From bathroom breaks to glitter, here's what you should know before seeing 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in OKC

Glitter, neon and gold lame likely weren't featured as prominently at Jesus' crucifixion as they are in the 50th anniversary production of "Jesus Christ Superstar." 

But such glitzy trappings actually prove surprisingly effective storytelling tools in the spellbinding North American touring version of the iconic and sometimes controversial rock opera.

Unusually staged to highlight the Tony Award-nominated show's high-energy rock 'n' roll roots, the stylized retelling of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is playing through Feb. 19 at Civic Center Music Hall as part of OKC Broadway's 2022-2023 season.

Here's "What's the Buzz" — as one of the signature songs goes — that you need to know about "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Which pop culture icons created 'Jesus Christ Superstar?'

With lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber — who also created together the hits "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Evita" — "Jesus Christ Superstar" chronicles the final weeks in the earthly life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas.  

Lloyd Webber also is known for his work on smash musicals like "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera," while Rice is a three-time Academy Award winner who helped create the music for the Disney animated classics "The Lion King" and "Aladdin."

The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced this week that Rice, a 1999 inductee to its ranks, will receive in June the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor it bestows.

“Tim Rice is an artisan. He has crafted some of the greatest lyrics and stories in musical history with 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' and his incredible work with Andrew Lloyd Webber being amongst my favorites," Songwriters Hall of Fame Chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. "In the ’70s, we used to say, ‘What’s The Buzz’ because of him. More than 50 years later, the buzz is still Tim Rice!”

Why is the tour's staging of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' so unusual?

Unlike most of the touring musicals that OKC Broadway brings to the Civic Center, "Jesus Christ Superstar" is performed without intermission, so ticketholders are encouraged to take their bathroom breaks and grab their snacks and drinks before the show starts. Since the musical action isn't always contained to the stage, patrons also should make sure they arrive on time.

The lean, 95-minute runtime and the no-intermission format prove brilliant artistic choices that keep the show's rock 'n' roll energy and storytelling momentum surging.

The backstory of "Jesus Christ Superstar" is legendary in theater circles: Unable to get the backing needed for a stage production, the composers released the songs as a concept album. Featuring anthemic songs like "What's the Buzz," "Heaven on Their Minds," "Everything's Alright," "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Gethsemane" and "Superstar," it became the 1971 Billboard Album of the Year. The sung-through rock opera — all the storytelling is done through song, with almost no spoken dialogue — debuted on Broadway in 1971, on London's West End the following year, and was a long-running hit over the next decade.

The 50th anniversary touring production leans into those rock 'n' roll roots to great effect, with the band sharing the stage with the cast and microphones and stands incorporated as costume and set pieces. When Jack Hopewell's Jesus steps into the spotlight with a guitar slug over his shoulder and starts to sing, only to have Elvie Ellis' Judas literally snatch the mic away and blast into the raucous opening number, it sets the stage perfectly.

Originally staged by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and led by acclaimed director Timothy Sheader ("Into the Woods") and renowned choreographer Drew McOnie ("King Kong"), the production now touring North America won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. And it's easy to see why: The dancing is athletic and riveting, and the minimalist set, based on the original designs by Tom Scutt and dominated by a huge centerpiece shaped like a cross, keeps the focus on the music, characters and story.

Scutt also is credited as the hair and costume designer, and his work in those areas is unforgettable. Does it take a moment to get used to seeing Jesus in a man bun and hoodie with a dangly earring? Yes. Does it work in the show's stylized, glam-rock context? Also, yes.

The gold lame tuxedo jacket that Erich W. Schleck's flamboyant King Herod wears, the use of plumes of glitter to simulate the 39 lashings Jesus receives and the screaming electric guitar riffs also work shockingly well to powerfully convey the familiar story.

Who are the Oklahomans featured in the touring cast?

An Oklahoma City native who graduated from the University of Oklahoma, Ellis shows off his star power playing the complicated lead role of Judas. "Jesus Christ Superstar" portrays Jesus' follower-turned-betrayer as motivated by fear and lack of faith rather than pure greed.

On his second national tour, Ellis gives a relatable as well as tragic turn as Judas, who doesn't believe that Jesus is God's son but rather a friend and prophet with delusions of grandeur, whose growing and passionate following will gained unwanted attention from the ruling Roman Empire and endanger them all.

Ellis isn't the only performer with Oklahoma ties in the cast: 2022 Oklahoma City University graduate Cooper Clack makes his tour debut as a member of the high-energy ensemble, which convincingly morphs from fervent followers of Jesus to the mob crying for his crucifixion over the course of the show.

How are the performances of the musical's beloved songs?

The rock opera features some notoriously challenging musical moments, and the touring cast was up to those challenges during the OKC opening-night performance. Ellis sets the bar high — vocally and emotionally — with his exhilarating turn on Judas' introductory warning call "Heaven on Their Minds."

As Jesus, Hopewell boasts an impressive range, with his ceiling-hitting falsetto especially effective at conveying the Savior's humanity: His weariness with his fickle followers clamoring for more miracles, his anger at the greedy merchants selling neon knick-knacks at the temple and his dread of the coming pain of his crucifixion.

Isaac Ryckeghem with his thunderous bass voice and Kodiak Thompson with his appropriately oily charisma also are a dynamic duo as Caiaphas and Annas, respectively, two of the Jewish high priests who plot to have Jesus put to death by the Romans.

Faith Jones gives a tender turn as Mary Magdalene, and her pretty, vulnerable performance of the ballad "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is an emotional highlight.

Is 'Jesus Christ Superstar' still controversial?

When it initially debuted, "Jesus Christ Superstar" was controversial as well as popular: It was labeled by some as blasphemous because it left out Christ's resurrection and presented Judas as a sympathetic figure.

Over the past half-century, though, it has become enshrined in the musical theater canon and has become less scandalous.

At this point, audiences are more accustomed to seeing Christ accessibly portrayed in popular culture, from faith-based projects to "The Chosen" to satirical comedies like "South Park." And with the proliferation of contemporary musical subgenres like Christian hip hop and heavy metal, pounding basslines and piercing guitar riffs combined with religious lyrics aren't as unusual as they once were.

Although it is a stylized portrayal, the narrative stays mostly faithful to the biblical telling of Jesus' crucifixion — glitter and all.

'JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR'

• When: Through Feb. 19.

• Where: Civic Center, 201 N Walker.

• Tickets: https://www.okcbroadway.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Once-controversial, 'Jesus Christ Superstar' lands in Oklahoma City