Why are we the prophets?
Why am I the one,
Who sees the sad solution of what must be done?
THE KISS OF JUDAS — Live Recordings of Jesus Christ Superstar in...
2000 (Glenn Carter as Jesus & Jérôme Pradon as Judas)
2014 (Ola Salo as Jesus & Peter Johansson as Judas) &
2018 (John Legend as Jesus & Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas).
Ted Neeley (1973 Film) / Ben Forster (2012 Arena Tour) / Paul Nolan (2012 Broadway Revival) / Glenn Carter (2000 Film) / John Legend (2018 Live In Concert) / Ola Salo (2014 Swedish Tour) / Jeff Fenholt (1971 Broadway) / Steve Balsamo (1996 London)
The music of Jesus Christ Superstar always comes first for me no matter what, and I think the holy spirit possessed me and I've been thinking quite a bit about the different portrayals of Jesus. There's probably more voice types (I found clips of the 2024 Amsterdam production and that Jesus was VERY RnB), but I've identified three main types: Rock, Opera, and Theater-ish/Pop-ish Jesus.
None of this is absolute or really measurable, it's all based on vibes and my personal judgement. And this chart isn't an indicator of how much I like each rendition; for example, I love Cynthia's Gethsemane and I really dislike Glenn Carter's. I added the 9 versions that I've listened to at least once, but if there's more niche versions that I haven't seen, share it with me!
Comments about each Jesus' Gethsemane (in chronological order, with linked videos) under the cut.
Ian Gillan (1970 Original Concept Album) - there's not much to say for the OG. Gillan's voice is so strong and consistent and emotional while being classical rock.
Ted Neely (1973 Movie) - also another mainstream favorite. His melody changes are always stuck in my head, and although his voice is quite different from Gillan, they're both quintessential Rock Jesodes. A lot of riffs from later Jesodes in Gethsemane take after Neely's version, trendsetter fr fr.
Steve Balsamo (1996 London Lyceum) - this is the first version that I saved when I discovered JCS. It feels like a more "traditional" opera approach the way Balsamo controls his vibrato. Big fan of this specific recording in the way he came back down from the first "whyyyyy", it scratches my brain perfectly.
Glenn Carter (2000 Movie) - I won't hide the fact that I am not a fan of the music or singing of this version. Carter's voice in long notes lacks the intensity and expression others do, and relied a lot on acting out the lines which feels more theater-like. Though he can hit those notes, no doubt.
Ben Forster (2012 Arena Tour) - Forster also speaks the lines sometimes like Carter, but I felt like his timing was better. The small inflections he adds between notes makes it feel more "poppy" which is why I put Forster in the theater/pop corner.
Ola Salo (2014 Swedish production) - this is the last version on this list that I've listened to, and I was pleasantly surprised at Salo's rock quality after a lot of Jesodes that are less so. His vibratos also feel very consistent and I felt like there was a nice blend of rock and opera.
Park Eun-Tae (2015 Korean production) - his voice quality is quite K-pop, but there's also an undeniable operatic quality to it, so I put his version between both pop and opera. Popera?
John Legend (2018 NBC proshot) - huge miss by not attempting the falsetto or at least try to sing it at a lower, more comfortable note (like Erivo) Otherwise, he sang it like he would any other song, so it's quite contemporary in a sense.
Cynthia Erivo (2025 Hollywood Bowl) - I really didn't know how to place her rendition, because it feels too reductive to call it only "pop", but it doesn't fit into other categories. I think she is a very musical-theater-style singer, and for me this is THE theater Jesus.
Shout out to everyone in the 2018 production of Jesus Christ Superstar acting their asses off throughout the entire show and then there's John Legend standing there like 🧍♂️
