"Jesus Christ Superstar" Tour: 22-Piece String Section Added For Cleveland

Yes... occasionally presenters will opt to hire more musicians than called for in the booking agreement. It's done in LA often, and occasionally in Dallas, and less so in other markets. 

This does seem a very random addition for Cleveland though and one has to wonder the reasoning - do they mean increasing the orchestra size to 22 or adding 22 strings specifically? Either way, that's a HUGE increase and out of no where. 

“Now that you can see them, you’ve got to light them,” says Gabriel. And costume them. “It isn’t just about putting some strings in there — you have to actually make it part of the organic feel of the show.”
 

I’m almost half-tempted to buy a ticket just to see how they pull this off. Having already seen the show when it was in Pittsburgh last month, I wonder how they’re going to do this (lighting the boxes and adding more costumed people) without distracting from the action down on the stage. I’ve only been to the Connor Palace a few times, and there’s a single seat front row Mezzanine for $99 during a time frame I don’t already have something booked. I’ll have to seriously think on this one. 

Updated On: 2/9/20 at 06:35 PM

I had no desire to see this tour. I love the show, but am a little "Superstar"red out these days. But this article actually piqued my curiosity. Hmm...

Broadway Bob* said: "I had no desire to see this tour. I love the show, but am a little "Superstar"red out these days. But this article actually piqued my curiosity. Hmm..."

You're not missing much, by most accounts; talented Judas, so-so Jesus, very concert-level staging that is a little confusing sometimes with the storytelling. Some good moments, lot of sameness.

(On an unrelated note, this is a terrific example of why a unique gimmicky sales pitch can backfire on you. Don't play someone an original album that can't be matched as a benchmark, compound your problem by inviting them to a production with way more resources, and expect them to still be impressed with your reduced touring package. At least she's paying for the strings. Imagine if she expected them to foot the bill.)

Updated On: 2/10/20 at 09:55 AM