I saw the PBS Jesus Christ Superstar too and thought it was fairly lame. The only two performances that I liked were Pilate's and Mary Magdalene's (Renee Castle). No comparison (natch) between this Judas and Ben Vereen, and with the musical hinging almost as much on Judas as on Christ, that's a serious shortcoming. IMO Jerome Pradon can't even sing. I was especially disappointed in his version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him," which, when sung by Judas, may be the crux of this musical's vision of the Christ story.
I've seen/heard Colm Wilkinson do "Gethsemane" so superbly that I was waiting for it before deciding on Glenn Carter's Christ. Unfortunately, Carter wasn't up to the number and threw in a lot of falsetto that rendered it just too feminine--as was his whole performance.
One good moment was "Could We Start Again Please?"--so lyrically simple that it still holds up 30 years later, whereas many of the other numbers now seem dated as a result of their slangy irony. The visuals of Christ's suffering contrasted with Peter and Mary's plea was also touching.
Overall, worth a watch, but only to inspire listening to the old double album soundtrack containing the original cast, including Ben Vereen and Yvonne Elliman. (Other versions are around, but that one is the best.)
