Gilbert Theater Examiner: Chats with Ted Neeley star of Jesus Christ Superstar Part Two

Jesus Christ Superstar logo courtesy of ASU Gammage

The new National Tour of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's .Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley will open at the ASU Gammage on April 6 and continue through April 11.

Following quickly on the innovative heels of Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar made certain that the sound of rock would be the new dominant force behind Broadway musicals.

The theater names of Jesus Christ Superstar and Ted Neeley have become synonymous since that fateful opening night of October 12, 1971 at New York's historic Mark Hellinger Theatre. After speaking with Mr. Neeley, I could not resist sharing all the wonderful things he had to share about his experiences with Jesus Christ Superstar. I decided to split the interview into two parts.

This is Part Two. Part one was published yesterday. Click HERE to read Part One.

Ted Neeley in Jesus Christ Superstar photo by Joan Marcus

You have been a recording star, sought after record producer and have worked with some of the great names in the music world as well. Tell me a little about your music? 

I have been writing since I was a child. Nothing of value, if you will. Just little things I think of and jot down and am able to talk some friends of mine to go into the studio and play around with.  

The fact that I have been in this business as long as I have, I've had the great opportunity of working with wonderful people. A lot of people will ask me to write lyrics to their music or music to their lyrics. I've collaborated with many people. Also, I have had the opportunity, as well, to write for film scores and theatrical productions and all that.

What inspires your music?

Everyone with whom I have worked and/or heard sing, perform since the day I was born. Literally, as a child, I was never anywhere without the radio blasting in my ear. My parents, I remember, used to come in and say, “Ted, you're never going to finish that homework if you don't don't off that radio.” So, it's always been part of my life. Everything I see on a daily basis, conversations I have with someone, words that someone will say in a cab ride or something, can inspire me to just jot down the thought and the next thing you know it becomes a song. And there you go!

Tell me about your rock musical Rasputin. 

Thanks for mentioning that! Yes, we have a piece called Rasputin and we also a piece called Pandemonium. Both of them are similar in scope to Superstar in the fact that they are sung through. They are not dialog pieces. The stories are told through the lyrics of the songs themselves. Both of them are completed and ready to go. In fact, we have already done the complete cast recording of Rasputin. Whenever this particular tour runs it's course, we hope to have one or both of those up ready to go in a short period of time.

Ted Neeley, Craig Sculli and company photo by G Creative

You also were involved with Murder in the First. Please tell me about that experience. 

I wish I could take the credit for writing it. I didn't write it but had the great good fortune of being able to perform in Murder in the First with the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California. I have belonged to the Rubicon Theatre Company now for going on twelve years. It's a wonderful community theater group where we do original and classic works. We do at least six productions a year out there. Pandemonium and Rasputin are both being developed through that particular group. I am very proud to be a part of that. It gives me the opportunity to work with some magnificent artists, all of whom collaborate on each project in various capacities.

We also have a wonderful outreach program that takes care of the children in the community who are interested in becoming involved in theater. We have a summer program for those children to come and be a part of it. They've named themselves the Stinky Feet Theatre Company and each summer they come and choose a play or musical that they wish to be a part of. We then rehearse it and work with them and then do the production and they are all in it.

All of this has been made possible for me because of my long association with Jesus Chris Superstar. I have initially Tom O'Horgan to thank for that and also Norman Jewison, the great director, who made the film.