A bit late for Easter but worth seeing nevertheless is the Village Theatre’s production of the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar (at the Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah through July 3, and at Everett Performing Arts Center July 8 – 31).  With pyrotechnic vocals and contemporary staging, this show is yet another great example of how the Village continues to produce strong musical theatre productions that hold up against those of some of the bigger theaters.

Alternating the lead roles of Jesus and Judas are Michael K. Lee and Aaron C. Finley. Lee, who played Judas at last Friday’s show, is a veteran of Broadway and various international productions. He comes out swinging vocally with a strong, rich voice that seemed to have no upper limit. While I found his acting a bit stiff, his singing more than made up for it.

Finley played Jesus that night, and he pretty much matched Lee in the vocal department. His high notes – and there are several – were just as Adam Lambert-ian as his counterpart’s. (Side note: Apparently Lambert has been interested in playing Judas in a future JCSS revival for a while. Yeah, I’d cast him.) His big aria, Gethsemane, was spot-on, with soaring highs that grabbed you. As with Lee, I found that I was having a difficult time engaging with the character. This could have been completely just my issue, as several times during the performance, at key emotional high points, I could hear sniffles from people nearby. They were clearly more moved than I was.

Oddly enough, the performance I found most engaging was Brandon Whitehead’s King Herod. He first appears on the massage table, and even face-down, he’s a presence. With lipstick, mincing minions, and sparkly wardrobe, he plays Herod somewhere between Nathan Lane and Harvey Fierstein, and his over-the-top “King Herod’s Song” is a total show-stopper. As good as he was, it made me wonder why directors–and audiences–still buy into the “gay = comedy gold” conceit. You would think that would be getting a bit tired by now.

Also (and always) good was Jennifer Paz as Mary Magdalene. She’s a good actor and has the archetypical Eponine/Belle/Kim Broadway voice. Director Brian Yorkey’s choice to place the action in what looked like in the ruins of a contemporary warehouse–with chain link on the outside and Christ-focused tags on the inside–worked for me. Maybe because the music is so 1971, the “set in our time” staging made this production feel less like a period piece. Watching some of the actors scale the proscenium-height chain link (seemingly without harnesses) in the opening scene was thrilling. Apostles = ninjas?