The Only ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live’ Memes You Need To See

Sunday night’s airing of Jesus Christ Superstar, the live concert rendition of the seminal Andrew Lloyd Webber concept album-turned-musical was officially a success for NBC. Betting correctly that the combination of holiday-appropriate subject matter on Easter Sunday with a cast led by the universally-acceptible John Legend as Jesus would cross enough demographic “t”s and dot enough event-programming “i”s to best not only American Idol last night but the numbers of previous live musicals like Hairspray as well.

The home audience — and particularly the droves on Twitter, who often have their knives out for live televised musicals — were also pretty much fully onboard. Even with quibbles about Legend’s ability to reach the daunting heights of “Gesthemane” or Alice Cooper’s low-energy (and thus pretty disappointing) Herod, the overall quality of the cast and the massive scale of the staging (done on a huge sound stage in Brooklyn) were big, big hits.

Webber’s JCS is a decidedly artistic rendering of the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, with Jesus re-imagined as a kind of messianic pop star whose celebrity among his followers and detractors threatens to eclipse his message. Webber and lyricist Tim Rice include a good bit of critique about the Christ myth into the show, much of it in the character of Judas, who in this rendering isn’t merely the disciple who betrays Christ to the local authorities. He’s a true believer in Christ’s message who is also then the most frustrated when that message gets lost. The show also indulges in most modernist interpretations of Mary Magdalene; here’s she’s Jesus’s loyal female companion who can calm and comfort him but, frustratingly, doesn’t know how to love him.

Watching folks on social media react to JCS for the either the first or fiftieth time was some of the most fun to be had on Sunday night. The reactions and memes, both last night and this morning, tended to fall into five rough categories, each of which is giving us life this morning.

The Costumes, from Sexy to Frumpy and Back

We may all front like we’re in it for vocal precision or acting ability, but as with any mass-watched event, from the Oscars to the Super Bowl to presidential inaugurations, we’re here for the clothes first and foremost. And from the purple-leather-clad Pontius Pilate to the geometric future-wave of the pharisees to the diamonds-and-leather of a beyond-the-grave Judas, JCS had no shortage of talking points. One particular point of contention was John Legend’s odd combination of a deep-V tank and the bulkiest cardigan sweater you’ve ever seen this side of that weekend you went through a breakup and ordered take-out nachos three separate times.

 

Brandon Victor Dixon Made for a Real Sexy Judas

John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alice Cooper were the only cast members most of the NBC home audience were familiar with, though the real joy of JCS was watching real Broadway talents get their moments to shine. The likes of Norm Lewis as Caiaphas and Jason Tam as Peter were true highlights, but the role of Judas was basically written to make a star, and former Hamilton cast member Brandon Victor Dixon (he played Aaron Burr after Tony-winner Leslie Odom Jr. exited the cast) was more than up to the challenge. The sexy-rock-god quality of the songs really lend themselves to blurring the lines between Judas, Jesus, and all the rest, and this production really let Dixon lean into his sexier impulses.

 

Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene Doing “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” Was Perfection

Pop star Sara Bareilles has recently made an incredibly successful move to Broadway, writing the lyrics and music for the current Waitress musical and having recently completed a run in that show’s lead role. The Waitress/Mary Magdalene memes were flowing freely last night, interspersed with awe for her performance of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” one of the show’s best-remembered numbers.

 

Glitter, Glitter Everywhere

The much-lauded staging of this production went heavy on the glitter. That’s both a metaphor and a deadly serious description of what went on, as literal buckets of glitter were poured on stages and crosses and catwalks and such. From dispatches from the studio audience, it’s clear that glitter-management was a chief concern for the crew.

 

Chrissy Teigen Won the Night

John Legend’s flawless wife is no stranger to making Twitter into her own personal showcase, and when Fox News demagogue emeritus Bill O’Reilly tweeted some sour thoughts about how this isn’t like any Jesus stories he’s familiar with (“Who knew Jesus of Nazareth ran a tattoo parlor? Geez.”), Teigen fired back with a reference to O’Reilly’s infamous sexual-harrassment settlements. She’s every bit the superstar we say she is.

Stream Jesus Christ Superstar Live on Hulu