I thought Tiffini dodson who played mary was fantastic.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she was truly the star of the show. i was extremely disappointed in ted neeley who played jesus. the rest of the cast did a terrific job.

I attended the opening night performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, and for the most part enjoyed the show, the ensamble was very good and Mary M. was great. As far as the Lead
Ted Neely, I saw him many years ago in the show in California and frankly he needs to retire this part, his voice cracked several times, he just was not able to carry the music. Nice try Ted, but its time to retire this part.

Wednesday night performance:

This was the first time I've ever walked out on a show in 40 years. Absolutely the worst show I've ever seen. Ted Neely was horrible. I can't believe the Bushnell let this show be seen. The only people with a voice were Mary Magdalene and Pontius Pilate. Judas shouted and whined his songs. Caiphas was off pitch. The cast seemed to know this show stinks. How do I get my money back for this bomb?

I thought Corey Glover as Judas was awesome! As for Ted Neely, I thought his voice was strong and clear. For an older dude, he rocked!

I saw this show in the early seventies as a
young teenager and so enjoyed flashing back
listening to the music again. The show was great and even though Ted Neeley's not as young
as he use to be I still enjoyed him in this role. I wonder what I did with this album!

I'm going to the show on Saturday night. I saw J.C. Superstar last April in Springfield and Ted Neeley as Jesus was great - two encores from the appreciative fans! I hope the unapproving views posted here are off base. Ted's around 65 now....you can't expect him to sound like he did 35 years ago.

I thought the show was excellent - I especially loved Judas and Mary. I have wanted to see this show for years and I wasn't disappointed.

We here at The Bushnell are loving that everyone is chiming in with their comments and getting good, theaterical discussions going on our blog. We read every comment, and all opinions are welcome. Keep them coming!

We saw "Jesus Christ Superstar" on Wednesday night and while Ted Neeley could not have been expected to sound as good as in 1973 we were extremely impressed with his entire performance. Corey Glover's voice is a bit shrill, but otherwise we loved the entire show. Mr. Rizzo's awful critique in the Hartford Courant is not to be paid any mind (as a matter of fact don't even read it!!). He probably didn't even attend the show!! On Wednesday night the entire audience was on their feet, clapping, screaming and hollering at the end of the show!! It was great.
Mr. & Mrs. R. Weidlich

I was in the show in college years ago...Was a nostalgic experience either way. I felt Ted did a good job for a man of his age and the rock opera genre of the performance lends the opportunity for the screeching vocals vs. a Rogers and Hammerstein piece. Still I would have preferred some tender vocals at times("less is more" ) to better convey the intended "message". Enjoyable overall!

I had hoped that the blog posts above were merely one offs...

I am a long time attendee of the Broadway shows at the Bushnell. JCS was one in the '07 - '08 package that I have been looking forward to for quite some time.

The overall performance was flat. The role of Judas was a standout...but that too left me feeling underwhelmed.

What was perhaps most disappointing though was Ted Neely's effort. Quite simply, he look overtired and did quite a bit of overacting. What's worse, the best thing we have to compare him to is himself. The point was made above that he's 65 now, and not the same man he was 35 years ago. Nope. He's not. Nor should he try to be.

A play like JCS at its core needs to capture the essence in which the play was crafted. New staging, new musical arrangements...that's ok. However, to strip away the energy and vibrance of youth and replace it with a revival-esque effort reminiscent of an oldies show, falls well short of the price paid to attend.

Instead of the power of youth and promise of hope you'd hope to find in Jesus Christ "Rockstar" in the form of a rocker like Chris Daughtry, I saw and heard an old man much like Dumbledore. And it was really disappointing.

Much like Richard's post above...I am left wondering how to get my money back for this one.

While the show was enjoyable, but not great, my complaint has to do with the microprinting of the actor's bios in the program. I have never seen type that small. It was unreadable. Please do not do that again!

Saw the final performance tonight and enjoyed every minute of it! Solid cast, excellent musicians, effective "minimalist" set, and of course, a timeless story. Thank you, Bushnell, for bringing "Jesus Christ Superstar" to Hartford.

We saw Superstar on Sat. evening and felt that Ted Neeley was WAY past his prime. It was very disappointing that the Bushnell would bring this show here being of the quality that it is! Yes...he is around 65 - I think Jesus was supposed to be about 40 when he died. A younger man should have had the part!
Richard - I guess you didn't see Legends.

I saw the Saturday matinee show and this was the first time I've ever seen Jesus Christ Superstar. It was amazing! Ted Neeley sounded awesome, he was born to play Jesus. He sounding like an 80's rock star! Corey Glover's voice was so strong he almost stole the show and his rendition of devil was humorous. Not knowing the story too well and not knowing the main characters it was hard to keep track of who was who on stage. Would have been nice to have pictures of the actors in the Prompter. Over all it was great!

WOW - I just saw the show on Sat. and was totally blown away - the singing was great. Ted Neeley gave me chills and Corey Glover was amazing. This was one the play that I wasn't excited to see, but was pleasantly surprised. Keep up the good work Bushnell.

This is the first time I every responded to a show at the Bushnell. The management must be grasping for straws to put this show on. I could have gone to Broadway and picked out anything that would be better than this one. How can anyone even TRY to be a 65 year old Jesus? Count me in the line to get a refund. Unfortunately when you have to buy the subscription we always manage to get at least one bomb.Which one will next season be?