Saturday night the 30 Pieces of Silverlake Soul Revue performed a one-off production of Jesus Christ Superstar before a packed crowd at the Satellite. John Ramirez and our own Bob Lee were the cornerstones of the show as Jesus and Judas, respectively. Showing great emotional as well as vocal range, both performers gave it their all. They were properly supported by a well-cast choir, with Jon Wahl’s soulful style eliciting Pontius Pilate’s frustration and Pat Hoed’s dark baritone making high priest Caiaphas even more menacing. Petra Haden stole the show with her always stellar voice singing the part of Mary Magdalene.
Quasar was popular in a cameo as the comical Herod, with a tapdancer for accompaniment, natch. Apostles and lepers included the ubiquitous Nikki Kreuzer, Marea Hall and Mark Lucero. Peter and Simon the Zealot also had expert turns. The supertight backup band increased its intensity during Jesus’ whipping by an overly gleeful Roman soldier/bass player until it rose to a frenzied crescendo. John Ramirez’s Jesus was finally hung upon the cross, from where he exclaimed, “Peter! I can see your house from here!” A nontraditional “See Me, Feel Me” ended the sometimes heavy show on an upbeat note.
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