recounts the last seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The score includes the songs “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Hosanna,” “Everything’s Alright,” “What’s the Buzz,” “Superstar,” and “Heaven on Their Mind.”
When Neeley was first cast as Jesus, the actor was a little younger than the character he was playing. He’s now 65. Asked how he manages to convincingly portray a 33-year-old, Neeley responds with a quip.
“Well, if I may quote Jon Lovitz from Saturday Night Live: ‘Acting!’”
He continues in a more thoughtful tone. “I honestly don’t know because I’ve never been one to be age conscious. I mean, I still think that I’m only 26. … I really think basically that if there is the essence of a character that could be, in any way, ageless, that this might be that role.”
Neeley says his good health and physical fitness play a part in enabling him to deal with the rigors of a demanding role and a tour that’s in its third season.
“I’ve been extremely diligent in taking care of myself all my life,” he points out. “I’ve been very cognizant of how important health is, because, after all, my instrument is my body. … Certainly as a singer you gotta be careful what you do all the time because it’s a very delicate instrument to play every night. I’ve never been a smoker, and I’m not a drinker. I’ve never been one to party because I’ve always been so dedicated to that which I have the pleasure of getting to do every night. So, in a way, I’ve been preparing for this longevity all my life. I’m thankful that my wife is a magnificent ballet dancer, and she has a regimen that I would challenge any professional athlete to stick to. And she cracks the whip.”
Performing alongside young professional actors, including Delisco who joined the cast a few months ago as Judas, also helps Neeley with his portrayal.
“The good thing about James is he comes as a new spirit, if you will. He has tremendous talent, certainly has the ability to sing the character of Judas wonderfully,” Neeley relates. “He is an enormous fan of the piece, grew up with it playing in his home constantly either by listening to the music or watching the film. His parents were huge fans. So he has had a desire, a dream if you will, to be a part of this since he was a young child.”
Most of the cast members are making their national touring debuts.
“This is our third year on this particular tour, and we only have eight people who return from the first year,” he says. “… So the energy, the commitment, the dynamic of all of these fresh faces is just the best thing in the world to work off of. I learn something from them every single performance—James specifically.”
Neeley has performed in productions of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with radically different concepts. The production coming to Penn State uses a minimal set.
“I certainly refrain from referring to it as a stripped-down version because this was planned as a traveling company that could play literally anywhere,” he says. “Obviously, in its original concept, Tom O’Horgan [director] and Robin Wagner [scenic designer], who so brilliantly put it together for the Broadway production in the ’70s, it was phantasmagorical, much larger than life.”
The film, which premiered two years after the Broadway opening, opted for a more realistic approach. Director Norman Jewison shot the movie to evoke the simplicity of the ancient Israeli desert.
“Only one set was built in the entire production, which was the mote used for the King Herod piece. Everything else was actually there in the desert,” he says. “So in essence we’re paying tribute to both of those productions. … We have all of the technology to create visuals on stage through electronics that are absolutely magnificent, but we absolutely embrace the simplicity of Norman Jewison’s film production to give you the essence of the desert throughout the whole piece. Because, after all, even though we do have modern technology, we are doing a piece about the desert 2,000 years ago. … So you focus now specifically on the characters and what they are doing, and I think it embellishes it even more genuinely than bells and whistles could do.”
Even though JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is not intended as a religious statement, Neeley realizes the musical has had an impact on some people’s religious beliefs.
“Well, honestly, it is not preaching from the pulpit. We are not holding communion nor are we holding church services on stage,” he says. “However, there are those all over the world who would challenge what I just said because I honestly have been told, from the time the film first came out in the ’70s, by people all over the world who would come to me and say, ‘Mr. Neeley, I found my spiritual realization because of watching this film.’”
Neeley credits the show’s creative team for putting Biblical stories into a context that many people find compelling.
“It’s because of Tim Rice being able to jump into the first four books of the New Testament, primarily the Book of John, and to translate the dogmatic language that we hear from the pulpit … into a language that is accessible,” Neeley asserts. “ … And then Andrew Lloyd Webber comes along and puts melodies to those words that [are] very, very easy. All of those melodies are so easy for people to sing along, you see. So what they did in their desire to showcase the last seven days in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of his friends and his foes, gave contemporary universal knowledge to people that maybe were not having an easy way of listening when they would go to their respective religious organization and sit and listen to someone translate it.”
While he’ll always be known for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Neeley has an extensive resume out of the robe as an actor and composer. Neeley, who started his career as a drummer, performed in the Broadway and Los Angeles productions of Hair. He was in the stage productions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in New York City and Tommy in Los Angeles. He appeared in and composed music for Robert Altman’s film A Perfect Couple. He composed and performed the music for the feature film Blame It on the Night and the TV series Highway to Heaven and The Big Blue Marble. He also wrote the music for and starred in Cowboy Jack Street at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Neeley, who lives in the Santa Barbara, California, area, is affiliated with the Rubicon Theatre Company down the coast in Ventura.
“We’ve been developing three projects [at Rubicon] since we started ten years ago. One of the key reasons we started this organization was so we could have our own works in development, and produce them, and have a source to be able to go from and get new people involved,” he says. “One of those three projects has been on our next-year schedule now for four years running. And because I’m doing SUPERSTAR, we’ve had to continually move it forward. It is a piece that is based upon the fall of the Romanov dynasty. It’s called Rasputin, and it is completely recorded, finished. We have a triple CD, there’s that much music in it. We’re just bubbling over with enthusiasm to get that one going.”
But in the meantime, Neeley continues to earn rave reviews across the country in the role that comes so naturally to him. One song in the show, in particular, is a transcendent experience for the actor. It’s the pivotal scene when Jesus, though challenged by fear, comes to accept the fate he believes he has been chosen to fulfill.
“There’s no question that the one piece that mesmerizes myself every single night is ‘Gethsemane.’ … It just has a life of its own,” he says. “… When we get to the middle of the piece, and it’s time to become a part of that particular moment, I’m telling you, it is just overwhelming for me every single night.”
Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders.
Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring one or more members of the touring company, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 3
Eisenhower Auditorium
Adult $55, $49
University Park Student $40, $34
18 and Younger $50, $44
