Lyricist Tim Rice has found for ["Jesus Christ Superstar"] a personal, and I think persuasive, tone of voice. The tone of voice is not merely mod or pop or jauntily idiomatic in an opportunistic way. It sheathes an attitude. It speaks, over and over again, of the inadequate, though forgivable, responses ordinary men always do make when confronted by mystery….
[Rice's] are blunt, rude, pointedly unlyrical lyrics, not meant to coat any period with a little literary flavoring but to catch hold of thought processes—venal, obtuse, human. Delivered in the jargon we more or less live by, they become woefully and ironically recognizable.
This is a free excerpt of 102 words. There are 319 words (approx.
1 page at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Webber, Andrew Lloyd 1948– Rice, Tim 1944–: Critical Essay by Walter Kerr Access Pass.
