The Wild Reed: Carl Anderson: “Still One of the Greatest Interpretations of Judas on Film”

Monday, February 27, 2023

Carl Anderson: “Still One of the Greatest Interpretations of Judas on Film”

It’s the birthday of the late, great American vocalist Carl Anderson (1945-2004). He would have been 78 today.

As I’ve noted previously, I sometimes like to think that in a parallel universe Carl has the superstar status which in this universe was inexplicably denied him. This despite the fact that he possessed a vocal range, elasticity, and sensuality that matched, and often bettered, those of his contemporaries Freddie Jackson, El Debarge, Jeffrey Osborne, John Whitehead, Al Jarreau, and Luther Vandross.

As the Funky Town Grooves website notes, “Carl Anderson was a singer with great range, clarity of diction . . . [and] that rare ability to sing flawlessly from a technical standpoint [while] still communicating character and emotion.”

He was, in short, an artist and vocalist extraordinaire.

I dare say that for most people, Carl Anderson is best known for playing Judas Iscariot in the 1973 film adaptation (above and right) and numerous stage productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. (For more about Carl’s groundbreaking portrayal of Judas, click here, here, and here.)

With this year being the 50th anniversary of the 1973 film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, it seems only appropriate to mark Carl’s birthday by sharing yet another glowing appreciation of his portrayal of Judas in this film. So without further ado, here’s an excerpt from Jacob Ethington 2017 review of Jesus Christ Superstar, one entitled “Sympathy for Judas: An Appreciation of Jesus Christ Superstar.”

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It’s always fascinated me that the big anthem of Jesus Christ Superstar’s title, “Superstar,” is sung by Judas Iscariot. There’s not a lot written in the Bible about history’s greatest traitor, but Jesus Christ Superstar builds a character for him regardless. There’s actually a lot to unpack in reviewing any incarnation of Jesus Christ Superstar, but the analysis of Judas as a character is one of those things you have to start addressing up front. This incarnation, a film adaptation shot primarily in Israel, is no different, but Judas will keep coming up in this review a lot. He's the most interesting thing about the musical, a musical that is most easily described as the following: An anachronistic rock opera about the last week of Jesus Christ’s life told mostly from the perspective of Judas Iscariot.

. . . The hardest part of the production to get onto film though is the musical’s deliberate staging of artifice. On stage, you’re not supposed to build elaborate temples and period accurate sets. You’re supposed to call attention to the fact it’s a group of performers, and the film surprisingly manages to maintain that spirit in the first few minutes. The primary cast literally pulls up in the middle of the desert on a bus loaded with props, and while the overture plays, the cast gets off the bus and gets into costume.

The end result is a hodgepodge of influences that are constantly at odds with each other, but have a distinct and campy charm all of their own. It might be a bit of a mess, but there’s not a lot on film like the 1973 adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, and I’m grateful that something so truly weird exists.

The story stretches roughly from Palm Sunday to the Crucifixion. The singing roles are spread among Jesus Christ (Ted Neeley), and his followers, Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson), Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman), Peter (Philip Toubus), and Simon (Larry Marshall), the Pharisees Caiaphas (Bob Bingham) and Annas (Kurt Yaghjian), and the authorities of Pontius Pilate (Barry Dennen) and King Herod (Josh Mostel).

. . . But while this is Jesus’ story, he’s not the one telling it. This is where Carl Anderson’s performance as Judas comes into play. Anderson is a larger than life presence in the film, and his voice is straight up the best of any performer in the film. No one sounds as good as him, and since Judas has the best songs in the musical to begin with, every scene he's in works like gangbusters. And by default, Carl Anderson is still one of the greatest interpretations of Judas on film.

One of the biggest blindspots in reinterpreting the Bible on film is Judas Iscariot. Almost every story that deals with Jesus’ crucifixion on film never even attempts to explore the character, the psychology, or anything that might be interesting about Judas. He shows up at The Last Supper to betray Jesus, gets his money, and hangs himself. That’s it. The only other film I can think of that offers another view of Judas is The Last Temptation of Christ.

. . . It’s worth saying that Jesus Christ Superstar’s version of Judas is mostly made up, with no Biblical text to support the idea that he’s been Jesus’ “right hand man all along,” but this Judas is a hybrid of sorts. He’s not just the betrayer, but the modern perspective of the Christ mythology that wishes to spread its message, but believes that talk of miracles and powers have overshadowed the ideology. It’s a bold choice, but not as bold as bringing Judas back as an angelic presence after his suicide to sing the title song.

By offering that perspective, Anderson is among the greatest Judas’ on film, which is kind of weird the more I think about it. Whatever, at least someone this charismatic and fun has the distinction of being in the pantheon, so that’s cool.

– Jacob Ethington
Excerpted from “Sympathy for Judas:
An Appreciation of Jesus Christ Superstar”
Jacob Writes Forever
April 2, 2017

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Of course, it would be remiss of me not to state the obvious: There is much more to Carl Anderson than Jesus Christ Superstar. Indeed, for over three decades Carl was an accomplished and well-respected song stylist, artfully blending jazz, soul, pop, and R&B influences into his own unique and unforgettable style.

Between 1982 and 1996 Carl released nine albums. In addition, he made memorable duets with other artists and provided solo guest vocals on a number of songs by others. Artists he worked with included Weather Report, Nancy Wilson, The Rippingtons, Michael Paulo, Maynard Ferguson, Gerald McCauley, Eric Marienthal, Brenda Russell, Dan Siegel, Lisa Deveaux, and Linda Eder.

Yet for reasons that are frustratingly elusive, many of Carl’s best recordings remain unknown to the general public. His most popular song is his duet with singer-actress Gloria Loring, “Friends and Lovers,” which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986.

Carl died on February 23, 2004, after an 8-month struggle with leukemia. He was less than a week from his 59th birthday. . . . His memory and his music, however, live on.