Veteran stage actor Ted Neeley kicks off 'Jesus Christ Superstar' tour

Many Christians are celebrating the end of Easter Week. Jesus is said to have been about 33 years old when he died. The man who’s been portraying him on stage for almost 40 years in the rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” is twice that age. Ted Neeley just kicked off “Superstar’s” latest tour in Riverside.

During a frank hour-long interview with KPCC, the 66-year-old Neeley makes a confession — he didn't want to play Jesus at first. To this day he covets the meatier role of Judas.

“Oh yeah, yes! Every night, you hear that guitar go “raaaarrrr, b-b-errrr!” and then we do the overture and Judas goes 'My mind is clearer now, at last…' And I wanna go, 'JEEEEESUS!' — but I can’t!,” laughs Neeley. “I’m back there going, Hmmm, how would I do that if I were doing that? I thought it would be a great way to present a new character. So I auditioned — and the director said 'that was wonderful, but I’d like you to sing the other guy.'”

Neeley got the part — first as an understudy then in the lead. Nearly 40 years on, Neeley is still playing Jesus.

In some ways he was born for the part. He’s a lean, shaggy haired Texan who grew up in a staunchly Baptist community. He no longer attends church, but Neeley is steeped in scripture. As a kid, the choir caught Neeley’s ear — and so did rock n’ roll. He took up the drums — and by the mid-60s, he was rocking his own band, the Teddy Neeley Five, on the Sunset Strip.

In the late 60s, L.A. led to Broadway — first in the rock musical “Hair" then in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The stage show was a huge success and led to the classic 1973 film shoot in Israel. Neeley again took the lead, going sandal-to-sandal with his longtime friend Carl Anderson as Judas.

The film was also a smash. It led to a flood of short-lived and now long forgotten religious rock operas like “The Survival of St. Joan” and “Salvation: A Rock Opera”. But Neeley says not everyone was applauding.

“When we did this in ‘71 in New York City, we had to fight our way through picket lines every night. “Jesus is singing with a rock ‘n’ roll band! Blasphemy!”

These days, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is embraced by people of all faiths. But Neeley says there are still the occasional protestors. The musical helped legitimize Christian rock — and its songs, written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber, are frequently covered by secular performers.

In 1993, Neeley marked the 20th anniversary of the “Jesus Christ Superstar” movie by resurrecting “Superstar” on stage. It ran five years and earned over $100 million. Then came the so-called “farewell tour.” That was four years ago. No one calls it a “farewell” anymore.

“There are three generations of people who tell me, when they think of Jesus, they see my face. That scares me! I know Jesus was much more handsome, much taller” says Neeley. “And I keep saying: I’m a rock n roll drummer from Texas who screams high notes and that’s a character I get to play.”

At 66, Neeley can still nail the high notes. His once smooth mid-range is a bit rougher, but it lends his portrayal of Jesus an appropriate weariness. After all, Jesus knows he’s going to die. Neeley says aging has helped him reveal new aspects of Christ and of himself — as when Jesus angrily chases merchants from the temple.

“And he falls to his knees and talks to his father, and says 'my time is nearly through,'” explains Neeley.“And now, every night when I sing that line, that’s me! That’s just me in life. I don’t know how much more time I got. And that has so deeply influenced my psyche and my spirituality. Whenever that time happens, that’s when I feel that every night: “My time is almost through.”

“Jesus Christ Superstar” plays in cities across the U.S. through April. The next tour hasn’t been booked yet. Ted Neeley says as much as he wants to audition for the role of Judas, he’ll be happy to play the lead again.