Starring Victor Garber, David Haskell, Katie Hanley, and Lynne Thigpen
Directed by David Greene
Music and Lyrics by Steven Schwartz
We celebrate Holy Week with this adaptation of the smash hit 1971 off-Broadway musical. The life of Jesus Christ is seen through the eyes of a group of young people in New York City as they frolic, cavort, and spend a day acting out parables of the Gospel of St. Matthew. How well does this very theatrical conceit work on film? Let's start on the streets of New York, as those young people hear the call of Jesus (Garber), and find out...
The Story: John the Baptist (Haskell) pushes a colorful wagon filled with props through the streets of New York City, calling the faithful to be baptized in the waters of Bethesda Fountain. They then dance across Manhattan to a junk yard. cleaning up and repainting the barn and a junked car in rainbow colors. Here and in locations across New York, they retell biblical allegories using nothing but props and silent movie sequences at the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre. Jesus meets his match in the non-believing Pharisee Monster on the ferry docks. His faith shaken after he attacks the odd creature, he and the others return to the junk yard for one last supper together...and to find out who intends to betray Jesus to the police.
The Song and Dance: The glorious shots of a glowing New York in the 1970's - including the almost-completed Twin Towers - some great music, and the sheer joy radiating off every cast member carries the day here. Everyone's having a wonderful time turning New York into their personal playground. Particular kudos to Thigpen, who belts out "Bless the Lord" with considerable energy, sweet Robin Lamont putting over the show's big hit "Day to Day," and Gardner and Haskell as the central trio who start out as friends and end up being broken apart by doubt and mistrust. Love how they used sequences from silent movies to tell the story of the The Prodigal Son at Cherry Lane Theatre, too.
Favorite Number: John the Baptist calls the faithful to take a dip in the fountain as Jesus appears before them to guide the way in the opening number "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord." "Day By Day" takes everyone to the junk yard, where they play with the discarded items and paint their faces, then the barn and junked car. Lynne leads "Bless the Lord" to praise Jesus' gifts in front of a shining silver backdrop. Ballet dancer Joanne vamps it up in her attempts to seduce Jesus amid the decadence of the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in "Turn Back, O Man." Jesus and Judas perform "All for the Best" on the rooftops of of New York and in front of a digital sign on Times Square. "Light of the World" takes them aboard a barge as they all work together to make it across the Hudson and show what their lights can do. The entire cast returns to the junk yard amid the golden landscapes of New York in the late afternoon, cavorting through a truly "Beautiful City."
Trivia: Among the locations seen in this movie, in addition to the ones already mentioned, are the Brooklyn and Hells Gate Bridges, the central fountain at Lincoln Center, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at Riverside Drive, and the top of the North Tower at the Twin Towers buildings.
The off-Broadway show did originally debut at Cherry Tree Theatre in 1971. It ran there and at the Promenade Theatre until 1976. It then transferred to Broadway, where it ran another year. It's been revived twice off-Broadway in 1988 and 2000 and once on Broadway in 2011.
What I Don't Like: Honestly, if you don't know your St. Matthew, you probably won't have any idea of who is who or what they're acting out at times. Like Jesus Christ Superstar, this is controversial for not showing Jesus' resurrection and for the clownish clothing coming off too much like hippies. It comes off more like a revue than a typical film, with the cast dancing from one number to the next, without much structure until Judas and Jesus' relationship starts to unravel towards the end.
The Big Finale: Breathtaking cinematography and a cast of theater pros singing the joyous music of Steven Schwartz and the Bible makes this a must-see during the Easter holidays.
Home Media: Finally released on Blu-Ray last week, this is also easily available on DVD and streaming.
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